Video cameras and bikes? [Archive]

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woodboats

14th June 2008, 12:06

Her_C4

14th June 2008, 12:20

Talk to Gunner ;)

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/member.php?u=946

WasPhantom

14th June 2008, 15:50

Currently I have something fitted very similar to this;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Suzuki-SV1000-SV650-Radar-GPS-Camera-Mount-SV-1000-650_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247 QQcategoryZ34284QQihZ023QQitemZ360054345102QQrdZ1Q QsspagenameZWD1V

Works stunningly well, and means I can attach any type of video camera (or, handily the one I already owned ;) ) to my 'bike.

zxcvbnm

14th June 2008, 18:31

Best cheap option at he moment is probably a Oregon Scientific ATC2K.

The standard mount is junk, it works alot better if it's not flapping around. There's a few mods like tape on the battery's to stop them rattling around and I just fixed the mic so it works a bit better now since this vid.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XWev9nbYorM&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XWev9nbYorM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Polystyrene is good and light and doesn't remove body parts if you crash. Heres one I prepared earlier.

wickle

15th June 2008, 07:59

fence post

16th June 2008, 01:55

wickle

16th June 2008, 19:40

hey,did u have any problems with ur scientific camera switching off at random?when i had mine at the track i only got a total of 12mins recording time from 4 20mins sessions!brand new energiser rechargable batteries.
When i work for a Camera shop rechargable battery's for digital cameras were always a problem higher the rating the better. Just before I left we were only reckmending 'AA" rechargable batteries with 2200 or more anything lower did not last,

zxcvbnm

17th June 2008, 19:14

hey,did u have any problems with ur scientific camera switching off at random?when i had mine at the track i only got a total of 12mins recording time from 4 20mins sessions!brand new energiser rechargable batteries.

Yea thats what the tape on the batteries fixes, makes them a tight fit in there holes instead of slopping around.

ACTION CAMZ

18th June 2008, 23:01

I know there are some folks on here who are great with a camera and am hoping to pick your brains a bit.
I have a digital camera but am looking to get some sort of video camera to try some riding shots. Don't want to break the bank with one but any advise would be greatly appreciated. A few questions:
-Type/brand of camera?
- how to either mount on bike or helmet? (at the moment I can only invision lots of duct tape):confused:
-how to get good sound(not all wind noise) when motoring?
-any other hints that may apply
Thank you

I used to use Video cameras with separate bullet type cameras attached. It was a Canon MV730i, along with spy cameras with a custom housing and mount I made. I also remote mounted a mic to a suitable place where there was no wind noise. These items will be for sale soon Here (http://www.actioncamz.co.nz/2ndhand.html)

The problem with these setups are,
They are bulky and dont like to knocked around too much.
You need to run cables everywhere.
You need 2 power supplies, 1 for your video camera, 1 for your camera.
Finding a suitable video camera with AV inputs, as far as I know they don't tend to make them with inputs anymore.

Cameras like the Oregon or GOPro (http://www.goprocamera.com/) camera are good but they have their problems.

The mic's are placed inside the camera which is no good for wind noise unless you mount the camera somewhere out of the way of wind and therefore restrict the angles and views you can get.

Play back is via TV or Computer, so checking out whether the footage came out OK is not the easiest. Setting up the shot is also a problem as you have no screen to see where its pointing.

Oregon VS GOPro.
Both are solid state (record onto memory vs tape)
Both self contained units
Both waterproof
Both rugged
Oregon resolution is 640x480
GOPro resolution is 512x384
Both take up to 2gb SD card, Both restricted to around an hours footage
GOPro comes with decent mounts
Oregon's are average
GOPro doesn't seem to have any problems recording or with turning off
Oregon's problems can be easily fixed
Oregon's shape makes its easier to just tape it on or cable tie it somewhere
GOPro's shape makes it harder to mount
Oregon has the higher resolution but does not seem to have a good as camera as in the GOPro
GOPro doesn't handle going from dark to light quickly very well and doesn't like very low light

Oregon $200 VS GOPro $300

I have both and would go for the Oregon over the GOPro any day.

