Helmet Camera Anyone??

I have a Vholdr that I love.  It is light weight, durable, easy to use, and was $279.  Check out the Twenty20 on their website.

i have one of those, the only complaint I have is that it's diffucult to tell when it's on and off when mounted on your helmet. You have to take off your glove and serach around for the on button which is just barely raised above the level of the back cover. Then you have to listen very carefully for the beeps. Have you had this issue?

I tried a bunch, and the VIO POV.1 was by far the best choice.  It costs a bit more, but is worth it, and the improved battery performance will pay for the difference compared to some of the other cams out there.

Archos 405 2GB version, with a 16GB SDHC card and the camera kit. Quality was better than I expected, based on looking at youtube etc. but the battery will only drive the camera for 70-80 minutes (about 1.3GB in DivX format). Basically we just duct-tape the camera to a helmet or goggle strap, as the velcro head mount strap supplied is too short to be useful. Goggle strap works great, as long as you keep your goggles on.

Hey guys.  Check out http://helmetcamreview.wordpress.com/

They rate all the major players in their respective price range.

The winner is the new Tachyon XC which I bought for $160 (including shipping, and all the mounting stuff)

Battery life 10hrs!!!  It's the only one that will support an 8,16 or 32Gb card for longer recording times.  

www.tachyoninc.com

heQuote:

Originally Posted by jrthoughts 

 

Hey guys.  Check out http://helmetcamreview.wordpress.com/

 

They rate all the major players in their respective price range.

 

The winner is the new Tachyon XC which I bought for $160 (including shipping, and all the mounting stuff) 

 

www.tachyoninc.com

 

 

 

That review is missing *the* major player in the helmet camera world right now.  I wouldn't waste money on any of the cameras in that review.  First, they are all-in one units, which have a host of limitations (bulk on the helmet, poor battery life in cold weather, etc).  It's well worth the money to step up to a pro unit like the VIO:

I tried a bunch of the lower cost cameras, and they sucked, period.  They are all at the bottom of the barrel in my opinion.  Stepping up to the VIO was like a revelation all the way around.

Re: battery life, that review does not include "real world" data, just manufacturer specs.  I have tested several of the cameras in that review, and their cold weather battery life is horrendous -- way below specs.  You can buy Lithiums to improve it, but do the math and you will soon see the price jump to the VIO is a better strategy.  It only uses 50-60% of a full charge (from 4 AA rechargeables) to cover a full 7-8 hour ski day, with the camera running the whole time, and that is in cold weather.

I am going to sounds like a pumpous ass but I am use to it.

I know you jsut think you scored a sweet deal on a 160 dollar helmet camera , but trust me when I say this the quality will be nearly unuseable.

the only watchable helmet cam footage you ever see is shot with a VIO 1 with a wide len. its the best easiest to use system on the market. I am all or nothing type of guy and just dont thinks its worth the effort with out getting that camera.

This is the only one of those cameras that is in HD.  My friend talked me into the XC after his snowboarding trip in CO. His 2 lithium batteries and lasted two days of footage in the cold. I didn't want to spend  anything over $200.  Especially $600.  

Every video I've seen in wide angle looks it was shot through a fish bowl.

When I get some footage I'll post it.  The stuff on their website looked good.

Cheers

Quote:

Originally Posted by skier219 

 

 

That review is missing *the* major player in the helmet camera world right now.  I wouldn't waste money on any of the cameras in that review.  First, they are all-in one units, which have a host of limitations (bulk on the helmet, poor battery life in cold weather, etc).  It's well worth the money to step up to a pro unit like the VIO:

 

 

 

I tried a bunch of the lower cost cameras, and they sucked, period.  They are all at the bottom of the barrel in my opinion.  Stepping up to the VIO was like a revelation all the way around.

 

Re: battery life, that review does not include "real world" data, just manufacturer specs.  I have tested several of the cameras in that review, and their cold weather battery life is horrendous -- way below specs.  You can buy Lithiums to improve it, but do the math and you will soon see the price jump to the VIO is a better strategy.  It only uses 50-60% of a full charge (from 4 AA rechargeables) to cover a full 7-8 hour ski day, with the camera running the whole time, and that is in cold weather.

FWIW - my instructor uses one of these and it works quite well.

just got some great snowboarding footage with my tachyon, i'd have to say it's impressive guys. For a money saver, it's a great camera to get started with.