Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Oregon Scientific ATC2K "wave/wobble" -- helmet cam questions

I'm thinking about picking up one of these cameras because they're cheap ---- and more or less the reviews are good. One of the complaints about the camera I've come across frequently is the "wave effect". After searching for videos to demonstrate this I found this guy's commute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z78q3XffkZc

Is this wave effect due to the fact the camera isn't properly mounted? Not all of the videos seem to have this wave effect. Maybe YouTube isn't the best way to display these videos? I don't have a lot of money for a helmet camera (<150) so I'm wondering if this would be worth it. A lot of videos feature 90% pavement and very little scenery making me wonder how effective the mounting brackets are ---- maybe with some DIY modifications it could be better. I just want a cheap, simple, and durable camera to record my commutes for family and friends :love:

I've used one.

I used the handlebar mount, which tends to pick up every bump and vibration,
and the audio ends up being every mechanical vibration transmitted into the case,
drowning out all other sounds.
I was going to try the helmet mount, but seem to have lost the parts.

For getting a record of what happened, it is quite satisfactory.
For creating videos to show off to friends, the quality could be a lot better.
But for the price, it is almost disposable, so you won't cry if it gets lost or broken.

A nice feature (lacking even in more expensive units) is that you have these options:
- Frame rate: 15fps, 30fps
- Resolution: 640x480, 320x240, 160x120

At 160x120 @ 15fps, the 2GB flash card lasts for *hours*!

I don't mind one bit the sound quality is bad --- my plan is to have my own background music anyway.

Have you tried mounting the camera to your helmet via other methods? I'm really curious about this camera and I've been comparing footage taken from the handlebars vs. helmet --- and I can see what you mean about the vibration! Some of the nicer mounts (DIY maybe) are pretty acceptable for enjoyable viewing. I just have the feeling I'm going to have to fiddle around with mounting for awhile until I find the perfect setup --- that's ok.

Any other camera suggestions out there around the $100-175 range? I've been reading good things about the "Hero Camera" as well. Anyone have one?

Any other camera suggestions out there around the $100-175 range? I've been reading good things about the "Hero Camera" as well. Anyone have one?

Have you heard of the VholdR camera, (as used by the infamous JoeyBike)?
It was going for ~$300, but since the company introduced the HD version known as the "ContourHD",
they have been dumping the VholdR for ~$125.

AFAIK, the VholdR has no options for resolution or frame rate, but something it does have is aiming lasers which make it easy to align the aim, and if you look at Joey's videos, it definitely looks like a higher quality.

I'm thinking about picking up one of these cameras because they're cheap ---- and more or less the reviews are good. One of the complaints about the camera I've come across frequently is the "wave effect". After searching for videos to demonstrate this I found this guy's commute:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z78q3XffkZc

Is this wave effect due to the fact the camera isn't properly mounted? Not all of the videos seem to have this wave effect. Maybe YouTube isn't the best way to display these videos? I don't have a lot of money for a helmet camera (<150) so I'm wondering if this would be worth it. A lot of videos feature 90% pavement and very little scenery making me wonder how effective the mounting brackets are ---- maybe with some DIY modifications it could be better. I just want a cheap, simple, and durable camera to record my commutes for family and friends :love:

I have one. Got it to help document the TourdeCure ride. The wave effect seems to kick in when going fast. Anything over 15mph+ When cycling 5 - 10 mph it doesn't do it that much.

The mounting bracket is fine. People probably are not leveling it when mounting I guess. The controls are so so. You have to pay attention to the beeps when pressing the buttons. In all it works. If you want to view some shots let me know and I'll upload some.

b

My average speed on a day to day basis is over 18mph so this wobble simply would not work :(

(yet --- this wobble must be able to be corrected --- somehow....)

but yes, I would still be interested in some shots!

here you go

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/7a9bd6bd1f1be6c4f5/

http://www.motionbox.com/video/show/7a9bd6bd1f1ceecbf5


unedited...with original sound... enjoy

here you go

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/7a9bd6bd1f1be6c4f5/

http://www.motionbox.com/video/show/7a9bd6bd1f1ceecbf5


unedited...with original sound... enjoy

I liked the 2nd video the best, looks like you and the other dude enjoyed the view :lol:

Was this mounted on your handlebars? A lot of wave/vibration! Other than that the video quality is fine for my uses. I didn't care the sound was bad either. Seems like a good little camera if I can figure out a way to reduce vibration and camera shake.

lol Hey I had much better shots than this.

Yes it was mounted on the handle bar about the best you can do. It was level. I'll try riding with it unmounted (i.e. I'll hold it) just to see if that makes a difference or not. I suspect not since other folks have encountered this issue.

All less expensive cameras suffer from that, it's because they use a rolling shutter. Rather than snatching the whole frame from the imaging chip at once, they grab it line by line. If the camera moves side-to-side while they're scanning, the picture will distort like that.

Best way to avoid it is to isolate it from vibration, easiest way to do that is to put it on the helmet.

FWIW, I recently posted a quick heads-up on a $60 cam that works pretty well on a helmet here, a youtube link is in the article:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=571405

Thanks for the info.