Best Motorcycle Helmet Cameras For UK Riders [2023 Edition]

Updated:

Published:

Motorcycle Helmet cameras are becoming ever more popular on UK roads. Recording your ride allows you to capture and relive the best moments in glorious HD. Editing your footage is easy, allowing it to be quickly shared online.

More seriously, many motorcyclists are wearing cameras to protect themselves from bad drivers. Filming in public is completely legal, and good-quality video footage can be an important piece of evidence if you are involved in an accident or confrontation on the roads.

As always on Begin, we look for the best options out there that offer good quality at reasonable prices.

If you are ready to buy and want a quick sanity check before pulling the trigger, check the comparison chart below for the best motorbike helmet cams in each category.

If you are in research mode, then have a look at the in-depth reviews, which look more closely at each option.

Go here if you want to read about motorcycle helmet camera laws.


Best Motorbike Helmet Camera Comparison Chart

CameraFPS at 1080pVoice CommandsWaterproof WIFi
GoPro Hero860YesFullyYes
Drift Ghost X30NoShowerproofYes
Sena 10C Evo60YesWater resistantYes
DJI Osmo60NoFullyYes
Akaso EK700060NoFullyYes

Jargon Buster

4K: 3840 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. Also known as Ultra HD provides approximately four times the clarity of standard HD images.

1080p: 1080 horizontal lines of vertical resolution. This will provide the same quality of picture as a standard high-definition TV.

720p: This is equivalent to a standard (i.e., non-HD) television picture.

Frames Per Second (FPS): The number of times per second that an image is taken. A higher FPS produces a higher-quality picture. 60FPS will generally provide very smooth footage.

Memory Card: This is used to store your recorded video.

WiFi: Allows you to connect the camera to your computer wirelessly for retrieving video.

Voice Commands: Control the camera using voice prompts

Motorbike Camera Reviews


Best For Quality – GoPro HERO8 Action Camera

This is by far the most expensive camera on the list. It produces stunning, high-resolution images and can film up to 4K HD at 60fps, which ensures silky-smooth playback.

Image stablisation is what really sets the GoPros apart and the Hero8 comes with several different options that will ensure vibration-free and super smooth playback.

GoPro gear is highly regarded and comes with a mountain of in-built features and settings.

If you’re the kind of person who loves to tweak everything and is happy to invest the time in learning all its capabilities, then this camera will deliver truly stunning and highly detailed video.

For those who prefer just to click record and ride, the GoPro Hero8 has some simple voice control settings that allow for hands-free control at low speeds.

It is completely waterproof (down to 10m) and very durable; it will shrug off any weather that the UK can throw at it.

It also comes packaged with various mounts, which will allow you to fit on a helmet or handlebars straight out of the box.

This GoPro model has a built-in touch display screen,  admittedly this is not much use when actually riding, but it makes setup and configuration very easy and allows you to playback video on the roadside.

Check Prices on Amazon

Remember

One annoying thing to be aware of with this camera, you will need to buy a memory card as there is no internal memory to record your video on.

Make sure to buy a good-sized one of at least 128GB as the high-quality images on this camera take up a lot of space. This 128GB Sandisk extreme memory card comes highly recommended.

Note: GoPro ship new models regularly, they are currently on version 9, we still think the 8 is more than enough to record your ride, and it’s a great price if you don’t need all the latest bells and whistles.

Conclusion

To sum up, this is an awesome piece of kit that will ensure a crystal clear recording of your ride.

While it is on the expensive side, recent price reductions have made it a relative bargain when looking at the quality of both the pictures and the build.


Best Fully Featured GoPro Alternative – DJI Osmo Action

This mid-range camera has decent features and a reputation for excellent image stability and water-resistant properties.

DJI is better known (to me anyway) for their drones and robots – both highly regarded by consumers. The Action series is their first venture into an action camera product.

It’s a pretty solid effort too. 4K at 60FPS, HDR (high dynamic range lighting), image stabilization, and excellent waterproofing are all present, making this a legitimate alternative to a GoPro.

DJI has also opted for a fairly simple plug-and-play option, with a host of options in the menus for people who like to tweak and twiddle with their settings.

In this case, there’s fun to be had in those settings. Features like slow motion, custom exposure, and time-lapse are all here – perfect for any budding content creators out there.

The waterproofing here is rated to 11m – slightly better than the competition. It’s achieved using watertight seals on the unit and a hydrophobic coating on the touchscreen.

These cameras have been out in the wild for over a year now and reviews are pretty positive about their durability and soundness.

This is a camera-only purchase. But luckily, with its case on, the Osmo Action is compatible with all GoPro accessories. This is a nice touch. Compatible mounts are inexpensive and those looking to upgrade their camera only who already have a handlebar or helmet mount should consider one of these cameras.

The dual screens here aren’t of much use for motorcycling. It’s a cool feature for content creators who want to be able to speak to the camera and monitor the shot. But for battery optimization, I’d switch them off when riding.

