Want a small bullet type helmet cam to strap to the side of my Giro Fuse.
HD and good battery life a must. What's good?
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
friend just bought a contourHD. reckons its really good. will eb borrowing it in april so can report back but guess thats too late for you.
www.dogcamsport.co.uk is a good site as is www.actioncameras.co.uk
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
If you get a Contour also buy the Lens Kit so you can add a polariser or ND2 filter to it. It seems to over-expose snow if it's a sunny day. The GoPro also seems to do the same thing if the YouTube clips that I've seen are typical.
rob@rar, used a GoPro for a whole week in Jan in bright sunshine and didn't have any over exposure issues but then it can be adjusted.
Then again, it's not exactly a bullet shaped camera!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 1-03-11 15:25; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Contour HD works well. As Rob points out it needs a polariser or ND filter on the front or any snow you film will be blown out in the sun. I wouldn't bother mucking around with the manual exposure settings either - I've had much better results from adding filters. The only drawback is that when you move from light into the shade or vice versa (like when you move from a north facing slope onto an east facing one) then the camera may not deal well with this.
Contour HD fine for me - except the wind noise. I haven't had huge problems with light effects, and battery life is ok - and I carry a spare in any case.
Here is some rear-facing footage of Sharkymark and others following me on piste on the S7BB (slightly wrong angulation - camera and sharky... )
Which reminds me - I now have about 5 hours of footage from this year to edit...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Oh, it's been a few weeks now without a helmet camera thread...
Here's some footage from a ContourHD. See from 2:10 onwards for over-exposed snow (I forgot to take the filter with me that day). Wind noise is always going to be a problem unless you can attach a suitable windgag.
my handheld panasonic lumix gives good pictures. anyone know where I can get a suitable mounting kit for it - something a little better than duck tape !
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Re mounting the Contour. The goggle mount has a tendency to wobble if you are a remotely aggressive skier . This can be resolved with decent velcro and superglue. Attach velcro to outside of helmet and to inside of goggle mount. Problem goes away.
backhojo,
Not seen it done but I wonder whether you could lash something up using a GoPro chest mount. I'd be wary of attaching something like a Lumix to a helmet.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
gorilla, cracking idea - I'd always used Duct tape over the strap but that is hugely better.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
stoatsbrother, it wasn't mine, I adapted it from some guy on TGR. They are ingenious over there.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
gorilla, ordered some red adhesive velcro off e-bay to match my lid. Thanks.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Ordered a Contour GPS a few days ago...Amazon cleverly separated the order so I've had the accessories delivered - eg goggle mount, and a handle mount to fix it to ski pole for those monopole type shots. Now just waiting on a them to deliver the camera itself... Still, gives us a little time to play with the mounts before we fly off to the three valleys on saturday. Though boy will we be hacked off if they don't deliver the camera before we go!
Having done plenty of research on which are good, I think the simple answer is that both the Contour and the GoPro are "good" that is are both premium products. Though they have individual strengths and weaknesses. The GoPro seems easier to capture decent footage with, probably in part due to the wider angle lenses, though is harder to operate and looks goofier when helmet mounted. The Contour looks better, seems easier to operate with gloves, has more flexibility in terms of settings, but may paradoxically be less likely to easily get decent footage.
Still I opted to go for the Contour, in part as I spotted that the BBC used one strapped to the back of an Mongolian Eagle in their great Human Planet programme on mountains. If it's good enough for the Beeb it's good enough for me!
Though whether I'm good enough for the camera is another question! Slightly concerned that on viewing the footage I will suddenly discover that I'm bit a ski superhero after all, but just another two week a year plodding tourist! The camera never lies!
Personally, I think ski-pole / monopole footage is normally the footage which works best. Fixed viewpoint and all that.
My favourite...can't get the song out of my head...
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=74249
So finally, would just suggest that probably the the most sensible camera option is the "point & click" one you'll already own! (Presuming it would cope with the cold.) How about fixing it to a ski pole with one of these fly mounts? £59 is cheaper than a new video camera you'll only use a few times?
http://www.flymount.com/index.htm
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
What you shoot with the camera is only half the story. You need to edit it into a logical video that people will be willing to spend their time watching.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
720x480 30fps... battery lasts 2 hours... it comes with a helmut mount.. some footage from it attached to my rucksack... http://youtube.com/v/rePdKz4ecMM hence the left to right movment...
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 1-03-11 20:49; edited 1 time in total
Not had time to look properly yet but the shots my 11 year old took on the Contour HD looked good (even if my skiing wasn't!) at a quick glance to check it'd worked
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I have an HD Max extreme.
It ticks all the boxes, it is a brilliant design but I have not been out in the really cold with it yet. The go pro suffers extreme battery drain in the cold I am hoping the HD Max doesn't.
It comes with all the mounting kits that you would want.
I got it at dogcamsport.
II, how did you mount that to your rucksack? I have a similiar one and when I tried biking with it velcroed to my rucksack it was very bouncy, but yours looks very stable...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
HD170 by Drift Innovation.
Better quality and versatiliy than the Contour - check Vimeo and YouTube. Has a screen to check whilst you film or in between takes, which is useful if helmet/goggle mounting, to see if you have the right angle.
Smaller than the Camsport HdExtreme.... But the HD Extreme has one point better than the HD170 - a mic Input on the external chassis. The HD170 has one, but you have to open it's back acces plate up, and use a proprietary mic with a silicon nappy to keep the back passage closed and protected fro the elements.
