Bulgaria Ski discussion board
Helmet Cam and Videorecording
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posts : 13 (Beginner)Date : 01-23-08 21:09re: Helmet Cam and Videorecording
look on ebay for tony hawks digital blue helmet cam it costs about £70 and its a good quality video footage or www.playdigitalblue.com cheers
re: Helmet Cam and Videorecording
cooli will look to invest for when i next go, after this holiday
re: Helmet Cam and Videorecording
I will be filming Pete in March, in fact we will be using 4 cameras. One is a helmet mounted camcorder which I will probably be wearing as I'm used to the way it works. Another will be a bullet camera connected to a camcorder with AV in (Canon 810i). There will be another standard camcorder with high optical zoom somewhere, and our prosumer broadcast quality camera being used as well. I will edit all the footage as soon as we get back. Please bear in mind, that we are staying a further week, ...
I will be filming Pete in March, in fact we will be using 4 cameras. One is a helmet mounted camcorder which I will probably be wearing as I'm used to the way it works. Another will be a bullet camera connected to a camcorder with AV in (Canon 810i). There will be another standard camcorder with high optical zoom somewhere, and our prosumer broadcast quality camera being used as well. I will edit all the footage as soon as we get back. Please bear in mind, that we are staying a further week, and don't come home til the 23rd March.
If you have a bullet cam, you will need an AV recorder. This can be either hard drive ie Archos 700, tape drive (Pro units expensive), or simple camcorder with the aforementioned AV in. Not many camcorders do have the AV in function, so check before you buy. We will be getting an Archos unit soon, as the flexibilty it offers is very useful. The simplest way of getting footage, is to hold the camera and set off down the slope. I would advise getting a wide angle lens off ebay, as it makes the task so much easier. It does distort perspective, as displayed in our "High Speed Borovets" video. Christo was in fact several metres away from the people on the slopes, but it looks like he's right on top of them. To free up your hands, get a cheap helmet and fix a mount to the side of it. Disadvantages are, if you fall hard it might get whacked, or filled with snow (wrap cam in plastic bag). If you fall really hard, the extra weight on your helmet could harm your neck.
Remember batteries don't like the cold, so some high capacity backups are a good idea. Don't store electronics inside your suit/jacket, because when you expose them to the cold, they will fog up. Do try to keep them as warm as possible though.
Now get out and start filming !
Speed is very distorted on video, what looks slow, is in fact very fast. The angle of a piste is also completely lost, a black can look like a green. Don't believe me? Have a look on youtube for high speed ski record attempt. It doesn't look too quick. In fact, the guy is doing nearly 150Mph !
Hope this helps.
If you have a bullet cam, you will need an AV recorder. This can be either hard drive ie Archos 700, tape drive (Pro units expensive), or simple camcorder with the aforementioned AV in. Not many camcorders do have the AV in function, so check before you buy. We will be getting an Archos unit soon, as the flexibilty it offers is very useful. The simplest way of getting footage, is to hold the camera and set off down the slope. I would advise getting a wide angle lens off ebay, as it makes the task so much easier. It does distort perspective, as displayed in our "High Speed Borovets" video. Christo was in fact several metres away from the people on the slopes, but it looks like he's right on top of them. To free up your hands, get a cheap helmet and fix a mount to the side of it. Disadvantages are, if you fall hard it might get whacked, or filled with snow (wrap cam in plastic bag). If you fall really hard, the extra weight on your helmet could harm your neck.
Remember batteries don't like the cold, so some high capacity backups are a good idea. Don't store electronics inside your suit/jacket, because when you expose them to the cold, they will fog up. Do try to keep them as warm as possible though.
Now get out and start filming !
Speed is very distorted on video, what looks slow, is in fact very fast. The angle of a piste is also completely lost, a black can look like a green. Don't believe me? Have a look on youtube for high speed ski record attempt. It doesn't look too quick. In fact, the guy is doing nearly 150Mph !
Hope this helps.
re: Helmet Cam and Videorecording
I've been using various helmet cams for a few years now and I've found that the Sanyo Xacti is bar far the easiet to use and and best quality.
you'll get one for £150 online and Sd cards cost £8 for 2gB which will give you around 1hr on highest res. 6mP for the camera is pretty impressive and being slab sided the are easy to fit to a helmet.
Jf
