Video recorders

phoenix

phoenix

New Member
What do you folks use for onboard video recording equipment?

I'm looking for something to capture track video as well as some other sports or family stuff. If it could mount to the bike, that would be good. I've seen some people who have a remote bullet camera that connects to the main camera by a little cable or something.

I'd like to hear about good choices and the bad ones too, so maybe I can steer away from the wrong ones.

My budget is like $200-$300. And I'd really prefer something that I can easily (no extra work to convert the file) save away to the PC or to a DVD.
 
lemondrop

lemondrop

Professional Asphalt Surfer
GoPro...can get 2 for under $300...uses a 2gb card that can hold ~1 hour worth of riding...get rechargeable batteries....uses 2 AAA...that last as long as the card....picture quality is superb for the size of the camera..waterproof casing that really works

negatives: only way to know if you fully pushed the record button is to look at it from the front...view finder isnt the best...but then again, your riding.....sound quality is a little off -- it has 2 modes, a natural which doesnt bode well for high speeds and a noise cancellation, which works fairly well

my gopro from my first Nesba event.....

Run 6, rear view

Front view, run 1 ----> no speed comments :moon:

on the street, forgot to turn on the noise cancellation
 
ronhix

ronhix

New Member
Lemondrop;21898 wrote: GoPro...can get 2 for under $300
Click to expand...
I use the same camera, however I would NOT recommend it.

I have been very frustrated with the two cams I have. The video quality is good and the camera is easy to use. The issue is that the cams will not stop turning themselves off during the races. Inevitably, the cam will run a few minutes and then shut off. Not sure why, but it is VERY frustrating.

Here's a link to some of my on-board vids:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ron+hix+cam&search_type=&aq=f

For the stories behind a lot of the vids, I do race write-up and stuff here:
http://www.ronhix.com
 
lemondrop

lemondrop

Professional Asphalt Surfer
ronhix....

I had the same problem...a couple time actually....

The first issue was the crappy batteries....that was fixed by upgrading to quality rechargeables. HOWEVER, the cam still does go through some batteries...i went to onlybatteries.com and got 20 AAA rechargeable with charger for $80....so i change it out now every 3 sessions or so

problem number two..which was actually problem number one, was the fact that i didnt read the directions properly....they have a recall mode that automatically brings up the last settings on the camera everytime you turn it on...from factory, it is on just single shots (like a camera) and has the battery save function set for a couple minutes, and upside video capture....i just went through and changed those to right side up, video record, and no battery save....seemed to solve the issue....


hope this helps
 
ronhix

ronhix

New Member
Lemondrop;21903 wrote: ronhix....

I had the same problem...a couple time actually....

The first issue was the crappy batteries....that was fixed by upgrading to quality rechargeables. HOWEVER, the cam still does go through some batteries...i went to onlybatteries.com and got 20 AAA rechargeable with charger for $80....so i change it out now every 3 sessions or so

problem number two..which was actually problem number one, was the fact that i didnt read the directions properly....they have a recall mode that automatically brings up the last settings on the camera everytime you turn it on...from factory, it is on just single shots (like a camera) and has the battery save function set for a couple minutes, and upside video capture....i just went through and changed those to right side up, video record, and no battery save....seemed to solve the issue....


hope this helps
Click to expand...
Man I have tried every battery I could get my hands on, still have the issue.

I can get the cam to record for a long time if it is just sitting on my desk at work. But on the bike, it keeps shutting off on me. I think it is vibration related, not sure?

BTW, I have gone through every setting I know of on the cam. Which one tells the cam NOT to go into battery save mode?
 
fastfatguy

fastfatguy

New Member
Here's all I know... I use a VHOLDR which is great for outdoor sports, but not so much for "family" things. The sound on the track isn't that great, but the size of the camera is amazing! It's very small, waterproof and has an easy on off button...