Another option is a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) instead of a camcorder to record the footage, They are generally solid state (some have HDD's). You can still use any bullet or spy type camera on them but you still have to run the same amount of cables. Most have LCD screens which means you can review and delete unwanted videos without the use of TV or Computer.

As far as mounting the camera goes. You will have to see what you can do with the cameras you have. We use suction cup and clamp mounts as well as a type of Duct tape which is stretchy and very strong, its not a cloth type tape like most Duct tapes. Some people call it 200mph tape.

OR

You could hire the cameras off us at your next trackday :).

We use High resolution solid state camera setups that are fully water proof and shock proof (each is worth over $1000). We mount them for you and give you a DVD of your footage at the end of the day. All for a fraction of the cost of buying your own.

For videos check out Here (http://www.youtube.com/actioncamz), Here (http://www.youtube.com/retsoft) or Here (http://www.actioncamz.co.nz/videos.html)

Hope this was of some help.

surfchick

18th June 2008, 23:11

I use sony bullet cams into miniDV camcorder -

had to as some of the v-twins engine note interfere at high revs with unshielded video cables at when mounted near the back of the bike

probably the first complaint ever about a ducati engine note.... mohoho

ACTION CAMZ

18th June 2008, 23:16

Yea thats what the tape on the batteries fixes, makes them a tight fit in there holes instead of slopping around.

There are 2 types of problems with the Oregon.
1 is the batteries and the other is the SD card

Wrapping tape around the batteries helps as well as pulling the camera apart and stretching the contacts out down the bottom of the battery compartment.
I have mine in so tight you need long nose pliers to pull them out. When storing it away with the batteries in, take the cap off and open the back flap so that the contacts aren't touching the batteries. That way they will last for months when not being used.

When the camera is apart you can also cut strips of insulation tape and put them above where the SD card sits. This will make it hard for the SD card to be pulled in and out, but you can just use the USB able to download instead.
Doing this pushes the card contacts hard up against the cameras contacts and prevents errors in recording.

And the mic, just replace it with another or attach a mic jack into the camera so you plug a external mic in.

kiwicam

19th June 2008, 05:02

Depending on how often you intend to do this (the O P) hiring a cam from actioncamz looks like a good option .Getting any kind of decent footage and sound is not as easy as it looks and the vids he has there look and sound good .

BIGBOSSMAN

19th June 2008, 12:35

Headbanger

19th June 2008, 13:10

I use a helmetcamera and mounting system from www.helmetcamera.com plugged into a JVC camcorder. When the JVC dies I'll most likely buy the camera they are selling through the above listed site, Depending on quality of footage.

I believe Hitcher has the full setup so I would be interested in what the captured footage looks like.

Anyway, Quality first, which is why I went with a DV plus helmet camera setup, Shes done may hours of offroad and onroad use, Still going strong. I personally wouldn't buy a standalone helmet camera, Never been impressed by the quality.

A couple of my vids, Though bear in mind they can't be compared to the quality of the footage before it was raped and killed for toutube. Both are old, I have been meaning to do more.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VZhYBQSSmbk&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VZhYBQSSmbk&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DU-Kb8F1EqA&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DU-Kb8F1EqA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

NordieBoy

23rd June 2008, 09:50

Oregon resolution is 640x480
GOPro resolution is 512x384
Both take up to 2gb SD card, Both restricted to around an hours footage

Or at YouTube quality the ATC2K will do just over 3 hours.

NordieBoy

23rd June 2008, 09:53

There are 2 types of problems with the Oregon.
1 is the batteries and the other is the SD card

Wrapping tape around the batteries helps as well as pulling the camera apart and stretching the contacts out down the bottom of the battery compartment.
When the camera is apart you can also cut strips of insulation tape and put them above where the SD card sits. This will make it hard for the SD card to be pulled in and out, but you can just use the USB able to download instead.
Doing this pushes the card contacts hard up against the cameras contacts and prevents errors in recording.

Or smear some of the o-ring lube that comes with the camera on the battery and sd-card.

ACTION CAMZ

24th June 2008, 22:30

Action Camz, will you be at the MotoTT trackday on saturday? My Archos DVR had landed but the bullet cam probably won't turn up in time (typical). I'd hire a cam off you if you were there (must be self powered I guess).

