I bought a FlyCamOne V2 a few years ago (whenever it was) and it's done quite well to be fair. However, the battery hardly lasts any time at all now and I'm trying to work out if it's best to buy a new battery (risking the fact that I only assume the battery is the problem!!!), or look at getting a different camera altogether.
The picture on the FlyCamOne V2 isn't great, but I knew that when I bought it. It's good enough!
They now do a HD 720 and 1080 version, starting at £120 (FlyCamOne V2s are now about £60), but I wondered if anyone else had any thoughts on cameras?
The FlyCam is good, because it's small. I also have a waterproof cover for it, a headstrap and the waterproof cover has a clip to attach it to my jacket, etc.
To be honest, if I decide to get a new camera, I'll probably get a new battery for it as a backup anyway!
So, does anyone else use a camera or have any suggestions?
Thanks, Ian
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
i am biased so would suggest gopro hd hero wide...
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?
it is a bit bulky, but it does provide probably the best quality video. life is a compromise.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
thebronsonite,
Quote:
Call me fussy, but it looks a bit bulky?
Just bought a Hero Hd, based on footage I'd seen , was still blown away when I played my first clips back though , if you haven't seen one in the flesh they are not overly big but are very well thought out and the sound at speed is better than most.
Contour GPS is pretty fine if you can find the cash. Watching your speed and location on google maps whilst watching the vids is fun. If you've got an iPad with a card reader then you can spend your evenings watching back footage....quite instructive seeing ones technique...or lack of it.......almost as good as having a ski instructor!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ansta1, are you biased because you have one, or because you sell/work for them? Any thoughts on the chest harness as opposed to helmet mounting?
After all it is free
After all it is free
Got me a Kodak Zi8 off eBay for £60 (RRP around £120) - superb results with selectable HD-1080 & 720 format , plus 5gb still pic. Not a helmet cam, so need to use a chest harness on your rucksack.
Judge the results here...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
quality looks okay, but interesting that none of the footage was POV, was there a reason for this?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Duke,
i am biased because i have 35 of them and i hire them out but primarily because i think they are currently the best products in terms of image quality. The chest housing works well, but if i am honest i find it a little bit oppressive to wear as it is like wearing a tight pair of braces. The headstrap mount works really well either on a helmet or on a beanie. Alternatively the vented helmet strap works really well when mounted between the straps of a rucksack.
i am getting some different mounting options made up to play around with, thigh, calf, boot and some high angle mounts that can be worn.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
ansta1,
Quote:
none of the footage was POV, was there a reason for this?
Yeah - didn't get much which was worth editing into the vid - didn't have my chest-strap in quite the right position
I had a vHoldR helmet cam prior to this (the old version of the ContourHD) and TBQH didn't think much of the POV results I got with that either - too much shots of my hands and the tips of my skis popping out of the pow., and lots of boring snow in front.
I prefer hand held shots of others in action... although I have a chest strap case, it was easier to keep it in my pocket & take it out to film then put it away again.
Not quite as convenient as a Contour I know, but you'll be much more selective what you shoot - it's easy to leave the Contour on too long, then you have loads of unwanted stuff to trawl through (or run out of memory/power)
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.
geoffers, i know what you mean, pov can be overrated. also one of the things we say when we hire them out is enoy the skiing and be selective with the video. one guy who had one ran up 90gb of video in a week and is still trying to edit it down. much better to pick your moments or runs and enjoy the skiing. One of the upsides with the go pro's is you can set up the housing and remove the camera and use it for stills, when you find that run you want to record clip the camera into housing push the button and off you go. when finished take the camera out clip on the lcd back and relive the run.
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
Thanks for the replies, everyone.
geoffers, did you manage to get a waterproof casing with that?
snaftel, the Contour GPS sounds excellent, but the prices are quite steep, especially seeing as I have a separate GPS anyway.
I think I really need to work out a budget! lol I'm not sure I'll be "allowed" to pay over £200 seeing as I already have one semi-working camera ;o)
EDIT
ansta1, do you have an opinion on the HD HERO 960 (bit cheaper - may be able to blag it!).
Thanks, Ian
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
thebronsonite, I haven't used them in anger but do have one from gopro as a trial, I just need to use it and see. I'll try and have a go with it over the weekend and compare the two back to back mounted in similar positions.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Thanks ansta1. I've found the 960 for £159, which would be nice. It seems the main difference is the frame rate for 720p and the 960 does not record 1080p.
I can probably get away with that.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Yep it will only do 30fps at 720p and 960p. It will do 60fps if you record in wvga though. Certainly a good option though.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
thebronsonite,
Quote:
geoffers, did you manage to get a waterproof casing with that?
I got a splashproof case by Built which is Neoprene & the Zi8 fits perfectly http://www.builtny.com/hoodie-camera-case-small-prod.html - the top folds back so you can film with it in the case. I've punched a couple of holes in the back of the case to attach to a chest strap with ties.
