Sena Prism Video Camera review
Martin ‘Sticky’ Round used a Sena Prism
video camera on a 6,000 mile 19-
country jaunt on a 1968 Lambretta for
a forthcoming book project called Twin
Town Courier.
He reckons that the Bluetooth-
connectable Prism is the best dedicated
bike camcorder available today, and
here’s why..
FORM FACTOR AND MOUNTING SYSTEM
The Prism has, in my opinion, the correct form factor
for two-wheeled use. It is small 63x44x23mm and
light at 125g including battery. For helmet use a
long device with a small frontal area (Prism or Drift) Prism’s clamp-on, clip-in ball-joint
obviously suffers less wind drag than wide and boxy helmet mount is a work of genius.
(GoPro et al).
Perhaps more fundamentally, with the Prism’s superbly engineered side-mount, ball joint, clip-in
helmet bracket, you don’t have to look like a Teletubby with a stupid protrusion sticking out of the
top of your head. For me, that’s a big factor. I’m tall enough to struggle fitting below door fames as it
is, so adding another 10cm of action camera to the top of the helmet is a disaster. Included within
the Prism kit are adhesive mounts if you insist on helmet top nonsense, but these can also be used
to side mount on the few helmets that do not accept the clamp bracket.
Admittedly, you can also mount a GoPro onto the side of a helmet, but this is a massive ungainly
carbuncle on a big arm rather than a slim solution like the Prism or Drift.
The flipside of this argument is that the horizontal box (e.g. GoPro) format is actually better for
chest-mount shooting. This angle can be more immersive and revealing than helmet mount for
extreme riding, but you are stuck with forward-only shooting.
Whichever type of video camera you choose be aware that if you mount on your body or your
helmet then you are compromising your safety in an accident. Most race organisations ban the use
of rider-mounted cameras for that reason. Still, if you wanted to live in a cotton-wool-enclosed
protective bubble you probably wouldn’t be reading an adventure motorcycle magazine. A little risk
is part of the game and as long as you can quantify it in advance then it’s your choice whether or not
to wear a camera.
ADAPTABILITY
The clamp-mounted Prism sticks out a little way from your helmet, but not so much that it
unbalances things or gets caught on your shoulder when looking behind. In wide-view setting the
right side of my full-face Shoei helmet was just visible in shot, but I prefer that effect to a totally
unhindered view because it gives the viewer an obvious rider perspective.