[Kntr]

I want a different helmet cam. I run the Helmetcamera 560 line with a Sony camcorder, now. The quality isn't bad, but I hate carrying all the stuff to use it.

Is the helmetcamera any good compared to the newer ones?
http://www.helmetcamera.com/acart/agora.cgi?product=HelmetCamera_Kits

What is the best one out for a reasonable price? I dont care about sound.

 

[venom600]

If you only want it on your helmet, get the VHoldr ContourHD. Easy to use, good quality video. Simple operation. Durable.

If you want more mounting options, get the GoPro HD Helmet Hero. Way more (good) mounting options. Good quality video.

(As you know), I've been through several helmet cam setups through the years. If I personally had to buy one today, I'd be buying the GoPro.

--Ben

 

[Kntr]

Ben,
Did you look at the specifics about my camera in the URL above?

 

[IH8Rice]

Ben,
Did you look at the specifics about my camera in the URL above?

those bullet cams dont have the resolution that the Vholdr or GoPro have.

i think the Vholdr video looks better, but the mounting options for the GoPro make it far superior in that aspect.

 

[venom600]

Ben,
Did you look at the specifics about my camera in the URL above?

Yes. I've still got my old bullet cam, which is a 480 line Sony. Simply no comparison. There are so many things that are better about the new cams:
- A single unit, with no wires and **** running from your head to your pack. This is a huge one for me. The ease of use of the new cameras is worth upgrading by itself.
- Better wide angle lens options. Wider is better (to a point), and the bullet cams that I've seen/used don't have the same wide angle options that come standard on the new breed of cameras.
- On the fly encoding. No more hooking your camcorder up to you computer to "re"capture video and encode it.
- Mounting options "off" of the helmet. Good luck easily rigging your bullet cam to your bike and having wires running from your bike into your pack. Other mounting options make for more interesting video. I'm just starting to explore this and there's no way I'd be looking at this capability with my bullet cam setup.

--Ben

 

[RUFUS]

Why the hell would you want a camera that still connects to a camcorder that needs to be carried around when you get a Vholdr or GoPro?

 

[Kntr]

Why the hell would you want a camera that still connects to a camcorder that needs to be carried around when you get a Vholdr or GoPro?

Because I already have it and its paid for. I bought it 3-4 years ago.

 

[Kntr]

Yes. I've still got my old bullet cam, which is a 480 line Sony. Simply no comparison. There are so many things that are better about the new cams:
- A single unit, with no wires and **** running from your head to your pack. This is a huge one for me. The ease of use of the new cameras is worth upgrading by itself.
- Better wide angle lens options. Wider is better (to a point), and the bullet cams that I've seen/used don't have the same wide angle options that come standard on the new breed of cameras.
- On the fly encoding. No more hooking your camcorder up to you computer to "re"capture video and encode it.
- Mounting options "off" of the helmet. Good luck easily rigging your bullet cam to your bike and having wires running from your bike into your pack. Other mounting options make for more interesting video. I'm just starting to explore this and there's no way I'd be looking at this capability with my bullet cam setup.

--Ben

GoPro HD it is. Where is the best price?
What camera are you running?

 

[IH8Rice]

1080 lines for the GoPro and Vholdr is higher than your 480lines with your bullet cam.

thats the only info you need to know.

 

[venom600]

GoPro HD it is. Where is the best price?
What camera are you running?

REI has sales on the GoPro every once in a while. Just shop around a bit. I see 'em on Amazon.com every once in a while for a decent price.

I've got a VHoldr currently. I'm looking for an excuse to buy a ContourHD right now. The chest mount harness for the ContourHD makes pretty decent video...better than a helmet mount if you ask me.

--Ben

 

[IH8Rice]

I've got a VHoldr currently. I'm looking for an excuse to buy a ContourHD right now. The chest mount harness for the ContourHD makes pretty decent video...better than a helmet mount if you ask me.

