HPDE/Track day camera

[SBR70.3]

Shopping for one. Looking at the Garmin Catalyst but want to hear about other options the community has tried.

Those who use the Catalyst, any pros/cons?

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[Jstang23]

I use a go pro, then use the track addict app to layover the video

 

[WItoTX]

I use a GoPro with solostorm. I understand that the Garmin is awesome though, I don't think you would be disappointed.

 

[tosha]

Garmin is great if you like simplicity and a well pre-packaged product, and don't want to mess with video editors, datasources, overlays and etc. It just keeps everything in one place including the history that you can view at any point of time. Main con is the price.
The coach feature becomes useful once you start driving solo.

if you want advanced features and analytics, and you are a data junkie, look elsewhere

I use both gopro and catalyst.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

DJI has an action camera that I am planning on replacing my Gopros with. I honestly cannot remember the name. Sooo done with Gopro!

 

[xcm77]

GoPro 11 here

 

[tosha]

Sooo done with Gopro

Yeah, I can certainly relate to that. While the build quality and video quality are great, their software team is clearly underfunded or not very competent (seems that both actually). Dealing with their slow cloud and buggy app is an ongoing source of frustration.

So many generations of a single product and they are still unable to figure out some basic things, like having auto upload that actually works.

 

[991GT]

I also use SoloStorm with a GoPro and RaceCapture. It's very likely more complex to get setup but provides pretty much the same functionality. However with RaceCapture you can add vehicle data to see brake pressure, throttle application, steering angle, and more to the log traces.

 

[Ewheels]

Another vote for GoPro and Track Addicts overlay. I also use a bluetooth OBD that connects to Track Addicts to get a few more data points.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

Yeah, I can certainly relate to that. While the build quality and video quality are great, their software team is clearly underfunded or not very competent (seems that both actually). Dealing with their slow cloud and buggy app is an ongoing source of frustration.

So many generations of a single product and they are still unable to figure out some basic things, like having auto upload that actually works.

They'll get one generation's microphone to be amazing and the image stabilization so so. Then the next generation will come out and the image stabilization is great and the audio sucks! Can't seem to get one that does it all well. Then there is the glitching and corrupting of files....

 

[RTR077]

I have the catalyst but have only used it once.

Things I have noted:

- Camera is separate from the unit itself. The unit is like a small iPad
- Picked up my local tracks w/o problem
- Overlay is great on the unit and when downloaded
- Ability to review immediately after each session is awesome and the screen itself is good quality
- In the moment coaching isn't quick enough to be of any real use
- Saves all the sessions and breaks down all kinds of data
- Displays braking/accelerating zones and ideal line for comparison
- Lots of wires! I tucked mine in the glove box
- Unit can be removed from the clamp for full mobility at the track or home

 

[RTR077]

Here is a video I took, so you can see what can be recorded.

 

[Biggsy]

For strictly video I have been using GoPro Hero 8 for last few years. Never an issue personally.

For OBDII data I started with GoPro +track addicts+ OBD BT module+ GPS module. That is the simplest data logging (with most accurate timing) set up

For coaching then the catalyst but I prefer to see my hands and head in video for analysis. I am not a fan of windshield only view for that reason.

for human coaching and data analysis, the AIM Smarty cam

I know the question was about the catalyst but just giving options on others

 

[ihasnostang]

i don't care too much for the windshield view. i also prefer to have car information over laptimes. I haven't tried playing around with ISO values on my $50 gopro 3, so the default exposure sucks during the afternoon. If using a headrest mount you could also have a secondary device in frame running trackaddict. i attempted that for this video but my cheap dash mount didnt hold up. i also have an external mic that i keep in the cup holder with a wind sock to try and reduce wind noise. It's easy enough to add a display object to start a timer manually at the start of a lap ( i looked for first frame where start/finish line disappeared.

 

[TopJimmyCooks]

Been using the Catalyst for a couple of years, love the simplicity. Only drawback is that you don’t get OBDII data. But when I start running in IMSA, I’ll upgrade to VBox.

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