Helmet cams - Page 2

Go Pro is coming with a new model. I love mine, I use in on my motorcycles!

I did get a lot of looks and questions about it and whether or not I was making a ski movie It was quite the conversation piece.


Really I don't even realize it's up there

There's a clip on youtube where I used my ATC2K attached to by boot.
Yes, it does work in the cold, but that doesn't make it any better quality.


bingo...

[youtube]F4NZhluASf8[/youtube]
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=F4NZhluASf8
(now all I need to do is get the youtube link to work!)

Got some great footage on my VholdR in Switzerland, this is on the Grand Chamossaire slope in Villars... Check it out!


http://www.vholdr.com/video/ski-villars

The vhold site features an extreme sports community as well, definitely worth checkin out!

I think a couple of my molars are loose after watching that! Video quality looks pretty good with the Vholdr though. I like the whole idea of the self contained unit and the mounting system. My only quibble is that in viewing many videos, the Vholdr, as well as many others seem to need just a little more wide angle.

I think that's one reason the POV1 looks so good with skiing, the 110 degree angle seems perfect to me for skiing. I find it a little distracting when the horizon keeps getting lost at the top of the frame with the Vholdr and you don't see quite enough ski below you. It's fine for shots of others but for a first person perspective (the whole reason for a helmet cam anyhow) I think you need more than 100 degrees of view.

I really like the idea of this cam here: Blackeye 2/540 for someone who wants to integrate with their own camcorder. Looks like a great mount and camera for a cheap price. I hesitate though for the same reasons - too narrow a view. I may bite on it anyhow due to the price. Can't seem to find much info on it though.

I think this may fit the bill at $150!

http://www.tachyoninc.com/main.html

I just ordered one and hope to ski with it over T-Giving. Not the best but based on what I read should be comparable to Vhold except for sound. We shall see!

Jeff

FYI, if price is your seller, I just saw the vholdr on sale on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/VholdR-1102-We...100 86&sr=8-1

$50 off - not too shabby for video like this!

http://vholdr.com/node/7482

The GoProHero camera looks like the most versatile. I record in car videos and will start to do so on my bike. Many mounting options to choose from and the angle is great!

Any updates? For $150 I was thinking of getting one too...

Damn, I wish somebody would get a Blackeye 2 and give me a report. Nobody wants to buy one? I'd say it looks a lot nicer than most of the others that require what looks like a brick strapped atop the noggin.

Wonder how much something like this costs?

I bought a VIO POV-1 this year for a Christmas gift to myself and am very pleased with it. It's durable, light, waterproof, and easy to carry. VIO recently upgraded their firmware and quadrupled the recording capacity up to a 8 GB SD Card. I can't find any faults. The camera is separate from the recorder and is barely noticeable on your helmet. And the included editing software is easy to use and also allows you to share videos on the web by posting them to the VIO server. Video quality is great when viewing on your TV or PC and e-sharing is real easy.

I've only used it on my snowmobile helmet and motorcycle helmet so far. I will be using it on my first snowboarding trip this month. I'll start some snow-go videos as the days get longer. Maybe a combo ski flying and snow-go video. And some Arctic Woman footage from both the snowboarding side and the snowmobiling side. Having this weatherproof camera is important if you are going to be riding in varying weather conditions or snowy terrain. I got the VIO from ActionVideoCams. The VIO has a wireless remote control for easy recording. It makes it much easier to record when I'm riding! What a difference it makes compared to the cheap cameras I've tried. Plus, I called their toll free number and got a even better deal than the price they advertised on their website.




Action Video Cams is the best source of gear and information that I've found. That's where I bought my system.

Ahahahaha! I want one! So is this guy playing soccer or something?

I just tested a bunch.

