Helmet cam ???

[Benny Profane]

So I rode my first gondola at KMart yesterday with some young yuppie who blew about 1400 on a cam setup, and it looked cool. Self contained recording unit was he, remote control and all.
So my question is, what is the minimum I can spend on a recorder that will accept one of those cameras and also has a remote. His was a Canon something Zsomething. What feature on the features list at say the Best Buy website tells me I can do this, or are there other websites (I'm sure) that will help me? 1400 is a little pricey for such a toy.

[Red Baron]

Benny: All you need is to find a camera with a video and audio input; many of the really low end models don't have that. I would recommend trollling ebay for a while to look for a deal...

I found a samsung with a broken lens but fully functional otherwise for $31, since with a helmet camera, you don't need a lens since you are using the video input! Now, if you want to use the camera as a "camera" too, you'll have to pony up some more cash. PM me if you need more info..

[Benny Profane]

Awesome idea! thanx

[Schralper]

Just get a mini dv cam and make a bracket for your helmet. You'll want a wide angle adapter lens. You'll get audio and top quality vid. Might need to tape some foam over mic to reduce wind noise. Been using a Sony pc 120 on the side of my head for 2.5 yrs. No BIG crashes w/ it. But even then thats what personal property insurance is for.
New hi end - ish mini dv cams can be had for $700 on line.

[Game Over]

www.sportzshots.com $355

[Julio]

http://www.helmetcamera.com/products.htm
I'm looking at this one...480 lines with battery pack and all the wires and stuff...$309. The camera housing looks like a good idea. I just picked up a used Canon Elura 40mc on ebay for pretty cheap...should fit nice in my pocket.

[Schralper]

Before you buy any of the "lipstick" lens cams ya might wanna check out the resolution and how quick it responds to light changes. Cuz while the 1st couple times you see the vid you shot it look cool til you compare to straight dv. If its anything other than total bluebird and bright light it aint gonna look good at all. Just check out Hi Life= Will Burks, etc helmet cam and thats w/ like a $1000 lens. You just dont have the pixels w/ a lipstick lens. What like .4 mp? My mini dv is 1.5mp and thats ok but buying 3.3 mp Sony PC350 in Jan.
Plus the mic, WTF? do you really wanna hear yourself breathin heavy for a run?
It does NOT sound that cool. While hearing the sound of snow and skis or people around you, you're just not gonna get w/ collar mic, unlike HELMET cam.
Come on Steep you've seen some of my vid.

[snowsprite]

You can get an Archos with a video in for about $300 and that will take many many hours of footage (it's 20 gigs of drivespace). That's what I'm planning to do. I have not purchased the lipstick cam and mic yet. You don't have to spend that much to have a good set-up from what I have learned so far.

Sprite

[descender]

Make sure you get a camera with a LAN-C input which allows you to start/stop recording with a remote button.

[Schralper]

You can get an Archos with a video in for about $300 and that will take many many hours of footage (it's 20 gigs of drivespace). That's what I'm planning to do. I have not purchased the lipstick cam and mic yet. You don't have to spend that much to have a good set-up from what I have learned so far.

Sprite

Oh thats just super for a portable hd but ya still need a lipstick lens AND dv cam and if you'll look, that hd you're looking at does NOT have firewire, which you will need for video transfer.
BTW You DO have to spend a bunch to get hi quality video. I'd be surprised if you can get a COMPLETE setup for <$700 on ebay. Where as you can find a mini dv for <$700 and it can be used for things other than helmet camming
There are other portable dv storage units out there but for what? When are you gonna be shooting hours and hours of helmet cam? Mini dv tape works fine and doesnt cost that much. Download and edit at home. Ext. hd are WAY cheaper than portable ones for those looking for the cheap setup, D'oh!
Cameras w/ LAN-C will cost more, if you have a good setup it really isnt that hard to turn it on and off w/o LAN-C. Cut a slit in trigger finger of glove.

[snowsprite]

Oh thats just super for a portable hd but ya still need a lipstick lens AND dv cam and if you'll look, that hd you're looking at does NOT have firewire, which you will need for video transfer.

I know you need the lipstick lens, but those are not very expensive ($159 for a lens/mic and wires on ebay).

Why do you say I would need the DV cam *in addition* to the Archos? The footage is captured on Archos as MPEG4 I believe. You can convert that or just burn it to DVD as is. I don't believe you need a DV cam too.