--Ben

Vholdr is the brand of the ContourHD

 

[venom600]

Vholdr is the brand of the ContourHD

Doh!!! Getting confused. I am looking for an excuse to by the *Helmet Hero HD*.

--Ben

 

[Kntr]

1080 lines for the GoPro and Vholdr is higher than your 480lines with your bullet cam.

thats the only info you need to know.

Mines the 560, but I see your point. Its not bad right off the camera.

Ill get the Go Pro HD. Thanks for all the info.

 

[IH8Rice]

Mines the 560, but I see your point. Its not bad right off the camera.

Ill get the Go Pro HD. Thanks for all the info.

can your Sony camera even accept a 560i input from the video in?

look at all the sample videos for the GoPro and ContourHD. they are amazing compared to their non-HD predecessors.

 

[illnotsick]

Contour HD. Mega pack with camera, 2 gb and 8gb memory card, 2 batteries, battery charge port, car charger and wall charger. 339 from pointofviewcameras.com with summersale10 as the coupon code. If you dont want the mega pack use that code for just the camera. I got mine last Tuesday and got a ton of footage at northstar this weekend, including this possible season ending crash
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/154242/

thats in the lowest resolution 60 FPS mode. Getting an MRI tomorrow on my knee and wrist

 

[FOXROX]

i didnt read all of the responses, but i recommend the contour hd.

i own the 1080p, while my videos dont look clear on the internet, its because the file is generally 2-3 gb. they are compressed ALOT.

http://contour.com/video/7-31-shred-fest-diablo


i have never really seen a go pro, so i dont know what it can do. but on my contour, i can ajust the record setting on my computer from 1080 30fps,720 30fps, 720 60fps, and some even lower resolutions, but you can have two settings saved on the camera and change them with a flick of a switch.

 

[IH8Rice]

i have never really seen a go pro, so i dont know what it can do. but on my contour, i can ajust the record setting on my computer from 1080 30fps,720 30fps, 720 60fps, and some even lower resolutions, but you can have two settings saved on the camera and change them with a flick of a switch.

you can adjust the settings right on the camera with the GoPro without the need for a computer. all 5 settings for video quality are available with the push of a button.

 

[illnotsick]

Contour is a lot easier to know when it is recording. Slide forward and go. My buddies go pro we have to check if the light is on before we can take off. It isnt as easy to feel when your gloves are on

 

[IH8Rice]

Contour is a lot easier to know when it is recording.

besides that, theres nothing that the Contour offers that the GoPro doesnt do besides lack of mounting options

 

[illnotsick]

Well if we really want to get into it, the contour is lower profile when it's mounted on the helmet. The contour sticks out about 2", where the gopro is like strapping a truss system to the side of your head.
From the research I did before I bought, the contour adjusts between high and low light areas quicker.
This only applies when you first mount it, but the contour has lasers in the lens that help you align the camera so you don't end up with bad footage the first time you try a new mounting option.

we can go back and forth all day, it's easy for anyone to justify what they spent their hard end cash on.

 

[mtnbiker49]

GoPro Motorsports HD

 

[IH8Rice]

GoPro Helmet HD

fixed

 

[Total Heckler]

Get a GoPro HD. I am VERY happy with mine.

 

[frango]

There will be always "war" between Contour and GoPro fans Just like Canon and Nikon
I like my GoPro HD because it's easy to use and offers planty of mounting option. I've even
made two on my own
I also think it gives a little bit better image. But, You can check it on Vimeo, where You can see split screen comparisons.
My latest, little production Wisla, Stozek unfinished run - Macarena on Vimeo
I advise to DL original file.

 

[Internal14]

Any of you guys use the VIO POV 1.0 helmet cam in comparison?

 

[mtnbiker49]

fixed

No. Motorsports is right.

Check out this video shot with it:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/147471/

 

[IH8Rice]

No. Motorsports is right.