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. Last week my laptop was out of action as I was having "issues" with Vista.
I was at the VMCC Round 2 at Manfeild that weekend anyway. If you would like us to attend your event in the future please contact us via the website.
www.actioncamz.co.nz (http://www.actioncamz.co.nz)

Or at YouTube quality the ATC2K will do just over 3 hours.

That is true, however it is always best to record at the highest possible resolution then change it before you upload it.

Mikkel

24th June 2008, 22:57

You could PM Transalper - he captures quite a few videos of his adventure rides.

NordieBoy

25th June 2008, 07:52

That is true, however it is always best to record at the highest possible resolution then change it before you upload it.

True but I'd rather get the full 3 hours of a ride/race than a 1 hour segment.

CB ARGH

25th June 2008, 10:02

Every single camera would need to be mounted in a different way, so use your initiative on that one. As for the wind noise, grab yourself some foam/sponge or go the full distance with a "Pop sock/microphone sock" from a music instrument store. Throw this over the small microphone hole, you may need a bit of duct tape to hold it there. But like I said before, use your imagination, make something up. It ain't that hard. :bash:

ACTION CAMZ

25th June 2008, 23:07

True but I'd rather get the full 3 hours of a ride/race than a 1 hour segment.

Its a shame that nobody seems to make a camera compact enough like the Oregon that records at decent resolution for more than an hour.

Headbanger

26th June 2008, 00:19

Do these cams your discussing record to SD cards?, what are they now?, $20 for 2GB? Grab a six back of em.

NordieBoy

26th June 2008, 09:46

Do these cams your discussing record to SD cards?, what are they now?, $20 for 2GB? Grab a six back of em.

The batteries only last for about 3 hours and it takes time and effort to change a card (that you've taken pains to make difficult to move :D) .

Headbanger

20th July 2008, 19:42

Righto,

Against my advice the oldboy picked himself up one of these ATC2K cameras, as expected the audio is complete and utter shit, The camera is unreliable (due to the issues discussed earlier in this thread) the mounting systems provided are junk, the video quality is bad, real bad, Taking a still image from any point of the footage and it looks like a dogs breakfast, Picture is fuzzy, colours are off, road signs are unreadable. And if shes not mounted rock solid you get distorted pixels to hell and back.

My opinion.

Mount a digi cam on your bike instead, Plenty of people have done it.Or shell out more money and buy a better system. These maybe all right for non-motorised sports but I couldn't recommend them for anything else. Unless you really want munted audio and fuzzy video.

That aside, Once you remove any quality from the footage the camera may have accidentally picked in order to put her on youtube it doesn't look to shabby at all, Though only within the confines of the youtube universe.

Heres the video I took today, Audio was removed and replaced with music, My bike is loud, and she was makin sweet sweet music and all I got in the footage was a barely audible drone and a heap of wind noise.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PAmbRYGMdwo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PAmbRYGMdwo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

NordieBoy

20th July 2008, 22:07

If you ever want to get rid of it PM me.

Against my advice the oldboy picked himself up one of these ATC2K cameras, as expected the audio is complete and utter shit, The camera is unreliable (due to the issues discussed earlier in this thread) the mounting systems provided are junk, the video quality is bad, real bad, Taking a still image from any point of the footage and it looks like a dogs breakfast, Picture is fuzzy, colours are off, road signs are unreadable. And if shes not mounted rock solid you get distorted pixels to hell and back.

<object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PAmbRYGMdwo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PAmbRYGMdwo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object>

Headbanger

20th July 2008, 22:32

If you ever want to get rid of it PM me.

You will be first on the list. Though it all depends on what the oldboy wants to do with it, and how well it works mounted on an RC car......

NordieBoy

21st July 2008, 07:28

On an RC car it'd be the thumps that'd be the problem.
Electric or gas?
On or off-road?

orangeback

21st July 2008, 07:38

FlyCamOne2
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/video-camera.htm
20-30min recording time

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 10:43

I have just got myself one of these and am in the process of mounting it on the bike (will use the tank cap screws to mount it)
http://ascent.co.nz/productspecification.aspx?ItemID=366773
Canon FS100. Its all solid state based so no moving parts apart from zoom and focus. Its very small, about the size of a red bull can and weighs about the same.