And why do you need a firewire w/ the Archos? I have an HP Moviewriter that connects right to my dv camera and it's idiot-proof. I just connect my DV camera (or presumably any device containing video/photo digital images) and burn my DVD right from that. I believe I can connect my Archos to the Moviewriter and burn DVDs as well. I have never used firewire b/c I have this moviewriter thing.

The Moviewriter also comes w/ a simple movie editing program, which is probably more than enough for most amateurs looking to just make some simple movies.

If this isn't going to work please let me know. I'm on the cusp of buying one of those lipstick cams, but would rather not waste my time/money if it won't work w/ my archos!

Thanks

Sprite

[Ripzalot]

i'll be entering the helmetcam world this season. after much research, i bought a Sony DCRHC40. Not the cheapest option but a quality option for a helmetcam setup. My main decision makers were:

+ portability. it's one of the smallest you can get without going microMV.
+ high quality video. i want to get the scenery and other footage at higher resolutions than the helmetcam.
+ LANC port. you need this unless you want to run your camera continuously while in the backpack. i'd prefer to stop/start it easily rather than having to go into the pack every time.

For the helmetcam side, I've compared nearly every major helmetcam vendor. Most offer the same helmetcam (Sony EXVIEW) but vary slightly on the accessories - different mount, different battery etc. For the money, RFConcepts has the best deal at about $270. (If anyone finds something better, holler). I'll be ordering next week when I get back to home.

Regarding the Archos option, be aware that the video quality is MUCH lower than minidv. Ok if all you want is small computer quality videos. Not ok if you want to make DVDs for tv viewing. Also, be warned that the Archos recorders have sketchy reliability. If you go this route, get the latest model, not an older (and cheaper) one.

my 2 centimes....

[Schralper]

Sprite- you can NOT record from lipstick directly to portable hd. Especially w/o firewire. You need a dv recorder before hd. Its not lines of res that matter so much as its PIXELS. MP4 is COMPRESSED video, which you do NOT want unless postin on the web. Ever watched M4 vs DVD on a tv? If you're burning to dvd, why worry about compressing? You can buy alotta dv tape, for the cost of a Archos.

The 1+ lbs on the side of the head aint no big deal, I dont have it on there for hours! I've mt biked w/ my cam. My cam is bolted to a bracket which in turn is bolted to the helmet and has a range of fore and aft adjustment. Cuz ever notice some pitches are steeper than others or say shooting backwards, ones head angle changes? Which just might effect cam shooting angle, Hmmmm? Has anyone ever had signal breakup from a bad connection? Lot more likely than w/ just cam. I dont always have the option of repeat shooting. I want/need it right the 1st time.

Has ANYONE here besides me ever shot video w/ a lipstick lens attachment??
They're only about .4mp, which SUCKS!
Brand new quality mini dv cams are available for <$400.
Get insurance if you're so worried about destorying and replacing your cam.
WTF??!!

[Schralper]

Sprite- Lipstick lens is a video ATTACHMENT! You cannot feed lipstick directly to any non dv recording device. DONT believe me, just cuz I shoot video and film. Firewire is required for real time video tranfer, USB 2.0 isnt even fast enuff. Your DV cam? You mean still cam?? Archos, Why? Whats so bad about mini dv tape? It'll survive more abuse than a portable hd, especially since they cost $7 ea. Thats a lotta Archos'.
MP4- Compressed video!! The quality will be even worse than dv + lipstick lens.

.

[basom]

i have been using a lipstick for two seasons with a cannon zr60. the zr60 i got for around $350, and the lipstick set up was around $130.

i got the 480 lines option : http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/helmet-cam_pics.htm

sure the resolution is less than my zr60 when i'm shooting hand held, but its fun to use in vids. if i was trying to sell the stuff i would obviously use a more expensive set up, but this at least gets one in the ballpark, if not in the game.

i would much rather put a tiny satilite cam that wieghs nothing and costs a third of my recording device on top of head, then tape the actual camera to the side of my head, and risk taking out my recorder with a tree branch. just my personal preferance.

[mildbill.]

i would much rather put a tiny satilite cam that wieghs nothing and costs a third of my recording device on top of head, then tape the actual camera to the side of my head, and go skiing with a camera taped to the side of my head.

but that's just me.

[snowsprite]

Schralper, two separate things here. I have an Archos and i have a mini dv camcorder too. Problem is, my mini dv camcorder does not have s-video output so using that w/ a lipstick cam is out.

I am a bit confused. A description of an archos mentions "system connectivity" as "Firewire,USB." Will this allow me to record directly from from a lipstick cam directly to the Archos?