The GoPro Helmet Hero is the best if you are on a budget, but it has a huge drawback for us -- battery (2 AAA) life in the cold is piss poor. Like 5-15 minutes on regular akaline or NiMH rechargeable batteries. If you feed it lithiums ($5 a pair) it will maybe last an hour. They clearly under-designed the battery capacity for cold weather. It has many versatile mounts, but you will look like a dork with it sitting on top of your helmet and risk getting it knocked off by the safety bar. Controls are simple if you're just turning it on/off or starting/stopping recording, but more advanced operations get frustrating. It's pretty much impossible to tell what the camera is doing when it's up on the helmet, and there is no way to view videos or see what was recorded with the device itself (so positioning the camera is trial and error -- better have a laptop nearby). The documentation/manual is primitive (with a bunch of poorly written additional notes stuffed in), as is the packaging. This is exactly opposite of Apple in those two regards. Overall, this is a very weak product effort, but still the best of the low-cost helmet cams. It's actually quite small when removed from the watertight case (about the size of a Matchbox car) which has some pluses for warm weather / dry applications. I should note that I found the 170mm lens had way too much fish eye effect for skiing video, but others may not care.

The VIO POV.1 is by far the best choice if you have the $550-600 for a typical setup (I really had to stretch my budget and my comfort level to spend that much for it). Everything about it is bullet proof, the design is good, and the quality (both construction and video) is great. This is a professional grade unit, no doubt about it. The camera head is low profile on a helmet mount and the 104mm lens is just about right for a "point of view" perspective when skiing. Downside is the size of the recording unit -- about the size of a very large TV remote, and 1+ lbs with batteries (4 AA). If you don't have a pack to stash it in, it's about the same as carrying a heavier avy beacon (I plan to carry it the same way, with a harness under my jacket). If you do have a pack, putting the recording unit back there negates the benefits of having controls and a viewing screen, in which case it's just a heavy wired recording unit. The VIO does have a wireless remote which is helpful, but having the screen and controls handy is really nice, especially after flying blind with the GoPro.

I chose the VIO, but I really wish the recording unit was smaller and lighter, and I wish it cost a couple hundred dollars less. Hopefully they will downsize it in future versions and bring the price down to a more reasonable level. Otherwise, I think it's worth it. When I calculated the cost of feeding lithiums to the GoPro for my desired usage, not to mention the inconvenience of carrying extra batteries with me on the slopes, the price jump to the VIO didn't seem so bad anymore. Seriously, it would have cost me about $10-20 per ski day to supply the GoPro with lithium batteries, and it's just not worth it considering the other gripes I had with the camera. So my advice is to suck up the "up front" cost and go for the VIO.

For my birthday I got this:


I've been impressed with the video quality and it was only $160 including a tripod. I just picked up the 'action mount' but I'm not sure how great it's going to work. Seems better suited for a bike handlebars, but it says you can strap it on a helmet. We'll find out this weekend. I certainly think it will look a little goofy sticking off the top of my helmet...but for $160...and it's pretty handy to use for other things too. I've already shot a bunch of home video of the kids and family with it.




I also like the USB connection...

UTAH this weekend!

Hey all,

Headed out to Utah with my buddies for the weekend. I've got my camera (VholdR) with me, and for those that are interested I'll post the videos I take here so you can check 'em out. Most likely you'll get some upclose footage the snow since I'm guaranteeing a Yardsale or two!

Red Bull Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola BASE Jump - Helmet Camera Models?

Can anyone tell what model helmet cameras are being used in this Red Bull Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola BASE jump from the following youtube clip?

It looks like a Sony HD camcorder - possibly a Sony HDR SR12.

The size of these Red Bull helmet cameras almost remind me of the size of the helmet camera that Glen Plake wore in The Blizzard of AAHHH'S. I thought that the trend was to go toward the smaller cigar/lipstick style helmet cams like VIO POV1.




Red Bull Whistler Peak 2 Peak Gondola BASE Jump

Shane McConkey & Miles Daisher jump 1500 ft at Whistler Blackcomb over Fitzsimmons Creek.

I am thinking about buying the Gopro (http://www.goprocamera.com/) -

I've seen the sample videos but no skiing/boarding videos yet.
Anyone tried it on the hill?

I was also wondering about battery life in cold temperatures. Seems pretty nice for less than $200.



Thanks

 

Dave

 

Don't waste your money -- the cold weather battery life is horrible.  I tried one for a day and it was worthless.  Take the money you'd use on the GoPro and put it towards a VIO POV -- it's the best option out there, with great cold weather battery life.

I have a really good feeling that the new Tachyon XC 2010 model is going to blow it out of the water. Has anyone had any luck with the 2009 model?