Here are some videos http://www.youtube.com/user/rodubs22

Mike
 
lemondrop

lemondrop

Professional Asphalt Surfer
ronhix;21906 wrote: BTW, I have gone through every setting I know of on the cam. Which one tells the cam NOT to go into battery save mode?
Click to expand...
it comes up with the options of 60, 120, 300, or OFF when going through the setting menu....the hold function is the option that switches between HLO and HLF, you want HLO

both of mine are pretty sturdy....i have hit >130 on my speed triple and both front and rear camera did end up shaking alot (using the suction cup mount with extended arm didn't help) but none of them shut off nor fell off

here are the batteries i use:

http://www.onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=14756.43&cat1=28&uid=1363

1200 mAh...like i said, i got 20 batteries with mine...guess they downgraded a bit (now at 10)
 
PatrickMitchell

PatrickMitchell

New Member
I like my go-pro for simple track day videos. Once I switched to rechargeable batteries, all my headaches went away. For the money, it is the best thing going. If you want better quality, it may be worth stepping up to a digital system. B&H photo has lots of choices and decent prices.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/#
 
ronhix

ronhix

New Member
Lemondrop;21918 wrote: it comes up with the options of 60, 120, 300, or OFF when going through the setting menu....the hold function is the option that switches between HLO and HLF, you want HLO

both of mine are pretty sturdy....i have hit >130 on my speed triple and both front and rear camera did end up shaking alot (using the suction cup mount with extended arm didn't help) but none of them shut off nor fell off

here are the batteries i use:

http://www.onlybatteries.com/showitem.asp?ItemID=14756.43&cat1=28&uid=1363

1200 mAh...like i said, i got 20 batteries with mine...guess they downgraded a bit (now at 10)
Click to expand...
Cool, I play with it a little more and see if that helps. Thanks!
 
stkr

stkr

New Member
I've got a basic setup with a Canon ZR600 MiniDV camera mounted on a tank bracket. It works pretty well, takes great videos, and only costs about $250. The Best-Buy web site has a ZR950 that looks about the same. They may not make the ZR600 any more.

Pros:
1. Great quality video before you have to compress them for web posting. Raw video of a 20 minute session works out to a 3GB AVI file when captured.
2. Has image stabilization.
3. Nice camera for the price.

Cons:
1. I have to cover the microphone area with electrical tape to cancel the wind noise. It still does well on picking up even conversations.
2. You have to have a fire wire card/port for your PC to dload the videos.
3. No external video input for bullet camera.

Here a link to a thread with the videos of Barber. If you look at the crash video, it's not compressed as much, so the full screen quality is better, although it's still compressed down to 50MB, and could be better.

http://tracktalk.nesba.com/showthread.php?t=2513

Good Luck :cool:
 
crewnutz

crewnutz

Member
Samsung x210l sports cam.............you can get them for 300-400 on amazon.com

they have no moving parts so the image is always stabile, comes with a remote lens so you can put the camcorder under the tail or in the front fairing and tape the lens to pretty much ANY part of the bike and get some pretty sweet video.........

www.myspace.com/cretu


if you dont have myspace you can still view the video on the main page, if you have myspace you should be able to view all my videos from 2007 and a new one I just made using the camera from NJMP lighting 2 weeks ago
 
meanstrk

meanstrk

Control Rider
I use a Samsung SC MX10 that records to flash cards and works fantastic! Fast download from the cards and excellent battery life. I have mine on a tank mount, but sometimes it does get in the way on long fast straights.

Picket mine up for about $180 shipped.

http://www.buy.com/prod/samsung-sc-mx10-digital-memory-camcorder-samsung-sc-mx10-digital/q/loc/111/206579008.html

I also use a MotoComm unit for rear facing video but cannnot recommend it. Crappy resolution.

http://www.cyclegadgets.com/products/product.asp?Item=MC-DSR

Sample video. This one shows front and rear views....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kshn8gamX7s
 
S

sheepofblue

New Member
I will be going ChaseCam this winter. It is a bit of $$ but WOW on features. It even has an auto on mode. Seems well supported with decent capability and made to withstand track days.
 
E

Epee

New Member
Did not see anyone mention using the Lithium Ion batteries for the GoPro. It even recommends them for "cold" or extreme conditions in the manual. I can't find AAA rechargeable of that kind, but the turn off problem should be solely battery life. The best rechargeables still only last me 15-25 minutes of recording.

Try the LiIons!
 
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