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Camcorder, with helmet cam

M

Mutilatedjak

Chimp
Nov 25, 2004
25
0
I like filming my freeride adventures, as well im sure a lot of you guys do, so I found this new Samsung camcorder, it includes a cool helmet cam an all, but before i invest in I want to know what you guys think, or if anyone here has any personal experience with it.
heres the link

Samsung SC-X105L
 
peter6061

peter6061

Turbo Monkey
Nov 19, 2001
1,575
0
Kenmore, WA
Hey DHS, sounds like you like that thing. I was looking at getting the VioSport which now does 520 lines, but that helmetcam you've got is distributed locally, so it makes it worth a try, plus I can drop by and try one out. Is the 480 lines good enough to watch on a TV if burned to DVD?

How is the camera for transistioning between bright sun and shade under the trees. I know the old helmet cams used to get either very dark for a second or blind you as you came out into the sun.

Probably going out looking for a DV camera this weekend.
 
DHS

DHS

Friendly Neighborhood Pool Boy
Apr 23, 2002
5,094
0
Sand, CA
i have the helmetcamera that is 520 res. works awsome. i took that sunshade thingy off the helmetcamera. too dark without it, works awsome. only put it back on for snowboarding.
if they have a clear cover when you go check em out, send me a message. i'd like to have some better safety to it. i beefened up the cable line a bit and put a muffle over the microphone. but other then that i have more good footage then i know what to do with.
and yea 520 res is AWESOME when burned to dvd, i use iMovie/final cut pro and toast pro. simple
 
S

scratch

Chimp
Jan 1, 2005
99
0
denver, co
i bought a canon dv, and i run it w/ one rom helmetcamera.com
it works great- you just want to make sure it's dv and has the right input for the helmet cam. there's another input on some where you can actually use a remote for the helmet cam. i don't have the input, but i do have the remote. pointless.
 
M

marjama

Chimp
Jun 21, 2005
6
0
Good thread guys...I was looking at that Samsung too until I found out what the resolution was. I don't currently have a helmet cam, but would really like to get one eventually. My question is this...

How are you guys carrying / protecting the DV camera?

Thanks!
Marcus
 
S

scratch

Chimp
Jan 1, 2005
99
0
denver, co
i have a smaller camelback i use. i wrap the camcorder up in a towel (or bubble wrap), then get it into the pack as deep as possible, with as mush padding as possible.

i cut a hole in the top of the camelback and ran the cable through it up to the helmet.
 
habitatxskate

habitatxskate

blah blah blah
Mar 22, 2005
943
0
DHS said:
holy low video quality batman

i use
www.helmetcamera.com
and yea you need a good miniDV cam too.
Click to expand...
i have a helmet camera from helmetcamera.com the problem is you need a camera and that is what i wanted to elimanate...i want one where there is like a portable memory like a chip...with a record and stop button...hold 2 hours of video and sound..that is what they need to make
 
Five

Five

Turbo Monkey
Mar 8, 2003
1,506
0
West Seattle, WA
I read a write-up in the New York Times on the Samsung w/ helmet cam and they didn't rate it very good. Quality is low and even worse w/ the helmet cam. Amount of recording time on a memory card was low too, I can't remember what size card they were using, but they got maybe 10 minutes worth. IMO - not worth it, but it's a first step, I'm sure future ones will only get better.
 
SOil

SOil

Chimp
Jun 24, 2005
82
0
habitatxskate said:
i have a helmet camera from helmetcamera.com the problem is you need a camera and that is what i wanted to elimanate...i want one where there is like a portable memory like a chip...with a record and stop button...hold 2 hours of video and sound..that is what they need to make
Click to expand...

that sounds a better option than having an expensive camera on your back or in a belt, could be a very expensive crash should it all go wrong :)

Has anyone seen such a product for sale?
 
dhkid

dhkid

Turbo Monkey
Mar 10, 2005
3,358
0
Malaysia
habitatxskate said:
i have a helmet camera from helmetcamera.com the problem is you need a camera and that is what i wanted to elimanate...i want one where there is like a portable memory like a chip...with a record and stop button...hold 2 hours of video and sound..that is what they need to make
Click to expand...
the closest you can get to that is having one of these,
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?CategoryName=dcc_DICamcorders_VideoWalkman&Dept=cameras and plug in a helmet cam.
 
