I'm thinking of getting a helmet camcorder for my husband who's a keen mountain biker- so he'd be using it primarily for that plus one weeks' ski trip a year, I'm going round in circles as to which one to get. I'd really appreciate anyone's recommendations/ advice etc. I'd like it to work fairly well in dim light (he does quite a bit of night cycling) but this is probably asking too much (!) and I don't want to spend any more than £150. And don't really want a bulky one either. And it needs to be compatible with a mac.
thanks all!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Choose 2 out of the 3:
Under £150
Good in low light
Discrete
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?
I'd guess that you'd have to spend alot to be good in low light so I'll go for the other 2 options - under 150 and discrete
none of the current generation of consumer wearable cameras will deal with low light to a level that is acceptable by most standards.
in terms of discreet that is limiting you to a bullet camera type and there are some good ones available near to your budget but in terms of video capture and image quality the makes you should be looking at are.
gopro
contour
drift
there are many others but if you are really limited to that budget and it has to be discreet then the bullet hd or bullet hd lite are options.
whatever you go for will have upsides and downsides.
I have a Drift HD170 Stealth - it's great - well built, ticks all your boxes and can be had for £125 on Amazon at the minute. I chose it over the GoPro or Contour as it has a built in LCD screen which for me is essential to frame shots properly, a remote control which means you can stick it on your wrist and stop/start recording when the camera is mounted somewhere unusual on your bike without messing about, and a rotatable lens, which allows you to make the images level no matter what angle the camera is mounted at. I found the Gopro quite fiddly, and the user interface is a bit poor. Haven't used a Contour so can't really comment on how easy it is to use.
Check some video comparisons on youtube - for me, the Drift compares favourably to the rest. All three of those cameras would do the trick, so just pick the one that you think is best.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
kapow, I've looked at various comparison clips of the gopro and contour and the Gopro hadles differing light much better.
As for night riding, I do that too on a regular basis and tried using my gopro. Id din't turn out well, just a wndering pool of light about 2m away from the bike.
You should get a Gopro HD hero at a reasoable cost now as the hero 2 has just hit the shelves.
He'll be wanting a chest strap for MTBing, not a handlebar mount.
After all it is free
After all it is free
GoPro Hero 2 with Head strap wins hands down, I sell video software for a living and this unit is fab. The sesnor/lens combo smashes everything to bits. Worth every penny - it will perform better in low light situations compaired all others. I love mine and although I still love my original snoy HQ1 it is now strapped to my sons model aeroplane - no doubt it will be attached to his water rocket come summer - then RIP.
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.
tailskidder wrote:
GoPro Hero 2 with Head strap wins hands down.
Let me know where you can get that for £150
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Point taken, but is there any point in spending £150 on something thats gonna be poo-poo?
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
bottom line is the go pro models will give the best quality as of right now, gp2 retail at about £300 but can be had for slightly cheaper, the original gp model can now be had for about £160 or slightly less but make sure you are getting the package you need in terms of mounts. The other models such as contour, drift and others are good and have the benefit of a more user friendly profile when you actually wear the camera. However you need to factor in what you will use the camera for. if it is for 1 or 2 weeks skiing then that form factor is great, if you want to use it on for other activities such as diving, mountain biking, general holiday or activity stuff then spend the money on the right gear.
right now for me if i didnt have a whole load of gopro's alread because of what i do with them then i would probably get a cheap gopro original or the gopro 2 as these give you the best quality and the bet options in terms of how they are used.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I'm not sure that I agree that the GoPros will give the best quality. The GoPro 2 will, but if you're not going to buy it, the Drift to me is a no brainer, given the features, the price, and the video quality compared to the original GoPro HD - check out this video - http://youtube.com/v/pdlDgb41SmY
The only advantage I can see with the GoPro is the replaceable lens, which to be fair, is the main disadvantage of the Drift.
GoPro definitely wins in the marketing department!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
And a vote for the Muvi cameras.
V small, v compact, clip it on your chest strap and just ski.
e.g.
video's c/o dave@mediacopy from Serre Chevalier in spring 2011; http://youtube.com/v/FemOTYIe42o
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
element, i would certainly agree that the gopro wins in terms of marketing, but is is also proven in the broadcast media arena. May be marketing but they are almost exclusively used for broadcast action and pov work right now, this is because of the quality of the footage. I would absolutely agree that new entries such as the drift and the contour provide options that the original gopro didnt (remote control, bluetooth connection, screen etc) and these certainly shouldnt be dismissed and certainly not the price point or the form factor, but in pure image quality the gopro has it.
i am of course biased having mainly gopro and gopro2 cameras with lcd backs and 3d housings, but i also have drift, contour and a 720p goggle cameras to play with.
bottom line is what works for you and you can afford is the one to buy, but like anything in the tech arean it is going to be superceded in the near future so you pays your money and take your risk. buy on the down curve and get it cheaper, but it will not be cutting edge. Early adopt and risk it being replaced before you have used it.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
For the OP's criteria i.e. under £150 and discreet, wouldn't the Drift X170 fit the bill at just under £100? That would leave plenty of budget for mounts, cards, batteries etc. Obviously not HD but still very respectable image quality from what I've seen. Seems like a bargain to me if you are producing casual home vids and publishing to Youtube etc.
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?
I have just been through tis process and opted for the bullet cam HD for dogcams.main reason is that it does all i want and is about the size of a thick cigar. I lashed up a similar size/weight box to the drift and put it on the helmet and i was always aware of it being there so the bullet was my choice. yes it does have limitations but its size is a big benefit for me.
will be testing it in steamboat next week
but still the op has not responded with questions, comments or anything else so we cant offer further advice. A search of the forum will offer lots of options and differing guidance around what may or may not suit so we are left to discuss amongst ourselves the merits of the myriad of solutions.
happy days.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks very much everyone! It seems that those who had them were pleased with what they had, and I thought any would be fine. In the end I opted for the Contour HD (got a good price) and hubby was really pleased to receive it. Haven't tried it out yet so don't know how it will fare. Was tough deciding on my own so thanks again for your recommendations.
They are also surprisingly resilient, a French guy I was with fell top to bottom of Grand Couloir, not only did his still work, but had recorded his mostly feet first fall and the hillmans desperately tryiing to avoid him as he rocketed across the piste at the bottom.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
