Before I start talking about why I like the Sena Prism Tube, I’d better address the elephant in the room – GoPro.
As soon as people start talking about action cameras on a motorcycle, you know someone is thinking about GoPro.
GoPro Hero cameras are the answer to a specific question. I know this because I have two. They are wonderful and have a host of features that I don’t use. Neither am I a filmmaker. So 4K video at 60 frames per second to me equals shorter battery life, bigger files to edit and longer download times.
Bragging right for having the latest camera aside; what I really want is something that is easy to mount, easy to use, records good quality video and doesn’t get in my way.
The idea of riding around with a “brick” stuck to either the side or front of my helmet, doesn’t appeal. And most importantly – other than decent video quality – I don’t want to be stopping to change the battery every 30. minutes.
So … Lightweight, streamlined and discreet, attaches to the side of my helmet, with good battery life and a full HD recording are the must-have features. Loop recording and sound recording – for me – would be great but not essential.
In short, I want a Sena Prism Tube, and as I now have one, I best get on with reviewing it.
Tech Specs.
I’ve always wondered why we play Technical Top Trumps. Yes, having 5BHP more than the other people who are drinking tea at your favourite café is a great feeling, but if you only open the throttle halfway, what is the point?
If you need 4K video, then the Sena 10C EVO is where you should be looking. It is an all-in-one 4K video camera, Bluetooth intercom and voice recorder. All of which is not what the Prism is all about.
The Sena Prism isn’t about “the bling” or having a long list of functions that you will try once and then ignore. It is about quietly getting on with the job, while everyone else is scrolling through menu options.
The Sena Prism records in 1080p at 30 or 60 frame per second, or 1440p QHD at 30 frames per second. A microphone is built into the casing, or you can install the supplied mic and single speaker inside your helmet.
For me, the microphone in the casing was perfect, as I use my Sena 50S if I want to record some of the rubbish I mutter to myself while riding.
The built-in mic captures the conversations between us when we are stopped, yet understandably records nothing but wind roar when riding, which is why Sena includes a microphone and speaker to mount inside your helmet if you wish.
No matter what the fancy calculations say the battery life should be – Sena say 2 hours – there is nothing better than a real-world test. With the Sena Prism fully charged, I went for a 90-minute ride, recording in 1080P at 60 frames per second.
According to the Sena App – more on that in a moment – I’d used about 60% of the battery life. Factors such as temperature will impact battery performance, but a minimum of 90 minutes looks to be achievable in just about any conditions.
And … I do like this fact … because the Sena Prism Tube doesn’t require high capacity batteries to make it work, the Sena Prism Tube recharges much faster than other cameras. One large mug of tea and a quick chat should see you back to a 50% charge – even from empty.
The Sena Prism uses Micro SD cards and supports cards up to a maximum of 64GB, which is more than enough for the two-hour battery life.
Mounting
As with my Sena 50S, the Sena Prism comes with two mounting options; a clamp that passes either side of the helmet shell and a low profile adhesive mount. Once the helmet mount is in place, the swivel mount (included in the box) slides on and clicks into place.
The swivel mount is a ball joint with locking collar. With the camera clipped into the swivel mount, you can adjust the camera’s position until you get exactly the picture you desire and then lock it into place.
Ultimately I found the adhesive mount the most suitable for my Schubert C4 flip front helmet, as it allowed me to mount the Prism a little further forward than the clamp fitting did.
This way, very little of my helmet is visible in the 125-degree field of view. If I’d been mounting the Sena Prism on my Shoei full face, I could have hidden the helmet completely.
Using the Prism’s live view feature, I sat on my KTM and adjusted the camera position until I had the picture precisely how I wanted it and then tighten the locking collar. It really couldn’t be any simpler to fit.
Soup to nuts fitting took me 20 minutes. It may take a little longer if you’re installing the microphone and speaker, but not by much.
Operation
Where would we be without “Apps”, other than utterly frustrated while trying to configure fancy electronics through tiny touch screens?
Like many of the Sena devices, the Sena Prism comes with a free App through which you control all the camera settings.
When the Sena Prism is powered on, it will broadcast a WiFi signal for 3 minutes. If you don’t connect during that time, the Prism will turn the Wifi off to save the battery. To enable WiFi again, turn the Sena Prism off and then on again.
