Head Cam's

[Uber Dave]

I am looking at getting a head cam and wondering who has one or knows of any decent reviews/review sites.

I want one that can be mounted on my helmet and bike and it has to be capable of doing at least 720p and take an SD card too.

I know Robin has one which is connected via a cable to the recording unit, but I would prefer an all in one unit for ease of use!

[Squashed_Fly]

The go pro cameras are the best ones I've found. They do helmet mounts, mounts for surfboards and mountain bikes. Waterproof and good quality footage.

http://www.goprocamera.com/products/hd-helmet-hero-camera.php

Lots of the guys surfing in cornwall I met last year had them on their boards...

[ro]

I have the VIO POV 1.5. I was nearly put off by the imagined hassle of having separate camera head and control unit, but I've come to see it as a good feature. I haven't found the cable to be a nuisance and it does mean the camera head can be small and easily mounted, while the control unit can be larger and more capable. For me, the best feature of the control unit is the display so you can check the camera is working and properly aimed. When I had the all-in-one 'muvi', I had no way to know if it was looking the wrong way or just failed to record for one reason or another—and it frequently did both!

I also like that the VIO takes ordinary AA batteries; it lasts for more than a day on one set of rechargables anyway, but if you do run out, replacements are readily available. Another unique feature is the handlebar-mounted remote control button for tagging interesting stuff—it has a clever mode where pressing the button records several (configurable) minutes before and after you pressed it (or you can just have the camera record continuously and make a mark when you pressed the button). There's also a microphone in the cable going to the camera head, which I poke in the chin piece of my helmet so I can record a commentary.

Mine is 720×480 (DVD-resolution), but they've recently announced that an HD version will be available in February. Still, I'm not sure I'd have gone for HD even if it had been available when I got mine—it already generates such huge files that working with them is a pain!

[Squashed_Fly]

Realistically, how HD is a small, inexpensive head cam going to be? It's a gimmick really. True broadcast quality HD recording equipment costs severl thousands of pounds!

[Dabz]

How much was all your kit if you don't mind me asking ro?

[ro]

How much was all your kit if you don't mind me asking ro?When I got mine, the list price was about £500; mine was second-hand for about half that. As is the way with technology, the state of the art has moved on and prices have dropped—the UK distributor now lists it at £315 (http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/VIO_POV1.5M.html). I wouldn't be surprised that there'll be a few bargains on ebay soon though as early adopters upgrade to the HD version.

btw, looking at their website reminded me that there are several versions with different options; the one I have is the "motorsport" version which has a wider angle lens and comes with a 12V power supply (to replace the AA batteries when wired to the bike) and a generous selection of bits to mount the camera on a helmet or bike. I use the adjustable magnetic tripod mount, which is simply brilliant design.

[wiltshire builders]

Got a bullet cam for christmas. Only used it on my MTB so far but the quality is really good. Taking it to Austria in a few weeks for a ski holiday. If you want I can post a link to the footage.

[Uber Dave]

Got a bullet cam for christmas. Only used it on my MTB so far but the quality is really good. Taking it to Austria in a few weeks for a ski holiday. If you want I can post a link to the footage.

Please that would be good, thanks!

[Davey]

I have a GP Pro cam - did have the HD but quality on the standard one was almost as good so changed. I do also have a Oregon ATC3 that I used for the rugged stuff as a cheaper camera not the same quality tho but as a cheap camera it does the job - takes SD card and multiple fixings

[jaagsxr]

saw this one and thought of this thread !!

http://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/en_GB/?ViewObjectID=18062364

[Squashed_Fly]

What about this as an option?

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Motorbiker_photos/NewsPics2/HelmetCam-DIY.jpg

[Uber Dave]

What about this as an option?

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r46/Motorbiker_photos/NewsPics2/HelmetCam-DIY.jpg

Ha, that is pretty funny!

[silly_simon]

What about this as a starter setup to see how you go
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=110352&source=webgain s&siteid=20363

[Dabz]

that one looks pretty good for £20..cant really go wrong unless you inist on hd quality