Here's what it says about the Archos video compression:
MPEG-4 SP with MP3 stereo sound in AVI format (can be read by XviD or DivX®* players)

Also:
Connection: Plugs into AV 120 expansion port.

Capture rate: PAL: 320x240 @25 f/s, NTSC: 304x224 @30 f/s

Video input: Analog Composite Video or S-Video

Video playback: MPEG-4 SP with MP3 stereo sound, near-DVD quality. Resolution up to 640x368 @25f/s. AVI file format, reads XviD and DivX®* 4.0 & 5.0

Here is an example of a helmet cam set up that comes w/ an archos device:

skullcamz

Look, it's not that I don't believe that you know what you're talking about. I am a total JONG when it comes to this stuff and I'm just trying to learn as much about it as I can before wasting money on a new camcorder or whatever. If you are willing to educate me on some of this stuff I'd appreciate it. If anyone knows of some good explanatory info about MP4 compressed video and how it would compare to what I would have on a mini dv tape...pass it on! Otherwise I'm off to troll google again for some more info.

Sprite

[lph]

i would much rather put a tiny satilite cam that wieghs nothing and costs a third of my recording device on top of head, then tape the actual camera to the side of my head, and risk taking out my recorder with a tree branch. just my personal preferance.

those are my thoughts exactly. i have knocked the helmetcam off my helmet numerous times from hitting branches, falling, etc... and it has never been damaged. I have the www.helmetcam.com 480 lines set up with a canon elura 20mc in my jacket pocket. although the camcorder is no longer working perfectly, that is a function of buttons wearing out, not impact.

i would agree with schralper though, the connections aren't great and the set up is tempermental. The quality, IMHO, is very good however.

schralper, i am going to buy the dcr 350 pretty soon as well. been searching the web and got some prices under 800 but from shitty shops.

[basom]

i would agree with schralper though, the connections aren't great and the set up is tempermental.

i had some issues with this that were solved by a few well placed thick rubber bands. now no matter how hard i crash the feed keeps rolling. i also built a little tupperware impact protector to house my cam. blown up directly on it several times aqnd the thing keeps chugging along.

[snowsprite]

i had some issues with this that were solved by a few well placed thick rubber bands. now no matter how hard i crash the feed keeps rolling. i also built a little tupperware impact protector to house my cam. blown up directly on it several times aqnd the thing keeps chugging along.

Basom, you got a picture of your little tupperware contraption?

Sprite

[basom]

i'll take one of my whole set up tonight for you sprite.

only cause you're wicked sweet.

[Vinman]

what about using an digi cam in vid mode placed in a waterproof cover rigged to somekind of chest harness? Chest cam? Of course it would have to have male and female chest harness to conform to the available......umm....anatomy angluation.

[descender]

My buddy and I use the 480 line resulolution lipstick cam form helmetcam.com every weekend. It takes a while to get the process down, and can be a major pain in the ass, and doesn't work that well in bad light, and makes everything look easy and slow, but still it is a lot of fun. You just ski and at the end of the day you have some high quality amusment. The crashes are the best.

Tips:
- Attach mic to backpack behind your head to avoid insane wind noise.
- Get used to battery hell. They WILL run out on the untouched blue-bird pow run you hicked an hour for.
- The pelican cases are good for protecting the DV cam.
- Pay attention to the lense cause it fogs and gets snow/water on it.

[Game Over]

damn this thread took off....

[MnO]

Sprite- Lipstick lens is a video ATTACHMENT! You cannot feed lipstick directly to any non dv recording device. DONT believe me, just cuz I shoot video and film. Firewire is required for real time video tranfer, USB 2.0 isnt even fast enuff. Your DV cam? You mean still cam?? Archos, Why? Whats so bad about mini dv tape? It'll survive more abuse than a portable hd, especially since they cost $7 ea. Thats a lotta Archos'.
MP4- Compressed video!! The quality will be even worse than dv + lipstick lens.

.

I really don´t understand why you cannot connect the lipstick (is that a specific camera or just a term for a small lipstick shaped cam?) cam to the Archos player. I´m sure you can with mine anyway IF you have an analog video input on the hd player, and I think there is one on the Archos unit. Ofcourse you still have the image quality issue related to the compression, but you still don´t get that very high quality with theese small cameras as said before. Why bother with FW or USB2? Do you mean that you have a small cam with a digital output? All I get from my headcam is composite video or an analog s-video signal. You could connect it to any video recorder with a RGB, s-video or scart input (RGB adapter) and get a satisfying result.