With the App installed on your phone, turn on the Sena Prism, select the Prism WiFi network on your phone and then open the App. That is it. You have now connected to your Sena Prism.
In researching the Sena Prism, I was surprised to read some negative comments about the Sena App. Personally – and yes, I’m a technology geek – I found it simple to use and perfectly functional. Such is the elegant simplicity of the Sena Prism that there are only six options to adjust; the App automatically sets the time and date for you – how cool is that!
The App does have a couple of quirks, which is perhaps why some people find it difficult at first.
To get to the camera settings, first, connect your phone to the Prism Wifi and run the App. Next, press the camera icon on the opening page. Now, stop the recording and then the camera settings button becomes visible.
You would think that pressing the gear icon, shown in the image above was the thing to do, but this shows the settings for the App itself.
Why does it do this? When the camera is turned on, it starts recording. Before changing the recording settings, the recording has to be stopped. The only way to stop the Sena Prism recording video, other than through the App, is to turn it off, and the Sena Prism can’t be configured if it is turned off.
Along with adjusting the camera settings, the App enables you to send a live video to your phone. Very useful when adjusting the camera position for that perfect view.
Video Quality
Is there any better way to demonstrate how good the Sena Prism is than to attach it to your helmet and go for a ride?
The video below – other than being trimmed for length and having the title cards added – came straight from the Sena Prism. There has been no colour balancing, sharpening or tweaking of any kind.
It was recorded on a winter’s day at the end of January 2021, in mainly overcast conditions with the occasional burst of sunshine.
Inevitably with Youtube, there is the possibility of the video being compressed. Vloggers tell me it is something to do with Youtube’s delivery algorithm. To avoid this, they say – play the video in full screen and play it twice. (Okay – if they say so)
Sena Prism Tube – Is it any good?
Yes. It is excellent. There will be people out there who will compare it to other action cameras and tell you all the things the other cameras do, but they will be missing the point.
The Sena Prism is a low profile, easy to use, full HD camera, that produces good quality easy to edit video. It is simple to mount and at weighing just 80 grams, I couldn’t feel it even at motorway speeds.
The 125-degree field of view gives a crisp image, even in the corners of the image. Some of the other actions cameras available that offer a wider field of view suffer “fish-eye” distortion at the edge of the frame.
If Youtube is your thing, the MP4 videos from the Sena Prism can be directly uploaded and edited on Youtube.
Best of all, though is the price. As I write this, the Sena Prism Tube is available on Amazon in the UK for under £110.
People will waffle on about image stabilisation, 4K colour, and many other things, but ask yourself this – Is it your desire to ride a motorcycle and record the experience or spend hours editing video and faffing with camera settings?
I know what I’d rather be doing.
Clarity
In their wisdom, Sena Communications produced two action cameras for motorcyclists and called them both the Sena Prism. Granted, if I use their full names, they are the Sena Prism Bluetooth and the Sena Prism Tube. This article is about the Sena Prism Tube.
As people who don’t Vlog or produce videos, Sena sent us the Prism Tube and Sena 10C Evo, asking that we reviewed them and provided a real-world view of their performance. As always, there was no suggestion from Sena that we had to say nice things about their products. See our Product Testing Philosophy for more information.
2 responses
Personal view … I can’t see it stopping the helmet doing what a helmet does. Nexx Helmets provide a plate on some of their helmets for you to stick your camera to. I’m told Bell have something similar, but I’ve not seen it. Some research being done in NZ suggests that there is no data to indicate cameras reduce the effectiveness of your helmet. And in this litigious world, I think someone would have taken one of the camera manufacturers to court by now if there was any blame to attach to them.
All of which made me happy to attach the Sena. I’m not so sure about sticking a “brick” on my helmet, but as I say – It is a personal choice.
Another great review. Have been looking at a camera for some time and as you say, many have features I just don’t need. Just not sure yet about anything fastened directly to a helmet although the camera follows any head movement which I like. The Innovv K2 as recently reviewed by Teapotone on his you tube channel looks perfect but just far too expensive and needs another gadget (Hex Ezcan) to be able to connect into a BMW canbus system properly which ups the cost even more. It’s a complete front and rear camera system that runs as soon as the ignition is turned on so very simple to use. What’s your thoughts on helmet mounting? (Stop sniggering at the back)