Check out this video shot with it:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/147471/

its the same camera. the Motorsports Hero comes with a suction cup and sticky mounts
the Helmet Hero comes with......helmet mounts and sticky mounts

 

[RayB]

For those of you that are budget-minded, keep this in mind: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/gopro-bringing-high-def-helmet-cams-to-the-masses-launching-18/

Lower (but still HD) resolution.

 

[mtnbiker49]

its the same camera. the Motorsports Hero comes with a suction cup and sticky mounts
the Helmet Hero comes with......helmet mounts and sticky mounts

Whys the quality so different then? Or maybe its because of the fps.

 

[IH8Rice]

Whys the quality so different then? Or maybe its because of the fps.

its not. FPS has nothing to do with video quality. the resolution does.

 

[nelsonjm]

I had a Contour HD and switched for a GoPro HD Helmet. The video quality is about the same but the GoPro wins due to more mounting options, a protective case, and better form factor for chest mounts/etc.

I'm pretty fond of the chest mount for the GoPro too. If you get one, just make sure you tighten down the straps so the camera doesn't bounce around.

Oh yea, another important thing to do is to use the rubber orange piece that comes with the camera. That makes a world of difference for reducing clicking in the video.

Here's some sample video (after run through an anti-shake filter). Sadly once you upload these things to youtube the quality drops significantly. What this will hopefully give you a taste of is the perspective the chest mount can give you and the camera's shortcoming.. the transitions from dark to light, light-to-dark areas and the rolling shutter.

Here is a video with just the imovie anti-shake filter applied and without the orange rubber thing. The clicking noise is terrible!:

 

[IH8Rice]

Here is a video with just the imovie anti-shake filter applied and without the orange rubber thing. The clicking noise is terrible!:

why did you shoot this in 4:3?

 

[nelsonjm]

why did you shoot this in 4:3?

I tried the 1080p and 720p settings but found for the chest mount setup the 4:3 960p works better (you can see the handlebars and up the trail a bit more). I recall others saying the same thing.

If I were going to shoot a 16:9 video, I would stick with the 720p setting since that gives a 170degree angle of view vs the 127 degree view that the 1080 mode has. Come to think of it, when you compare cameras the viewing angles offered at different resolutions is something else that should be checked. I'm not sure if I would shoot in 60fps too or not.. if I actually knew something about video editing I wonder if the 60fps could be used to generate smoother video.

Do you have one? Thoughts?

 

[Total Heckler]

I only shoot in 720p at 60fps on my gopro hd. Much smoother and good looking video.

Any of you guys use the VIO POV 1.0 helmet cam in comparison?

I have, the GoPro HD is WAY better.

This was shot with the VIO:

 

[captainspauldin]

if I actually knew something about video editing I wonder if the 60fps could be used to generate smoother video.

The higher the fps the better it will look(just think how cool shots from those super slow mo camera's look, they shoot something like 20,000fps)

 

[IH8Rice]

The higher the fps the better it will look(just think how cool shots from those super slow mo camera's look, they shoot something like 20,000fps)

not true. more FPS doesnt mean better quality.
its just means you have the ability to slow down the video like a high speed camera

edit: plus 60fps is the "standard" for NTSC tv's

 

[captainspauldin]

not true. more FPS doesnt mean better quality.
its just means you have the ability to slow down the video like a high speed camera

I didn't say better quality necessarily, Something shot in 720p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 60fps, the 60fps will look smoother and naturally look more realistic to the human eye.

 

[illnotsick]

Frame per second does make the video look better, because there are less gaps between each shot the camera takes. It doesnt affect the resolution, but the video looks more fluid and natural at 60fps, where 30fps looks a little choppier.

 

[IH8Rice]

Frame per second does make the video look better, because there are less gaps between each shot the camera takes.

then why are movies shot at 24fps instead of 60fps?

edit: 60fps is good for capturing sports or action.

 

[ebarker9]

I also prefer shooting everything at 60fps. The faster framerate definitely seems to cut down on the rolling shutter effect. Now if I could just get rid of the clicking and having the camera bounce all over the place with the chest harness...