Will report results once the job is finished.

skelstar

21st July 2008, 10:52

Very interested in the FS100 mentioned above. Can't seem to find the video resolution and recording times. I can see that its:

Movies:
16:9 - approx. 550,000 pixels (ADV.Z off)
16:9 - approx. 710,000 pixels (ADV.Z on, wide)
16:9 - approx. 410,000 pixels (ADV.Z on tele)

... but not sure what that translate to re: 800x600. Very keen on the widescreen aspect.

EDIT - I see from a forum review that it does 720p. Nice :yes:

zeocen

21st July 2008, 11:11

Well my videos are somewhat different, as I use it for my biker friends in other countries, I have a camera in my helmet which allows me to talk about where I am, etc.. Over at livevideo.com there is a nice cosey area of motorcycle video loggers and we all watch each others videos to check out the world's roads etc..

I moved from my bulky Sony DSC-T3 (compact cam that can take video) to a Kodak V570, in my secondary helmet (Nitro) I modified the inside so I am able to slot the camera in snug with the lens just peeking over the chin guard, but not enough to obstruct my vision in any way (one of the Sony's downfalls). Another great plus is that it has 30fps recording, with about 1.40hrs recording at 640x480x30fps on a 2GB stick. Also, it has image stabilisation which keeps the bumps, etc felt from the road to a minimum. It also has two lenses, one for normal video view and one for widescreen, I record on the wide screen to get more of the scenery in.

Anyway, I am currently still testing my set up and did a test video, I don't go on any exciting roads, just a test to see camera placement, etc.. So far this is the best quality video that records the longest, that I have found. Bullet cam's were just too many wires for me, especially since I can just slot this in, turn it on and press record.

I usually talk in my videos, for the overseas folk at livevideo.com, telling them where I am, etc or what I am doing.. the sound quality is phenominal and you get the 'first person' view really well. Although in this particular vid I forgot my 'cat crap' so when I breathe or laugh the visor fogs up :P I chose this set up over bullet cams and things like Hero Cam's etc just because it is inside my visor, so the wind noise is minimal, which lets me hear the bike tone/myself etc, otherwise I would have gotten one of those Flycams or Hero cams.

Thinking of getting a camera mount for my tank which will let me bolt into the tripod screw on the bottom of the cam, to make for a great set up when I don't feel like talking!

<div><embed src="http://www.livevideo.com/flvplayer/embed/C343EB1C79274BA9A1987068279A2389" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" WIDTH="445" HEIGHT="369" wmode="transparent"></embed><br/><a href="http://www.livevideo.com"></a></div>

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 11:18

erm pretty sure it doesnt do 720p. Are you sure you are not looking at the HS100 or something else?

It records video at 640x480. MPEG2 format so nice and easy post processing.

I specifically wanted a non HD, cheapish solid state camera that I can knock around on a bike or take snowboarding with me.

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 11:20

OH also, battery lasts for 3 hours or a bit more if you turn the LCD off. And its about 1 hour per 4gigs of memory on highest quality so about 4 hours on my 16gig card. (it takes SDHC)

skelstar

21st July 2008, 11:42

Ah, review is for the FS10. I have a Panasonic DMC-FX01 (I think) and its a still camera that does normal and widescreen video... widescreen at about 800x480. Its pretty cool, but think I can't do a card bigger than 2GB SD which means only about 20mins of video, albeit at 30fps.

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 12:07

zeocen

21st July 2008, 12:15

Nah, the DMC-FX01 wont take SDHC cards, so you better stock up on the 2gig ones.
848 x 480 is nice but its not all about resolution. I always find the video quality on Point and Shoot cameras to be very sub par.
Also, whoever invented Motion JPEG format should be shot.

I'll have to upload one of my videos to youtube's new high quality option then, both the Sony and the Kodak compact still cameras take amazing video. The Kodak being the superior of the two. Sony records in .avi and Kodak records in .mov

Both can do 30fps but the Kodak has wide angle and better image stabilisation and much, much longer recording at higher resolutions.

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 21:06

skelstar

21st July 2008, 21:53

Shit, that Samsung camera is only $599 at DSE... surely can buy cheaper somewhere else.

