Helmet Cams - worth it??

[samuel2son]

Just wanted to hear from the guy's that own them if they are worth
the money or hassle. Which brand seems to work the best?
Anyone own one that records in HD?

 

[eludnu]

I am on my third one. None of the ones I had were bad, or low end by any means. I currently have one that has two camera's. That said, the best one is the one that is mounted on YOUR BUDDIES helmet.

 

[b1dodge]

i have a VholdR. it is very compact and easy to use. i used to take my digital camcorder but now its all about the helmet cam. you will find yourself staying at the back of the pack so you can film your buddies screwups!!! http://www.youtube.com/user/b1dodge here is a link to look at the vid quality.

 

[maxwellzx]

the only one i ever see my self buying is the vio pov camera

-remote control is the best feature. no unzipping ur cloths to start the camera

-100 degree veiw

- very tough construction

- hd reccording quality

http://www.vio-pov.com/

of coarse it comes with a hefty price

 

[BIGGDAWG]

i got the pov 1 and love it because it records right to digital so it is a snap and fast to transfer to your computer. the remote is a nice idea but the range sucks and it eats batteries. but it does have a big price tag

 

[Ollie]

POV1 here.
So far I love it.
Mounted the remote on the handlebars and havent' had a problem.
It can record for 6 hours non-stop so I just leave it on record while we are riding then edit when I get home. You get all the unexpected crashes and oh chits that way.

The one thing I have discovered while using a helmet cam.
You want to keep your head relativily still. The more you turn your head back and forth the harder it is to watch the video without getting motion sickness. I never realized how much I turned my head or how fast till I watched my first helmet cam.

 

[jp@weknowsnow]

POV.1 with 110 degree wide angle all the way!! awesome cam system
in my opinion it is the best system out there. very easy to use, water/snow resistant, one wire hook up! they just released an free firmware update that allows 4GB or 8GB memory cards for hours and hours of storage.

http://vimeo.com/2795085

 

[woodies]

I love the loop feature on the pov1 like ollie i to put remote on handle bars then if something worth saving i hit the save and on it goes never recording the boring chit.

 

[M-niner]

I get Nauseaus (sp??) watching helmet cam video. To me, it doesn't do any justice to the steepness/terrain unless you are following and taping a rider in front of you as said above.

 

[BullHead]

i have a VholdR. it is very compact and easy to use. i used to take my digital camcorder but now its all about the helmet cam. you will find yourself staying at the back of the pack so you can film your buddies screwups!!! http://www.youtube.com/user/b1dodge here is a link to look at the vid quality.

nice video

 

[99RMKGUY]

never used one in the snow but watching jump vids from the sand dunes are awesome

 

[TREEKILLER]

i've used the viosport for 3 years w/80g hard drive i record 7 full days 8hrs /day , but not high def

 

[Mjunkie]

i've used the viosport for 3 years w/80g hard drive i record 7 full days 8hrs /day , but not high def

Doesn't the vibration from riding not work with a hard drive?

 

[Ollie]

Doesn't the vibration from riding not work with a hard drive?

It's not really a hard drive it's a memory stick that plugs in.

 

[Mjunkie]

It's not really a hard drive it's a memory stick that plugs in.

Treekiller was saying an 80gb hard drive. They don't have memory sticks that big do they?

I've got an external lens that my brother got somewhere designed for helmet cameras. I've seen the footage with it, and it's the best I've seen, so I've just got to get a camcorder to go with it, and have been deciding on which type to get. I definitely would like one that has the remote pause/play to put on the handlebars, and would like one that was a hard drive for the storage capacity and the ease of hooking it up to my computer to edit, but I know a regular hard drive wouldn't take the vibrations, and I thought the biggest memory card you could get is about 8gb. I'd like one that I could use almost all day long without running out of storage, and of course a battery life that could handle it also. Maybe I'm just asking for a lot. Any ideas?

 

[Ollie]

Yes they do have 8gb chips.

http://www.advdesigns.net/qusa8gbsdmec.html

 

[JJFlash]

GoPro Motorsports Hero wide-angle is what we use.

Pros: Cheap, durable, multiple mounts, (we have one on every helmet plus one on the dash in the truck) good video, and it's submersible. It can also be set to take a still photo every 2, 5, or 10 seconds. Why is THAT a pro?? Set it in your window and point it towards your truck, trailer, or sleds: Instant security camera.

Cons: Because it's completely enclosed, audio isn't perfect. Also, it only works with 2gb SD cards. Each 2gb card yields 56 minutes of video, so stock up on cards.

Here's some footage I shot with it: http://www.4shared.com/file/78974382/560c8af9/Elevation_Flatulation.html

 

[Mjunkie]

Sorry, maybe I should just start my own thread rather than hijack this one. The point I was making was that I'd like to have one with a much larger storage capacity than 8gb. I don't know exactly how many minutes of recording you can get out of an 8gb stick, but it would be nice to not have to change out memory sticks every couple hours (I'm guessing that's all you'd get). In fact, I was thinking that the remote record/pause button to me wouldn't even be necessary if I had a large enough storage capacity and battery life to just start it recording right when we leave the parking lot and record all day without stopping. I'd probably turn it off when we stop for lunch but that way I could get all the unexpected stuff and then just edit and delete all the boring stuff out. Are there any camcorders that aren't a regular hard drive that have that kind of storage capacity without using a bunch of memory sticks? Any ideas? Again, sorry for the hijack, feel free anyone to hijack the next thread I start, it'll only be fair.

 

[maxwellzx]

8gb will last you all day. and if not. click click done its swapped out.


the record button is nice bcause who really wants to go through 8 hours of footage. if its super close to hit the button you wouldnt miss the unexpected stuff

 

[Shelfrost]

Check out the Samsung sports camcorders. I have an older sc-205xl that is a regular video camera that is about 4" x 2" x 1" and the helmet cam lens connects to it with a cable that has a power on/stop/start control on it. Not real high end but works great and is so small I keep it in my coat pocket every day. Quite convenient, never know when you need to capture some video. America's Funniest Videos here I come!!!!!!