But for quality and ease of use, (the most important things, right? ) it's a sure winner. And if they can revise it to have an ext mic in ( universal 1/8 inch minijack type) then even better.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
As Rob points out it needs a polariser or ND filter on the front or any snow you film will be blown out in the sun
Anyone got any examples of vids going in +out of trees, either in snow or MTB ? One thing that put me off bullet cams before was that some have a seriously slow response time to changeable light conditions.
Quote:
Wind noise is always going to be a problem
I guess that's why most/many edited vids on Youtube/Vimeo have their favourite band replacing the natural sound.
Quote:
What you shoot with the camera is only half the story. You need to edit it into a logical video that people will be willing to spend their time watching.
Can I make a request to all youtube editors... if you do put "music" on, could you please steer clear of Sony/UMG/WMG copyright. Plenty of free music out there. Then us expats can view the vids too
/minirant
Oh and my friendly online bikeshop now stocks Contour / GoPro / HD170 and keeps trying to make me spend money.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
andy wrote:
Anyone got any examples of vids going in +out of trees, either in snow or MTB ? One thing that put me off bullet cams before was that some have a seriously slow response time to changeable light conditions.
The Contour is slow to adjust it's exposure when compared to a regular camcorder, but not so slow that it is annoying IMO. I'd love to have the opportunity to do a back to back test with the four main contenders in the same conditions, but at the moment I don't think that any of them stand out as being massively better than the others based on the YouTube footage I've seen.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
dave moores, How long are you planning to spend in Wengen mate? I'll be there on the 12th, probably staying for about a month.
Everyone else, Many thanks for all your input. Although there are several old threads on this subject, this technology moves forward so quickly that I thought I'd start a new one. Will have a good look through everything suggested. quadwould makes a good point though, quality and ease of use are tops.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
telford_mike, We're there for 2 weeks so should have some feedback by the time you arrive. If you want to meet and take it a run out thats no problem.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
For sound quality the GoPro has the Contour licked, the Mic is inside the waterproof cover and so doesn't suffer from wind noise. It does however produce a good quality sound even when in the cover.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I've got a GoPro 960 and I'd not say the sound was 'good' by any means
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Don't know if there is a difference in them but mine is the 1080 HD
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
"with a silicon nappy to keep the back passage closed and protected"
now there is a phrase you dont hear every day !
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
II, Nice sniff at 52 secs.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
The batteries on the go pro only suffer at extreme cold and when used in certain mounting positions due to the fact that the battery location is somewhat exposed. We now send the silicone sleeves with our hires by default to help reduce this. The issue is aided by the introduction of the new LCD backs, which we can now also offer on hire requests and work really well and also aid the usability of the camera as the menu options can be seen and edited via the screen and not the silly little front display. However being one of the few people to offer the HD wides with LCD backs my suggestion is to use them for setup and review only. (NB silicone sleeves aren't yet available for the LCD back housings.)
In simple terms when mounting somewhere you can't control the view (helmet for example) use the camera in a standard housing (open) with the LCD back purely to set up the mounting angle, then remove the back and close up the housing. If you want to review or check then take the camera out and plug in the back then adjust as required. This will reduce the overall weight and not impact battery usage excessively.
In terms of image quality the go-pro's have the edge, if you saw the recent edition of ski sunday when Graham had a contour on his helmet and a go-pro on his arm, just look at the different quality. As for sound quality, again a lot of this is due to mounting positions.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
stoatsbrother, you sound exactly like I expected you to sound... "err if you stay about 5-10 metres back"... then it sounds like you are rocket powered!
What is the point of HD 1080 on the new model Gopro? given most people i know seem to record at 960/720 due to file size/fisheye angle/editing/viewing issues.
The 5 megapixel Hero 960 Wide model is available at around £120-£150 whereas the HD 1080 is still around £269-£299.
Is it really worth the extra Wonga?
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 6-03-11 23:10; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyone had any experience with the mini cam offering from Veho?
The footage I'v seen from them seems pretty good. oh and you can get them for around half the retail on Amazon...
You can also get a kit for it with many different mounts for every scenario you could imagine
Yes, I've got one. Picture quality is OK, especially for such a small device, but nowhere near the quality of the Contour headcam I've got. The Veho also has the time and date permanently visible on the video, with no apparent way to turn it off. That's a considerable -ve point for me.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Thanks Rob@. I did read something about writing a txt file to put on the memory card that was something to do with the date. Didn't take much notice of it at the time but might look into it to see if you can stop it showing.
What is the price of the Contour? The retail of the Veho is around £80 but I know you can get it for half that...
What was the battery like on the Veho? especially in the cold?
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Crazy Climber wrote:
Thanks Rob@. I did read something about writing a txt file to put on the memory card that was something to do with the date. Didn't take much notice of it at the time but might look into it to see if you can stop it showing.
That was for setting the correct time. I did spend a fair bit of time Googling to see if I could turn off the date, but couldn't find a way to do it. However, that was a good 12 months ago so that might have changed by now.
Quote:
What is the price of the Contour? The retail of the Veho is around £80 but I know you can get it for half that...
What was the battery like on the Veho? especially in the cold?
IIRC I paid £20 for the veho on eBay from a Hong Kong retailer. Thought I'd take a punt at that price, but so far I've not used it other than testing to see how good the video is (and trying to turn off the damn date) so I've no idea how well it works in the cold. I think you can get the Contour HD1080 for £230 ish.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
