Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Hi quality helmet video camera?

I am looking for something small, but hi quality enough to be able to read license plates of cars . Any suggestions?

Sony HXRMC1/ACC (http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadcastcameras/cat-avchd/product-HXRMC1%2FACC/)

lol that is quite expensive. I too am on the lookout for a similar camera but I don't want to spend much!

I am looking for something small, but hi quality enough to be able to read license plates of cars . Any suggestions?

Budget ?

If you only want license plates, use a point and shoot camera.
$79 for a Cannon also takes vid's.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/Ride%20with%20Ryan/Ryans%20Pics/RB2.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/821025.jpg

only problem with the point and shoot is no continuous video and not waterproof.

I did some research and seems the Tachyon XC is a good deal at $150. Anyone have any experience with it:

http://www.tachyoninc.com/main.html

that is the one i was looking at, it seemed to get glowing reviews.

There is a fellow randonneur I know that has his own blog. He has a video camera installed to his bike and has even posted some sample clips.... Perhaps this can send you in the right direction.

http://bike.duque.net/cheap-video-1.htm

This (http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=1) is the one I'm gonna get. Check out the video demos.

This (http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=1) is the one I'm gonna get. Check out the video demos.


The world's smallest, wireless helmet and gear-mountable video camera for outdoor sports.

That isn't even remotely true, there are loads of smaller video cameras !!!!

My friend bought a non-HD Sony bullet camera from a store on eBay. His winning bid was $63 and it included a case and all the necessary cables. The camera is only a lens and does not have a recording mechanism. You must have either a portable DVR (from Archos or another company) or a camcorder with video inputs (beware, my friend's camcorder cuts the input resolution in half, which significantly reduces the quality of the published video).

His blog entry about it, including test video:
http://www.jeradweiner.com/2009/03/31/hobbyxcam/

Buy your own here:
http://myworld.ebay.com/hxcam/

His photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/therodabides/sets/72157616056593037/

I think Ill just buy some velcro tape and attach my flip video camera to the front of my helmet.

I went and bought $3 worth of velcro tape, and here is what I came up with.

nice, what kind of resolution do you get on that?

I emailed tachyon to see if their camera can read numberplates and this is the response:

"We just tried this out for you. You can make out the plates when you’re sitting at a stop sign and the car is right in front of you. If it’s a car length in front of you, the characters come in and out of focus depending on the light. They only show up clearly at stop lights. But other than that, you cannot. You might be able to if you really tail them but that’s dangerous and we don’t recommend it."

I went and bought $3 worth of velcro tape, and here is what I came up with.

Is that a disposable camcorder ?

nice, what kind of resolution do you get on that?

I emailed tachyon to see if their camera can read numberplates and this is the response:

"We just tried this out for you. You can make out the plates when you’re sitting at a stop sign and the car is right in front of you. If it’s a car length in front of you, the characters come in and out of focus depending on the light. They only show up clearly at stop lights. But other than that, you cannot. You might be able to if you really tail them but that’s dangerous and we don’t recommend it."


The resolution is very good, see this link of my commute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQvtJH7ydLM&fmt=18) I made last year with it. I went for a test run with it today and found the sound to be excellent, perhaps because the mic is in front there is no wind noise. It can pick out some license plates, cars that pass you no faster than 10 mph faster. But since the sound is good, I found I could record the plate number by saying it out loud.

My hope is on the new Panasonic DMC-FT1/TS1 ( a water proof digicam ): it records 1280x720p AVCHD lite video at 17Mbps. http://www.photoreview.com.au/reviews/slimline/panasonic-lumix-dmcft1.aspx

The handheld video looks sharp ( better than any VIO POV or Sony bullet cam ) a trial transcode to h.264 peaked at about 27Mbps.

I got a bike mount yesterday and hope to get it on the bike this coming week and will post the results, but have a look on you tube there are some superb HD samples already e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXZvNKZSHCQ

The 1280x720p at full bandwidth looks great on the computer - but is just too large for web sharing, so here is a sample of video downsized to 640x360 : 11MB for 90 seconds.

IdiotCyclist_Edinburgh200409.mov (http://www.donaldingram.com/Video/IdiotCyclist_Edinburgh200409.mov)

( Sorry that it's taken from my car earlier today : but the subject is relevant : an example of some shockingly poor cycling )

I've got a Tachyon XC and have had a few problems with it. The range of focus seems off. Out to about 5 feet the focus is fine and then degrades to a washy blur at infinity. I believe a normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at infinity by default. I don’t know if it’s just the cam I have or if this is normal for the line.

Mounting is another problem. The bike handle bar mount, which is a separate option. Has a diameter of one and three quarter’s inch across. My bar is less than half an inch. Using the inserts that came with the mount, I’m unable to secure it tightly on the bar.

The new side mount works well velcroed on the side of my helmet, but it’s difficult to get jerky free shots. Viewing the film later on the computer, instills the feeling of motion sickness due to the bounce transmitted from the bike and me, to the cam. No idea how to get around this.

I'd email Tachyon, they seem very helpful and will probably have some decent answers for you.

I'd email Tachyon, they seem very helpful and will probably have some decent answers for you.

I did, heard nothing back on the above. Over a week.

hmm odd, I got a response from them very quickly when enquiring about a product. Perhaps you should send it again.

hmm odd, I got a response from them very quickly when enquiring about a product. Perhaps you should send it again.

I was taking to them about memory cards and brought up the other issues. I hadn't tried out the cam much at that point. Then nothing.

"I believe a normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at infinity by default."

A normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at some intermediate focal distance, where the depth of field extended to infinity. If actually focused at infinity, then less of the close-up stuff is in focus.

Make sure it doesn't have some kind of "portrait" mode turned on.

I've got a Tachyon XC and have had a few problems with it. The range of focus seems off. Out to about 5 feet the focus is fine and then degrades to a washy blur at infinity. I believe a normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at infinity by default. I don’t know if it’s just the cam I have or if this is normal for the line.

Mounting is another problem. The bike handle bar mount, which is a separate option. Has a diameter of one and three quarter’s inch across. My bar is less than half an inch. Using the inserts that came with the mount, I’m unable to secure it tightly on the bar.

The new side mount works well velcroed on the side of my helmet, but it’s difficult to get jerky free shots. Viewing the film later on the computer, instills the feeling of motion sickness due to the bounce transmitted from the bike and me, to the cam. No idea how to get around this.

Sounds like a defective camera, just search for tachyon on youtube and watch the videos in high quality to compare to yours.

"I believe a normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at infinity by default."

A normal nonadjustable focus camera would be set at some intermediate focal distance, where the depth of field extended to infinity. If actually focused at infinity, then less of the close-up stuff is in focus.

Make sure it doesn't have some kind of "portrait" mode turned on.

Nope, no portait mode. As a example, I was taking some film in a cemetery I ride through off the bike, of a fireman burial monument. For no reason other than to try out panning with my head. Less than 20 feet, everything was a washed out blur. By washed out I mean no hard edge. A few 100 feet away in a river gorge trees where just color blur. Now, it could be I'm expecting to much from the cam.

Sounds like a defective camera, just search for tachyon on youtube and watch the videos in high quality to compare to yours.

Yup, they are what sold me on the cam. Spent a good part of the winter looking for cam film for that reason.

Here's a still of the cemetery shot I spoke of. Didn't think I still had it on the drive. I could read the names on the first two stones in the front. I wasn't panning at this point.

http://img121.imagevenue.com/loc218/th_38280_cem_122_218lo.jpg (http://img121.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=38280_cem_122_218lo.jpg)