Second Camera Or Drone?

Ramblin'

Ramblin'

Ramblin'Rider on YT
Lets talk about the pro's and cons or each and your personal preference/ thoughts in general!

I realize a second camera can be a much much cheaper option but I have seen several motovloggers with several cameras. I have yet to see many incorporating drone footage which I happen to love!

For me the camera still has more pros - It is cheaper, it will get used more often, enables you to dual vlog with friends who don't have cameras

But the main reason I am leaning towards a drone in the future is because it is still unique, the 'follow me' features are getting better and I personally love seeing a rider via drone shot!

What do YOU think?! Feel free to post your favorite options for either. I would probably go with a Gopro Hero 4 Black and for drones I have not done much research yet but the DJI Phantom 3 Professional seems like a decent beginners drone
 
If you're not going to be a professional videographer. A drone might be a wasted investment no matter how great it is to have one.
 
A drone will be a fun gimmick for a little while, until you may or may not realize it either takes more skill than you are willing to learn, or gets too expensive and didn't match your expectations.

I'd say, go with the camera, you listed a lot of pro's and I think they are reasonable. I'm a big fan of drones, but like Reize mentioned, its not something you simply buy for fun unless you have money to burn. Drones need to be maintained too.

In a few years, I'm sure more affordable, follow-me drones can be obtained easily. I'd wait for those to appear.
 
While drone footage is awesome, I can't see it being a good way to spend that amount of money unless you plan on going the whole hog with your channel a la EveRide or even Motology. A second camera is a much cheaper and easier way to make your videos more interesting.

But if you have the money to burn, drone footage really does look extremely cool (to me at least) and it's your money after all
 
Said it in the OP. Camera is cheaper and will get used more. You will be limited when you can use drone and there's only so much you can do with it. Second cam you can use as an arse cam, face cam, fanny* cam, rear view cam, low down cam, side cam, down at the levers cam etc etc etc

*copyright @SwissMotard
 
I have a mate with a pro drone cost £££££, but he lives about the 250 miles away and busy using for TV filming ect, ill get hold of him one day.
 
I see where you're coming from, but I think you are a little ahead of the game. Drones and the tracking features just aren't there yet. And use would be extreme limited, as mentioned by others. I'd say get a second camera and a few mounts that allow for some interesting views.
 
Drone footage is awesome, but this whole "register with the FAA" thing has me permanently locked out. I just don't want the hassle.

I just run a second camera on my bike, either on my tank or facing backwards from the exhaust.
 
I support the idea for a second camera, or even for the price of a drone, a third camera. Using a second camera mounted facing the rider, while done, isn't necessarily a bad way to go. Also, using a camera mounted underneath the tail, on the swingarm, or the front fork area can give some really cool shots while getting a lean or doing wheelies to impress the viewers. I've seen some cool stuff done with drones though. There is a particular video that always sticks out in my mind that uses drones, ground camera shots, and mounted cameras: Motorcycle vs Car Drift Battle 2. Granted, they had a whole team and a lot of money to put towards it, but it gives an idea of how a drone could POSSIBLY be used in curvier roads.
 
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Lurch said:
Said it in the OP. Camera is cheaper and will get used more. You will be limited when you can use drone and there's only so much you can do with it. Second cam you can use as an arse cam, face cam, fanny* cam, rear view cam, low down cam, side cam, down at the levers cam etc etc etc

*copyright @SwissMotard
Click to expand...

Public domain, Creative Commons Attribution etc :p
 
Follow me features are getting better but battery life is not. If you can find a buddy with a drone then i'd say it would make a great intro video. I actually own a couple drones including a clone of the DJI Phantom 2 and they are a bit more than just press a button and go. Currently it is in need of a new flight controller.

Basically drones are good for short term videos. Another camera angle would suit better for the normal everyday video.
 
I'd say 2nd camera, I'd love a drone to follow me through the twisty mountains however I reckon it'll only get a few metres before crashing into a tree :(
 
yeah yeah yeah I think you all are right! lol I was just having delusions of grandeur to where I thought I would get enough use out of it, but rethinking it (and pretty much total agreement of all of y'all) I decided I will get a second cam. Eventually :D
 
I have a drone that i have used on on of my video. hope its ok to post is here as it is relevant?


drone take quite a bit of time and skill. in the UK there are a lot of rule and laws you have to work with. however they do give you some very cool unique shots.

In the summer i intend to do a lot more stuff with the bike and the drone as my friends (Summer Riders) will come out and play so i will be filming them.
i also have the luxury of having 3 cameras for my bike and my friends also have camera too.
 
I've done a fair bit of work with professional drones (DJI Inspire) and more pro-sumer stuff like the Blade Chroma-- they are a very neat and useful platform, but I can't imagine anyone using one in a motovlogging context. Too many issues.

- Flight time. I get ~10 minutes of useful flight time on a Chroma, roughly double that on an Inspire with a big horkin' battery.

- Liability. What happens when it flies itself into a car or person? Bad news.

- Tracking at speed. Even though tracking tech is getting better at a rapid place, even pro drones can only go so fast, and they're certainly not keeping up with a bike at road speed.

The only useful applications I've found are for dirt / motocross filming, with an operator flying the thing. You can indeed get some shots that are largely impossible without a drone-- however that doesn't really mesh with the motovlogging workflow.

One thing you could do is have someone in a car fly tracking shots while you're riding-- but personally I'd only want to do that on a closed road, again for the liability issues. Plus there's always the chance of someone getting a face full of prop, which will really ruin your day.
 
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