I'm not normally a gadget person, but thanks to some recent stories of cyclists seeing dangerous drivers convicted – and to some bad experiences of my own – I became curious about helmet-mounted video cameras. Once I started playing around with filming and video editing, I discovered helmet cameras are really good at filming the fun rides, as well as the daily commutes.

All of the cameras I tested arrived as unfathomable bits of technology, but left as welcome travelling companions. Whether you aim to record your daily traffic-dodging, a weekend thrill ride or a bucolic country spin, here are some to think about:

GoPro HD Hero 2 (Outdoor Edition) 1080p (pixels)

£299 from Action Cameras

Marketed as a professional extreme-sports camera, GoPro's Outdoor Edition captures stills and video, has waterproof housing (to 60m!), strap fittings for helmets and your head, adhesive mounts and even an Inspector Gadget-like pivot arm for mounting the camera on to awkwardly angled objects.

Things I liked

• Superb image quality, with many options for wide angles.

• Choice of FPS (frames per second), including "burst mode", which captures 10 photos per second and is great for creating slow-motion footage.

• Can be set to record upside down, so footage doesn't need to be rotated later if the camera is mounted underneath something.

• Spot metering setting, to film lit subjects from shade, or vice versa

• Possibly my imagination, but it seemed to calm traffic tremendously, perhaps due to its prominence on my helmet: if there were a prophylactic for road rage, this could be it.

Things I didn't like

• There's no mistaking, from any angle, that you're wearing a helmet camera.

• Holding the select button down turned the camera off, instead of scrolling; this was particularly annoying when changing dates.

• The sound from the road was muffled by the waterproof housing.

£269.99 from Action Cameras

Also marketed for extreme sports, the Drift has a wireless remote and LCD screen for viewing footage before and after you capture it. It captures still and video, and is water-resistant for things like rain showers and momentary submersion if you take an accidental dip. (Full waterproof housing is sold separately.)

Things I liked

• Wireless remote control (radio signal, not infrared) means the camera can be switched on and off from inside a pocket – very handy for filming sections of a journey.

• Zoom function and optional manual exposure adjustment, for lighter/shadier days and night time.

• The rotating lens, coupled with the LCD screen, makes it easy to frame shots, wherever the camera is mounted. The LCD can be set to hibernate while inactive, even during filming, to conserve power.

• Time lapse setting.

Things I didn't like

• The battery can go into the charger both ways, so after it had been plugged in for four hours I discovered it hadn't charged at all. Drift is working on this.

• No "slow mo" function I could find.

• The Velcro strap was too long to fit my helmet without wobbling.

• It's a little on the bulky side, and the sound isn't great.

• Didn't feel as sturdy as the GoPro.

£129.95 from DogCam, including 4gb Micro SD card

An altogether different animal from the first two cameras, the DogCam is a stripped-down, compact, lightweight – and less expensive – offering, designed for city cycling. It has just 720 pixels as opposed to the other cameras' 1080p, and a 135-degree lens angle where the other two offer 170 degrees. Captures video only.

Things I liked

• Small, compact and light – by far the least conspicuous camera.

• Straightforward operation with only one button, which means you can get on with filming without going through the "getting to know you" stage.

• Easy to mount, with various strips of Velcro and elastic included to attach to your helmet or elsewhere.

• Waterproof, with the option for a non-waterproof mic end section.

Things I didn't like

• Image quality is considerably poorer than the other two cameras, due to the DogCam's tiny lens: at times, it's hard to pick out details such as number plates. It also performs a lot better in sunlight than when overcast.

• Due to its cylindrical shape, it can easily be mounted crooked. Likewise, it can easily be switched on accidentally, thanks to its protruding button and one-second, one-touch "on" function.