Check Prices on Amazon

Remember

This is a camera only. It’s a pretty universal mounting system, so you won’t have any trouble fitting it to a GoPro mount or those from many other manufacturers.

This also ships without a memory card installed. You’ll need to order one at the same time if you want to use this camera the day it arrives. We recommend this one from Sandisk.

Conclusion

This is an amazing camera, priced slightly lower than the latest from GoPro. It punches above its weight in terms of performance and the user interface and menus are much better designed than a cheaper, generic unit.

A lot to recommend for anyone looking to spend at this price range.

A serious competitor to the better-known names.


Next Level Tech – SENA 10c Pro

This is an impressive new kind of camera/intercom hybrid unit that sounds like something from a Tom Clancy novel. And it’s feature-packed, both as a camera and a Bluetooth intercom system, shipping with a headset and hands-free unit that doubles as a helmet-mounted camera.

This is such a great idea, we’re surprised it hasn’t been tried earlier.

Camera options are impressive, offering the usual UHD and HD options with a choice of 30 or 60 frames per second. This allows you to save on storage space if you’re using your camera for safety/insurance purposes then turn up the quality when you want to capture something in HD to share.

1440p is also supported – a good indication of how thorough the options are here as this resolution isn’t that common in consumer homes.

As a Bluetooth 4.1 intercom, this is also an impressive piece of equipment comparable to many of Sena’s dedicated units.

It has a range of 1 mile in open ground, supports 4-way chat, can be controlled by an easy-to-use app, getting you about 20 hours of talk time. Noise cancellation, a radio, and separate control of camera and headset via dedicated apps make this feel like a comprehensive and futuristic-feeling riding experience.

The only complaint we’ve heard about this one is about the camera’s battery life. Some users report getting only 90 minutes or so before a low battery warning.

But as far as its functionality as a headset and intercom, it’s all positive. The battery for this component holds to the marketing promise of 20+ hours of talk time too.

Check Prices on SportsBikeShop

Remember

This set includes a camera, boomed and wired mics, speakers, and a Bluetooth unit with a jog dial interface, When you consider how many things this little unit does, the price tag starts to look very reasonable indeed.

Conclusion

Frankly, this is amazing. It might not be the most versatile camera system. In fact, it might be better to think of it as a quality Bluetooth intercom system with an HD camera built-in.

This machine is really cool and makes you wonder about the next generation of helmets with features like cameras and comms built right into the foam and fibreglass.


Best Quality\Price Combo – Drift Ghost X Action Camera

This is a mid-range camera from the well-regarded tech company Drift Innovations.

It’s a more simple and streamlined camera than the GoPro whilst also offering a much better build quality than the cheap Chinese cameras.

It pairs with a very simple and intuitive companion app and can be set up and controlled completely via your phone; beats trying to fiddle with buttons when the camera is attached to your lid!

This camera also has fantastic battery life, with many users reporting 5 hours plus of recording.

Flat and curved adhesive mounts are included, which means it will fit pretty much any helmet straight out of the box.

Check Prices on SportsBikeShop

Remember

No internal memory, so a separate memory card will be needed.

The camera is weather-resistant but not rated for heavy downpours.

Conclusion

This is a small, lightweight, and simple to use camera with a quality manufacturer to back it up.

If you just want something portable to record your ride without any fuss reliably, this is highly recommended.

Read our full Drift Ghost X review.


Best Cheap GoPro Alternative – AKASO EK7000

This is one of the better low-cost GoPro-style competitors. It seems like they have taken a lot of, shall we say, “inspiration” from the look and function of the GoPro, and it even uses the same mounting system and accessories!

It shoots a very decent 60FPS at 1080 HD, plenty for keeping up with your ride while producing good clear images for playback.

This camera also offers 4K Ultra HD recording, although many users report that the 4k mode is disappointing and doesn’t stand up to scrutiny at close range.

The camera comes with two rechargeable batteries, which are handy, and a USB charger. Battery life is average; you’ll get about 90 minutes out of each one.

It is fully waterproof down to 100 feet, so no worries about handling the weather.

The Akaso comes with a large array of accessories and mounts; importantly, it includes a helmet mount for us motorcyclists.

One interesting feature is the wireless wrist remote which allows full control of the camera without fiddling with your helmet. Not much use on the move with thick gloves on but it makes life easier at the side of the road.

Check Prices and Reviews on Amazon

Remember

As with most of these cheap imitations, the user manual is virtually useless; expect to spend some time on Youtube figuring out how to set it up. (See video below)

While the video quality is decent for the price, it doesn’t produce the same silky smooth shots you get with the GoPro.

Conclusion

A decent camera at a great price will happily record your ride and spit out good-quality footage at the end of it.

If you can accept some compromises on video quality, then this package offers good value.


Related Reading