10 mega pixel still camera. Hmm...

captain_andrey

21st July 2008, 22:01

It gets pretty average reviews for stills but very good results for video

Headbanger

21st July 2008, 22:56

On an RC car it'd be the thumps that'd be the problem.
Electric or gas?
On or off-road?

I done some filming on an RC car a few days before I tried it on the bike, And to be perfectly honest I was well pleased with the quality, especially as I had a single piece of electrical tape holding the camera to the roof of the car.

Next time I'll mount it so a bit of the car is in the frame to give it some perspective, Going to try it off-road as well, Should be sweet footage when I do it during a race.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GMqMGsr9ncU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GMqMGsr9ncU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

zeocen

21st July 2008, 23:56

mov and avi are just containers. Its the compression that actually matters. mov containers are pretty hard to work with unless you want to do all your post processing on a mac. Most compacts use MJPEG which is just a waste of memory.

If you really want a compact that does video, Samsung nv24hd is pretty nice. Its using h.264

Ahh true, true. Well I do believe the Kodak and Sony are one of the two best compact ones with non telescopic lenses! I agree with you that .mov is nigh impossible to post process, Vegas is not optimised for it at all, I might have to re-learn premiere just to have fluid preview video so I can edit it :(

Headbanger

25th July 2008, 19:51

righto, In a bid to decrease the amount of bulk required for using my usual Helmet Camera it was decided to buy the DV camera for sale at Helmetcamera.com. Not only would this remove the need to carry a normal size DV cam but when combined with the 9v battery option and the new cable it would mean all the gear would be reduced down to the size of a pocket camera.

Sounds good......but....

The cable (1 cable that replaces about 6 others all with multiple connections), Doesn't fit my helmet camera, Going to see If I can find someone to modify it, So back to using the multiple cables from the old setup.

9v battery, Meant to run the camera for 45 minutes, I doubt I got 4 minutes, Maybe a naff battery but it was only purchased today and had a use by date of 2015, So I had to go back to the old powerpack which is 8 AA batteries.

Now none of fits in the new slick camera case I purchased.....feck.

Anyway, I went for a ride, filmed teh footage, and then discovered the camera records in a format called ASF (which is just a really bastard version of the ultra suck hole WMV) using a codec called M4S2, And nothing I have can do squat with it, Not even a version of virtual dub I found specificley built to handle ASF files. It seems M4S2 is just about the worst codec any video can be encoded into.

I hate propriety video formats, and until this afternoon I hated MOV the most, But this is just as bad in every way, If not worse.

As a last resort I have used Super to encode them into a format I can edit, But I'm not happy, not happy at all.

NordieBoy

4th February 2009, 16:54

I use an ATC2K on the SVS, mounted on the end of the handle bar, and do get some kind of weird wavy interference - like a flag waving in slomo.....'twould be good to cure the problem if possible - although I suspect that this is a vain hope...

It's a vain hope with an ATC2K.
You get vibration induced "wave" mainly on vertical lines (trees etc).
As far as I can work out it's a combination of the narrow FOV and the encoder chip interpolating the vibration as movement and trying to smooth it out.

Apparantly if you mod the lens to a wider angle one it reduces the waving.

slofox

4th February 2009, 17:32

It's a vain hope with an ATC2K.
You get vibration induced "wave" mainly on vertical lines (trees etc).
As far as I can work out it's a combination of the narrow FOV and the encoder chip interpolating the vibration as movement and trying to smooth it out.

Apparantly if you mod the lens to a wider angle one it reduces the waving.

Ahh Thanks NB - (I have moved the thread BTW....). Verily it is a pain in the arse - get motion sickness watching it...maybe should try a helmet mount....?

NordieBoy

4th February 2009, 21:51

Ahh Thanks NB - (I have moved the thread BTW....). Verily it is a pain in the arse - get motion sickness watching it...maybe should try a helmet mount....?

Still a bit of motion sickness with the helmet mount...

<object width=320 height=265><param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/G5SILOBAlqU&hl=en&fs=1></param><param name=allowFullScreen value=true></param><embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/G5SILOBAlqU&hl=en&fs=1 type=application/x-shockwave-flash allowfullscreen=true width=320 height=265></embed></object>