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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
helmet camera for extreme sports
Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 3:38 PM on 06.23.11 |
->> Help. I searched using every description I can think of and.can't find what I need. I saw a website for a great little camera that can go on a helmet and can shoot HD videos. I don't have my computer with me (think the site is bookmarked) and can't remember the name of it. The website had guys snowboarding and skiing. Can anyone.help?
Thx. |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 3:49 PM on 06.23.11 |
->> GoPro.
Available everywhere. |
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Joel Hawksley, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 4:04 PM on 06.23.11 |
| ->> That's it! Thanks. |
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 10:42 PM on 06.23.11 |
| ->> For starters ... I want it for some zipline fun in Branson. Weeehaaaaa. |
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Eric Seals, Photographer
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Detroit | MI | United States | Posted: 11:04 PM on 06.23.11 |
->> Hey Dianna,
Great cameras indeed, I have three of them and use them off and on.
If you're thinking about mounting on your head stay away from the head strap mount http://gopro.com/camera-mounts/head-strap-mount/
and go for the curved mounts that come with the Motorsports Hero HD kit and order the Chesty which is very secure. This mount is also very good
http://gopro.com/camera-mounts/helmet-front-mount/
That head strap tends to move around much more no matter how tight you make the hold. Just FYI
Eric |
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Dianna Russell, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | USA | Posted: 12:39 AM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> Thanks, Eric. |
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Ed Ruping, Photographer
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Oviedo | Fl | usa | Posted: 7:17 PM on 07.01.11 |
| ->> A question to Eric Seals; You say you use the camera off and on. From the sound of things it renders great images "on" but what kind of images do you get when "off"? |
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Baron Sekiya, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Hilo | HI | USA | Posted: 8:57 PM on 07.01.11 |
->> Some amazing snowmobile footage caught with a GoPro. I'm really surprised the camera didn't get knocked off the helmet. So the helmet mount seems pretty solid.
http://youtu.be/jzdGrQnhDsk |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Garrett Hubbard, Photographer
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Washington | D.C. | USA | Posted: 11:15 AM on 07.02.11 |
->> +1 for the GoPro. I've been using one for almost 3 years now. I love mounting it various places and using it for for things you wouldn't expect. Seals has put one in low orbit. I've seen Gene Blevins mount his to his DSLR. I recently put one on an oyster dredge.
Here is a link to some mountain biking footage I shot with it and my iPhone. Wait for the crash :)
http://garrettsphotographs.blogspot.com/2011/06/ride-bike.html |
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Chris Ivin, Photographer
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Sydney | NSW | Australia | Posted: 4:49 AM on 07.04.11 |
->> also worth looking at is the HD Drift 170 Stealth from http://driftinnovation.com/
I really like the flexibility in the way you can mount this thing. It has a rotatable lens which means you can level the horizon after you have you've made the attachment. Also has a realtime viewing screen.
I've taken this unit skydiving and cycling and it hasn't faulted.
Sample here :-
http://vimeo.com/25407557 |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Denver | CO | USA | Posted: 11:18 AM on 07.04.11 |
->> I've used the GoPro cameras. Image quality is outstanding and you can buy them anywhere. The three problems I have with the GoPro is the control setup, the mounting system, and the cost of getting something you can preview in the field.
The control system on the GoPro is clunky and easy to screw up in the field. You pretty much have to carry a quick reference card with you to decypher the codes on the LCD. Get your settings wrong and you blow your video. Not good.
I'm not a big fan of their mounting system - lots of little pieces to lose and it always feels just this side of flimsy. If you go this route, buy spares and go ahead and pop for the tripod mount so you can use your standard kit for mounting options.
You'll also need to pop for the LCD accessory separately if you want to eliminate "hope for the best" angst when setting up your shot. At 80 bucks it's not cheap (takes your total system cost up to around $370). It's also kinda cheesy and mounts to the camera itself, which means if you have it mounted in an oddball place you have to do gymnastics to take a peek at framing. The LCD also makes the unit kind of bulky and hurts battery life.
I'm a big fan of the Contour products:
http://contour.com/products
I've used one of their early units for awhile and it's really a nice rugged camera. Image quality is outstanding - about the same as a GoPro. The cameras have a pair of lasers mounted to the lens for leveling - the lens rotates to any angle and you can see where level is by looking at the dots.
One thing I discovered about this camera is you can use any Manfrotto RC2 quick-release accessory to mount it.
How? The little plastic puck they include with the camera mounting kit is the exact same size as the RC2 quick-release wedge plate. So if you have a ball head like the Manfrotto 494, all you have to do is slide the puck onto the camera rail, then snap the puck into the QR slot. Works great and keeps the mount low-profile (unlike the GoPro tripod mount, which sticks up over everything).
In their product lineup they have the very cool ContourGPS which is probably my next helmet cam purchase:
http://contour.com/products/2
They really misnamed this product. While the GPS function is cool, it is not the key breakthrough in this product.
The real "wow" feature is the bluetooth connectivity, which lets you use this:
http://contour.com/software/mobile/overview
It's an iPhone app (and a $20 card for the camera) which lets you use your phone as a realtime viewfinder and field setup tool. No more decoding goofy codes or "set-and-pray" like the GoPro. See a full-size preview and set all of the settings on the camera easily, and you can do it without having to be right behind the camera. Very very cool. They're working on an Android version as well.
The GoPro will give you a nice image and has the benefit of being well-marketed and available everywhere. But aside from the 3d gimmicky stuff, it's really pretty much the same as what they released three years ago. The ContourGPS is a next generation product with some cool features that I think make it a better choice, particularly since it costs about the same as a GoPro with LCD. I've also been happy with how Contour seems to keep updating their stuff with firmware tweaks and updates along the way. |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Sycamore | IL | USA | Posted: 1:59 PM on 07.04.11 |
->> There is a new generation of keychain-sized video cameras (various versions of the so-called "808" cameras, one that is even true HD, are described in the accompanying video) that are almost inexpensive enough to be considered "disposable"; check out this guy's results when he attached one to a series of bottle rockets:
http://fstoppers.com/camera-captures-pov-video-of-fireworks-flying-through-... |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Max Waugh, Photographer
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Bothell | WA | USA | Posted: 5:53 PM on 07.05.11 |
| ->> I was just looking at Contour stuff yesterday, since our University has been using their cameras as "helmet cams" to film football practices. Looks like a great line of products, so I'm glad to read David's review. |
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