The iPod Nano Bike Camera

I bought the new fifth generation iPod nano last month. My old Creative player and my current mobile phone are black-and-white displays; I don't update my gadgets very often. I was impressed. The main development of the fifth generation nano is the video camera. I had been looking for a bike video camera to video every second I'm on the motorbike while commuting and touring. The latest cameras from companies such as GoPro record in high definition. Technological advancement is focused on recording quality, while my focus is on battery life and storage capacity, and these often disappoint. The iPod nano was the solution.

I bought myself an iPod nano strap that joggers use for strapping their iPod to the upper arm. It also protects the iPod from the elements, as getting it wet is a bad idea. I attach it around the instrument cluster of the motorbike (top picture), and use some tape for additional waterproofing. It gives me sturdy mount that keeps the camera in place, and the iPod can easily be removed from the pocket on the strap. The strap can only be removed by disassembling the instrument cluster.

The video files are a little over 50 minutes for each 1GB. However the camera will automatically shut off when the file size reaches 2GB, at about 105 minutes. So at minimum you want 2GB of free space before starting the recording. The iPod comes in 8GB or 16GB versions; you can use either, but the 16GB is more suitable, as you don't have to keep deleting the 2GB video files before recording the next one. The 80 albums on my 16GB iPod take up about 6.4GB of space, so I have space remaining for 4 2GB video files before I need to start deleting older files. You can't delete parts of a file, so if you catch something that you want to keep, you'll have to keep the entire 2GB file until you reach a computer to upload it.

Battery life for video recording runs at slightly under two hours. If you record from a full charge, the camera will shut off at about 105 minutes, by which time your battery will be nearly empty. The good news is that the iPod can be recharged while it's recording. There are many battery extender solutions, both those made for the iPod and those made for any device with a USB cable. Some use AA or AAA batteries and others are charged by USB. I use a Duracell recharger which is charged by USB and has an on/off switch. I zip-tie the charger to the frame down-tube, with the iPod recharging cable connecting the iPod to the charger. When I start the video I also turn on the charger, which keeps the iPod fully charged as the charging rate is above what is needed for use. No more battery problems, and the iPod is ready for me to listen to some top-notch late nineties brit-pop once I reach my motel.

Using the iPod nano as a bike video camera is a surprising good solution. Video quality is 640x480 pixels at 30fps, which is good enough for my purposes (example six second video below, reduced to 320x240). The problem with portable video cameras for touring is always battery life, but the wide availability of battery extender solutions and the fact that you can recharge while recording means that you can get around this problem for the iPod. There are some disadvantages though. The auto 2GB shut off means stopping every 105 minutes to re-start the camera. Extensive use may lead to reduced battery performance over time. And you are taking the risk that the iPod will get wet and be ruined; while the jogging strap offers some protection, it is not waterproof. But overall, it works very well. It's worth a try if you already own one.