The Fly6 is a combined rear light and camera that started life through a globally successful Kickstarter project. Now Fly-lites, the company behind it, has now produced the second iteration of the Fly6.
The original Fly6 was the first product of its kind, and caused quite a commotion among the BikeRadar team. While we were impressed by its video recording, we were also underwhelmed by its 15-lumen output, and by the overall size of the unit. Despite these complaints though, one of our testers continues to use the Fly6 on a daily basis.
The updated Fly6 is smaller but slightly heavier than the original
Our production sample of the new Fly6 weighs 116g and is 85mm tall – the original was 109g and 111mm tall. The light output has doubled to 30 lumens, and battery life is now claimed to be up to six hours. There is also a new constant light mode in addition to the two flasher modes that carry over from the original.
Video recording has not changed. The Fly6 still shoots in 720p at 30fps. When we reviewed the first version of the light, Andrew Hagan, CEO of Fly-lites, explained that the choice of 720p over 1,080p was to keep the price of the unit down. And at US$249 / £159 / AU$275, the new Fly6 is still cheap in comparison to some action cameras, but sits at the upper end for tail lights.
Internally, the new Fly6 has received a hardware upgrade, including a new camera, sensor and lens
Each file is encoded in the H.264 codec, and video is timestamped and broken up into 10-minute clips. Also carried over from the previous model is the looping video, recorded onto an included 8GB microSD card.
Inside, the unit has received a new camera sensor, camera module and lens. Fly-lites has also switched to an ultrasonic bonding process to eliminate the image distortion issue that the old version suffered from. Fly-lites claims this should add up to clearer footage and better low-light performance.
The new Fly6 comes with everything you need
The field of vision (FOV) has been reduced from 130 to 100 degrees. Hagan explains this seemingly-strange decision: “If you look at the old footage, the actual footage in the outer extreme of the shot is so fish-eyed, it’s not worth having. With the new Fly6, you can see number plates much better even, at the edge of the footage.”
The Fly6 comes presented in a foam-lined box, with a plethora of accessories, and is ready to ride. Included are: three sets of rubber mounting straps (two short and one long), two mounting brackets, five spacers (two zero-degree, one five-degree, one 10-degree, and one for aero seatposts), a mini USB cable, microSD card and adapter, quick start guide and the light itself.
Fly-lites is also launching a new website, Cycliq. Hagan says: "When we started Fly-lites it was just an idea for a combo camera and rear light that we thought the market wanted. Now that it has been such a success, this the next step. We are re-branding because we plan to offer multiple products. We have a front light in development called the Fly12."
The new Fly6 is available now from the Cycliq website. It is priced at US$249 / £159 / AU$275.