R

Romic tech

Chimp
Jan 15, 2002
58
0
cal.
I was looking for something that would record on a card also. I found a Mustek PVR-a1 on ebay. It uses an SD card. It is very small and fits easy into most any pack. the quality is not the best when you get into bigger screens but it is ok.

Roger
 
DHS

DHS

Friendly Neighborhood Pool Boy
Apr 23, 2002
5,094
0
Sand, CA
i like the memory card idea. but i want FULL QUALITY. uncompressed. this is the only way i'll get it. i have 238gigs of video so far. thats still lots of hours. but looks soooo much better.
 
DHS

DHS

Friendly Neighborhood Pool Boy
Apr 23, 2002
5,094
0
Sand, CA
Downhiller said:
i have " SONY CCD 480TVL"

can somebody tell me which "normal" camera will be ok for it ?? (camcorder)

(when picture opens click on it for bigger view)
Click to expand...
you need the AV Video Plug and if you use a remote the LENC(sp?) plug. i would recommend a miniDV cam to keep things small. but up to you.
i have a Elura 50. gets the job done.
 
Kntr

Kntr

Turbo Monkey
Jan 25, 2003
7,526
21
Montana
I just bought a Sony HC42 and plan on getting the Xtreme helmetcam kit. Anyone used it yet or is the Viosport the one to get?
 
PatBranch

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
Will my $350 panaonic dvc work with most bullit style cams?

How do you guys store your raw footage? I think I would just put the DV tapes I have been using in my camera and use the usb cord to transfer it to my computer.

Or maybe an external harddrive would be best for raw and edited. How much are they?
 
F.M.

F.M.

Chimp
Mar 4, 2005
26
0
Seattle
I gotta step up for samsung here! I have the SC-105xl and I love it. I've had it since April and I take it on pretty much every ride. I've made about 15 movies already, using iMovie. I picked up an additional 1gb card for it, so at the highest qulaity setting I can get about 40 minutes of video. Since the helmet cam has a remote thats easy to use while I am riding, I don't record any climbing or boring stretches of trail, so 40 minutes is plenty. Also, my buddies never have to wait for me to screw around with the camera, its so easy to use I can pretty much run it while I am on the bike.
It is true that a viosport helmet cam combined with a DVD recorder can get you higher quality. However you're also talking about 2x as much money, and also the risk of damaging the camera. My buddy had such a set-up, I forget if it was a JVC or Cannon camera, but it lasted less than a year before the camera died. Bummer. I love that the samsung has no moving parts and is water resistant. Another thing to consider, so you can film say 2 hrs on some camera, but how long does that battery last? The samsung batteries are $10, charge super fast, and weigh 2oz. each.
I am very happy with it!

Like anything else with bikes, you can drop a lot of coin getting the best possible pro set-up. Think titanium road bikes. personally for me I'm not getting paid to do this, it's a hobby, and I'm pretty stoked with what I can do with a $400 camera and $90 card. Lastly, don't forget that you also need a pretty fast computer, 1gb+ of ram, and a TON of HD space...you're not going to get far with any camera if your computer ain't up to it.

Here's some videos I made- most have been compressed from ~2gb down to ~70mb for the web, which makes them not as smooth, and also cuts the picture quality. The uncompressed files look great on DVD, through my TV... especially with a cold beer. The CBC one was shot at medium quality, the others look better.

http://homepage.mac.com/flashmofo/FileSharing2.html



Five said:
I read a write-up in the New York Times on the Samsung w/ helmet cam and they didn't rate it very good. Quality is low and even worse w/ the helmet cam. .
Click to expand...
 
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