Camera and recording

[Shaun]

I've seen a few vids put up of rides people have been on, pretty cool shots on some. My question is what are people using for recording and what are they using for cameras, where did you get it? Just thought it might be some fun to post up some vids of rides around the island here.

Shaun.

[pdxfj]

Hey Shaun,

It's not an easy or cheap thing to do.  There are cheap and simple ways to get video but the quality is severely lacking.

Once you have a helmet cam setup, you have to edit all the video which takes many, many hours.  I must have spent a couple hundred hours putting together the video I made.

What I and several others use are a high quality lipstick size camera, that is run into a Mini-DV camcorder.  Just the camera setup was over $300 alone, plus the cost of the camcorder, remote control, cables, tapes, etc.  Klavdy has four (4) cameras on his bike, that run into two camcorders.  Thankfully for my OZ trip a group member was kind enough to loan me his camera.  I have since purchased my own and will be adding a tail camera.  When I returned from OZ I had to upgrade my home computer so I could do video editing. 

If you're serious about it, let me know and I'll e-mail you more information.

[spsmith_fj1200]

Two low cost helmet cameras are the Go Pro www.goprocamera.com and the Tachyon XC www.tachyoninc.com.  For starters these are OK, but for quality like the videos that Klavdy makes you will need to invest in the separate video recorder and better cameras.  I have a Tachyon and the sound recording capaablity is limited.  I am sure that others will discuss the merits of memory cards,mini DVDs, and internal hard disks.

[racerman_27410]

http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=833&subcategory=834&product=18108


i use one of these .. fits up inside my helmet.... HD quality video.... and they can be had for just a little over a hundred bucks if you shop around (amazon).  8 gig internal storage and rechargable battery



Kookaloo!

Frank

[Marsh White]

Frank - you mount that inside your helmet?  Looking out through the visor?  How do your mount it?  Where?

[racerman_27410]

Frank - you mount that inside your helmet?  Looking out through the visor?  How do your mount it?  Where?

i just used some velcro and it sits right inside the chinguard of my helmet (X-11 and Arai XD3)... looking out thru the shield...the entire camera is not very much thicker than a USB plug so it doesn't take up a lot of room....but it does sit close enough to my face that i can hit the record on and off button with my tongue to self edit out the boring bits  

the price is definitely right.....


http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Labs-Camcorder-Storage-Digital/dp/B001LK8P14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1257915579&sr=8-1



HD video is really nice but it takes a long time to edit and process it... still worth it IMO and you can output easily straight from the Vado to show on a TV (it comes with all the cables you could ever want- HDMI and composite) or just viewing the built in screen at a rest stop.



i was going to post some video but the file sizes are ridiculously large for internet viewing.... i can make one with reduced video quality and upload that but it aint gonna happen tonight  .

i made a ride video DVD from our western trip and it turned out pretty nice...
looks fantastic on the bigscreen  

.since the camera is riding inside my helmet the picture is smoother without so much horizon tilting as you get when the camera is hard mounted to the bike.

the built in condensor mic works great and inside the helmet i can narrate while recording with hardly any engine or wind noise

it really captures the essence of riding for me..... and for a reasonable price .


I can take a pic or two of it inside my helmet if you like?


KOokaloo!

Frank

[jvb_ca]

I can take a pic or two of it inside my helmet if you like?


KOokaloo!

Frank

Hey Frank. Yes please do. I would like to see how big it really is. Sounds very interesting. Would be a lot better than carrying around a full size slr.

Cheers...Jake

[racerman_27410]

ok here are some pics of the vado HD cam mounted inside my helmet and one for size .







Kookaloo!

Frank

[ddlewis]

ok here are some pics of the vado HD cam mounted inside my helmet and one for size .

Kookaloo!

Frank

Frank, that's awesome!  That's the kind of low-budget engineering that I would come up with - can't believe I didn't think of it.  Kids have a flip, I'm going to try it.

on and off with your tongue.. lmao.

[racerman_27410]

ok here is a short video clip.....reduced quality but you can get the gist of how it works.

shot thru my tinted visor (closed)  and the road was very bumpy. 




KOokaloo!

Frank

[jvb_ca]

That is awesome Frank. Gotta get me one of them.   

Cheers...Jake

[racerman_27410]

That is awesome Frank. Gotta get me one of them.   

Cheers...Jake

I just wanted quality riding video without spending a buttload of money... i think this works pretty well and the price is definitely right. 

I have found myself recording a lot more video since the camera and velcro mount is so convienient to use....and i dont have to stop for still pictures so much since i can pluck some sweet hi def frames as stills in post editing.

KOokaloo!

Frank

[Yamifj1200]

Nice Frank.... just where was that taken??? Im guessing the Going to the Sun road, Glacier Park Montana....


Eric M

[Marsh White]

Awesome Frank!  Thanks for the pics and video!  I love the ease of narration - the quality - the price - and the simple on and off.  Seems like it would work perfectly for my needs!  That is...when I don't have my Aussie videographer handy... 

[Shaun]

Well that is some good input, thanks guys. Looking at what it is I think I should complete the list of upgrades to my bike first and then think about video. I still think it would be some fun, it would be an aw-some way of keeping a record of rides as well. I think this is more of a wish list than a must have for sure. But I will keep an eye out for the right thing for the one day items and as mentioned the almighty dollar decides what upgrade gets done first...

Thanks
Shaun