Using Your Smartphone to Take Action Photos

I've seen some posts where riders have rigged their smartphones to take videos while riding.

I'm curious is anyone has used their phones to take photos while riding. It may be a lame idea but my phone takes great pictures. That got me wondering if there is a way to mount it, perhaps in a fixed location on my bike or maybe even on my helmet. And, if there is a way to mount it, how do I activate the shutter to take a picture while riding?

Anyone do this? If so how do you do it and are you pleased with your results? Thanks

A simple solution would be to buy a cheap used camera that uses a wired remote. Something like a canon g10. Easy to mount with a ram mount.

You can put it on a ram ball mount. If it’s an iPhone you can activate the shutter with the mic button on your earphones when it’s in camera mode

I mount my iPhone using a RAM mount, it is mounted to the dash. I never thought of using it for taking stills ( pictures) or videos, but it would work just fine. It could be actuated with any bluetooth device, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Bluetooth-Headphone-Adapter-Controls/dp/B01HRYAP1K/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1519127726&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=griffin+itrip+clip&psc=1

I am sure there are less expensive alternatives as well. I use one of these to power up my helmet mounted headphones, to save using a cord, and it allows me to select music and adjust volume as well.

And we talk about teenagers in cages texting while driving......

klaproth said:

It could be actuated with any bluetooth device, like this one:

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Nice find! That's fairly cheap from a reputable vendor in the event it fails prematurely.

Mount that near a grip and taking a pic is no more complicated than engaging a turn signal or selecting high/low beam or adjusting the windshield. (Siri is no help here.)

My next iPhone will be 240fps capable. This is Apple's super slo-mo speed. But extracted from the phone it can be played back at 240fps and appear 'normal' but should be incredibly sharp. I can't wait to try that out.

I've got an RBIS mount so moving the phone up is no problem. I don't know how well this will work for stills though. But it's worth a shot.

Thanks for all the replies so far. I like the Griffin Bluetooth clip. I agree with Scootac regarding distractions. I don't talk on the phone while driving or riding and I rarely use GPS and only in the voice mode - eyes on the road all the time. If I elect to do something with my phone or a used camera I want it's operation to be as intuitive and unintrusive as possible.

Good info

Moto-Charlie said:

I agree with Scootac regarding distractions.

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It's a choice and one I don't agree with. There are all kinds of distractions including but not limited to:

speedometer
tachometer
clock
fuel gauge
mirrors
vehicles on the road
people on the road
people in vehicles on the road
aforementioned switch controls on bike
indicator lights

If you're the type to possibly be distracted by any of the above then the elimination of every potential distraction is a good practice.

I don't see a phone in a mount triggered by a conveniently located button to be a distraction. Possibly if a rider were aiming it like a point n shoot and composing a shoot you'd have a point. Anybody who'd do that will rolling down the road would be foolish. It's not like you're aiming a gun camera. You're looking down the road then clicking a button. That require no more little grey cells than say honking at an errant pedestrian deciding if they want to jaywalk. Or looking for a street sign for the turn you need to make.

And I'd bet many here have done many different things that meant both hands were not on the handlebars and they might have even been listening to music or the radio (those ED ads must be distracting) with nary a scratch. This may be a distraction for some people. They shouldn't snap and ride. Others will have no problem.

As riders if we're brutally honest (and most are not) objective observation would very likely show that we all entertain 'distractions' that were comfortable with and not quite as safety oriented as we want to believe. That's a choice too.

Kiltman hit the nail on the head. It also works with android... https://www.howtogeek.com/215086/ask-htg-whats-the-easiest-way-to-add-a-remote-camera-shutter-to-my-smartphone/... you could also make your own trigger cord with a trrs jack, a length of wire, a momentery pushbutton and a resistor (about $5.00 in parts) .Either way, all you have to do is stick the button on your switch pod near your thumb and you never have to take your eyes off the road.

Oh, I meant to mention that in the past, I have thought of something similar, trying to catch video with my phone, but a concern that crossed my mind was that I was weary of putting my phone up high like you will need to for fear of the sun heating it up. Phones cannot tolerate much heat, mostly the battery. Not saying it WILL be an issue, Just that I have wondered if it would be.

Bmacleod said:

all you have to do is stick the button on your switch pod near your thumb and you never have to take your eyes off the road.

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Bingo.

Thanks for the continued feedback - all good info.

ST Gui - My agreement with Scootac was simply an acknowledgement of the possiblity for excess distraction if the smartphone setup was too labor intensive. I agree with you that a fixed mount and a simple trigger button should not be a dangerous distraction and that's the kind of setup I would be interested in. As you note riders already operate with various distractions and a simple trigger sounds good. I simply didn't want to be taking my eyes off the road to push buttons, fiddle with a screen, etc.

I spend about 80% of my time riding in the mountains. I love the scenery and am easily distracted by that. When I'm not paying attention to the guages, levers, road etc my surplus distraction capacity is fully occupied.

Bmacleod said:

but a concern that crossed my mind was that I was weary of putting my phone up high like you will need to for fear of the sun heating it up. Phones cannot tolerate much heat, mostly the battery. Not saying it WILL be an issue, Just that I have wondered if it would be.

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As long as it's up high... aero cooling.

Mine (Samsung G3 in a well sealed Otterbox Defender case) survived a multi week trip through the west during the height of summer, even a ride through Death Valley all mounted on the ram ball over my brake reservoir. battery was plugged in the whole time to a standard generic USB charger.

T_C said:

As long as it's up high... aero cooling.

Mine (Samsung G3 in a well sealed Otterbox Defender case) survived a multi week trip through the west during the height of summer, even a ride through Death Valley all mounted on the ram ball over my brake reservoir. battery was plugged in the whole time to a standard generic USB charger.

Click to expand...

Good to know...
I assumed it would be okay if moving, i was more concerned with stop and go traffic or stopping for a few minutes here and there to stretch and have a coffee. I might try mine up on the dash this year.
Thanks

It's all good info - Thanks.