There's also a waterproof version of the Zi8 called the PlaysportZx5 - details here http://zi8kodak.net/
FYI: the Zi8 does 720p at 30fps or 60fps or 1080p HD format - it can playback staight into a TV using composite video or HDMI cables, and has a built in USB connector, so is very versatile : you don't need to take a laptop on hols to playback as long as there's a TV in your accommodation
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?
ansta1 wrote:
geoffers, one guy who had one ran up 90gb of video in a week and is still trying to edit it down.
The Loop mode on the VIO POV HD camera looks to be a good way of avoiding this, It's a feature where instead of continuously recording hour after hour, you just press record if you've had something interesting happen and it will record the last 5 minutes and the next 5 minutes if you wish (or however many minutes you want to set it to). Possibly a good way of just recording the interesting bits without having to wade through hours of dross to find them come editing time.
Whilst this camera does look like a step up from the gopro it is £500 a pop.
FYI: the Zi8 does 720p at 30fps or 60fps or 1080p HD format - it can playback staight into a TV using composite video or HDMI cables, and has a built in USB connector, so is very versatile : you don't need to take a laptop on hols to playback as long as there's a TV in your accommodation
same is true of all the gopro models.
Elmer, looks very cool, and I like the idea of a loop mode which I've passed on to go-pro to see if they can do something with the firmware to enable this.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I did it! I saw a very good offer (due to the nice UK/US exchange rate) and snapped up a GoPro HD Hero 960 and an extra battery. I decided I could live without 1080p.
I'll try to remember to post some videos up after my holiday, which is in 4 weeks! So excited.
Excellent. Did you get an LCD Back at the same time?
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
No, but I'm taking my laptop so I can upload my videos and GPS data at the end of each day.
I did get a second battery though.
After all it is free
After all it is free
good plan with the second battery, have a play with the mounting positions before you go to make sure you don't end up shooting too high or low, also if you plan on doing any editing i'd suggest you set the video recording mode to pal rather than ntsc as this causes some issues with a lot of uk machines and their software.
have fun.
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.
Elmer, The POV is top notch and the loop mode does work well in practice. A mate of mine has one and the quality is excellent. I'm still using a Sony bullet cam feeding into a MiniDv camcorder with a LANC remote, which is good too (and gives you the option of using the camcorder on its own) but the setup requires a back pack which is a pain on chairlifts.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I've been out this winter holding my normal Sony camera in my hand and making some very shaky clips. I've had enough of that and want a helmet camera now. I've been looking at the GoPro HD 1080p, the Contour HD and the Drift HD170.
A friend of mine who lives in Chamonix bought a GoPro HD this year. He said that the GoPro can't really deal with how bright the snow gets and reckons it could do with a filter. I've seen the film he shot and it was properly sunny the day he was out but has anyone else come across this problem?
The Drift170 looks pretty good too but can this only be mounted on your helmet/goggle strap? Anyone any experiences using one?
Thanks
Kersh
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
it's not hard to attach a polarising or ND filter to a GoPro which will sort it out for really sunny days.
When I looked into buying one, it seemed that the GoPro was one of the best in bright conditions. Really happy with mine.
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.
Sorry, haven't been on for a while.
Thanks ansta1, I'll try to remember to change the settings!
hang11, I just quickly read that, but does it imply it will make fast moving videos a bit more blurry?
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
ansta1,
thebronsonite
Quote:
Thanks ansta1, I'll try to remember to change the settings!
Had the same problem on my 1080 until doing the firmware update, the 1080 comes out of the box shooting 30-60fps, still has the Pal format option in the settings but only for playback directly to tv, but I believe still at 30-60fps, this was causing jitter problems on full panning shots where my 50/100hz tv struggled with the 60ps framerate.
I originally thought it was the card at fault, but the 1080 firmware update along with other new features allows you now an option to set the shooting framerate to 25-50 fps, the 50fps now runs super smooooth on my tv without having to adjust framerates in editing software.
like most firmware updates, it's a little scary to do on a new toy!!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
gatecrasher, when was the firmware update released? I wonder if mine will already be updated. I received it on Friday, but I haven't had time for a play around. I'll let you know what I find out.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
thebronsonite,
Just had a look on their website, it's currently only available for the 1080 as it also supports the new lcd back, apparently all 1080s still ship with the original firmware, so currently only have the option to update via website. I guess the other way to tell what version, would be when you now change over to pal in the settings, the framerates now default to 25 & 50 fps instead of 30/60 fps.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Thanks gatecrasher, I'll take a look tonight (I go on Saturday and have hardly had time to test it!).
In the worst case scenario, I could always edit the videos as you suggested.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Kersh wrote:
A friend of mine who lives in Chamonix bought a GoPro HD this year. He said that the GoPro can't really deal with how bright the snow gets and reckons it could do with a filter. I've seen the film he shot and it was properly sunny the day he was out but has anyone else come across this problem?
I found the same with the Contour1080 tat I have. No amount of fiddling with the settings would resolve the problem. It was great in overcast conditions, but massively over-exposed snow when in bright sunlight. At the suggestion of offpisteskiing I bought the lens kit from Contour so I could attach a filter to the camera and that has fixed the problem. Still deciding whether a ND2 or a cicular polarising filter is best, but I'm now happy with the quality of the video it records.
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?
Can you fit filters directly to the GoPro or do you need an adaptor?
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
