Author: Niclas

OK! The time has come (I think) to update my camera on my helmet.

If u saw any of my videos on Youtube, they are recorded with the old and trusted Gopro Hero Session 5. The last Gopro offering that didn’t have the aerodynamic of a barn door. It is solid, still working flawless and on constant charge I can keep recording without overheating (At least here in Sweden)

Iv been following the scene, Gopro vs Insta360 vs DJI Osmo Action – and now I go ahead and buy a DJI Osmo Action 4.

So what are my thoughts here?
Why do I purchase a camera now?

For a long time the Session5 was my best camera, having a few older versions as well. It is pretty much running on overtime, and we don’t know when the Session5 gives up.

I have a few issues with it, like almost every Gopro user that is forced to use a stupid media mod. It stops charging and stops recording audio. A disconnect/reconnect of the media adapter solves this, but you don’t know it happened until you watch back on your videos and the fact is that you have a video that stopped due to camera running out of battery after less than an hour, you also get no audio if you have a video.


The media thingymabob is the worst part in the Gopro lineup for sure – and every vlogger is forced to use it!

So we need to look away from Gopro – we need to find better options elsewhere.

Insta360 is one of them and DJI Osmo Action is another.

I have also been looking at a few other brands, but as is they are not worth mentioning.

So here it is. The DJI Osmo Action 4. and dang what a heavy piece of camera!

Here are the numbers

Gopro Hero Session 5 is 74 grams.

Dji Osmo Action 4 is155grams

Add the cage/ frame (optional) 31 grams

Add the magnetic mount (required) 16 grams


So we end up with 171 grams on the helmet instead of 74 grams.


I can tell you that feels heavy on the helmet wearing it. My helmet is already on a heavy side and this will not help at all…

The Gopro Hero3 is the camera I have been using a long time for most of my FPV videos you see on my Youtube channel. For as long as I can remember and since I bought my first Gopro camera(1st edition) I always disliked the formfactor. The major change came with the Session series. A much better formfactor for aerial use with less drag in the wind. It is also better for mounting on motorcycle helmets. There is a noticeable difference between them 2. Too bad Gopro decided to end Session series at Hero 5 level. That means they are becoming hard to get your hands on and to be honest there are not many chinese clones that can compare to this. I got a refurbished Session 5 from ebay and now I can start using the good old Hero3 for other uses like a secondary camera while riding my MTB or motorcycle. It has another major feature and that is that the USB port is accessible and hackable so I can connect external power and external microphone. I have been using this as TV-out on my DIY 250 Quad (See LKTR250 videos)

I now soldered a microphone to a connector and I can now start using that as a VLOG camera and/or comment to things that I happen to see in traffic or out and about.

I got my items sent by Giorgos Evripidou, founder of Siimajackets on Cyprus, it is the Sibirsky Adventure Jacket and Sibirsky Adventure Pants that I have been testing for a few rides.
There are a few things I really like with them and there are a few things I think can be improved. We start from the outside…both come with an external rain layer that is 100% waterproof with Durable YKK-zippers and taped seams. The Rain jacket has a hood that you can roll up and store in the collar and it seems very solid. The colors are Black and some sort of olive green with added reflective stripes and logos. Both pants and jacket connects with Poppers or snap-fasteners at various locations.

During my test-ride today in Sweden it was between 8 and 13 degrees Celsius and rather windy. I had a specific location in mind in the forest to do a video-review and on my way there I was getting cold around my chest despite the collar on the jacket and despite my buff around my neck. I stopped to put on the rain-layer as windbreaker and it worked just fine. I used this for most time of the day.
There was no need to put on the rain-pants.

The Sibirsky Adventure Jacket itself comes with several features that are good and some that can be improved. It has adjustable cuffs, adjustable waist, a removable collar and a pocket for a 3 Liter water-bladder on the back. 4 pockets on the front and a removable pocket on the rear (i think it is to store the rain-gear)
It also has the added extra feature of a removable layer. this converts the jacket into a mesh-jacket for warm conditions. The protection is still there – EN1621-1 protection (L1) on elbows and shoulders and EN1621-2 (L2) on the back and on the ribs. When you remove this layer you still have pockets on the inside and the hydration system is still in place. The jacket has extra adjusters on the waist under this layer if you need to tighten it up around your belly.
On the elbows are also expandable material making it comfortable to wear and bending your arms are no issues at all.

The Sibirsky Adventure Pants I think has EN1621-1 protection (L1) on the hips and on the knees, but the knee-protectors also features some harder materials to protect even further. The pants has 2 large cargo pockets on the sides and 2 regular sized pockets on the front. A clever roll up ventilation on the front of your thigh and a zipped mesh ventilation on the rear should give lots of cool air when action demands. It also features some expandable material above the knees so movement is allowed without any issues.

The waist is adjustable with 2 velcro tabs and it features a single popper on the front. There are 2 removable braces included and a 360 degree zipper allows to connect jackets and pants together.
The cuffs are adjustable to fit around your boots of choice.

The thermal liner fits on the inside with some hook and loops as well as poppers and it fits quite well. I used it on both pants and jacket during my tests.

Fitwize i’m 181cm (5’9 in funny numbers) and I have XL in both pants and jacket. They fit good even tho I have long arms and me being fairly broad shouldered(no exercies) If I try pants on without my riding boots they are so long I can step on them, when I wear boots they hang nicely down there.

Lots of features, lots of cool ideas. Here are some of my pros and cons.

PROS:
Waterproof layer on the outside.
Nice color scheme.
Superior ventilation.
Built in protectors.
Comfortable.
Large pocket for water-bladder.
Durable YKK-zippers.

CONS:
Thermal layer should be more protective
Thermal layer is only secured with poppers
Thermal layer lacks wind-flaps and zippers.
Hooks and loops not sturdy enough.
No hanger(loops) for pants.
Rain-pants needs reflective areas.
Collar not enough protective against wind.
No map pocket on legs (makes you feel like a fighter pilot)

Verdict

So what do I think of this gear? I can only compare to my other gear (Scott Dualraid) and what I think works and what does not based on experience from outdoor activity in Sweden.

There are several features like the removable shell layer to convert the jacket into a mesh. The roll-up ventilation on the legs. The outer rain-layer and so on…some things went bad like the Popper on the pants will not stay closed (it needs replacement), the lack of ability to hang the pants on a hanger is slightly annoying. I broke one of the loops holding the thermal layer on the pants(no clue how tho) and the draft on my chest despite the collar. The thermal layer should be revised to get the Sibirsky label valid, as is I think my Scott gear is better on that part.

Will this be the gear of my daily rides? I think so… might not use it for the coldest season here in Sweden (last winter I was riding when it was -7degrees)
But for any warmer day it is definitely going to be my 1st pick.

Items has been shipped and they are in transit to my location. Soon I will make a review of the new outfit for my motorcycle riding. It is soon below 0 degrees celcius in Sweden and depending on weather from day to day I can go out riding or not. This will all be part of my review. I have a location where I want to do some videos but weather and time might prevent this.