$10 mini spycam from ebay video
 

Here's a video of this great helmet cam I made by velcro taping a cheap $10 mini camera from ebay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q0yJDYGSNA

Here's the camera description:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8_0NuGkioI

Why would you want to make a video of your commute? I ride pretty much the same route day in and day out. It's about the last thing I would want to watch in my spare time. Perhaps even less interesting would be to watch a video of your commute.:eek:

It would make a great witness, should a mishap occur during the commute......

What . . . so the pedestrian you hit will now have evidence you were negligent? It could go either way, obviously. Do you have a camera in your car or when walking across the street for lunch? I'm not convinced having a camera to document my bike commute would serve any useful purpose.

Then don't get one. Problem solved.

Anyway, nice video. I liked it. Good quality for $10 too.

I agree.. on both points.

Great quality for $10.

I have no plans to buy one, but if the guy is promoting or selling video cameras to BF members on ebay, at least there should be an attempt to pitch the merits.

I had no idea that it was that warm in Chicago by the end of February. ;)

J/K - nice video. Surprisingly good for a $10 camera.

Some folks really enjoy these videos but I can kind of see what alan is saying. I don't have a real desire to capture my commute that way. I like it and all but out of a 30 minute ride there's only a few things of interest. Maybe when I'm an old geezer and can barely walk, let alone ride, I might get some enjoyment out of seeing or showing how I used to start each day.

Recording a winter commute during a snow storm might be worth doing though.

These are called 808 cameras
Here's a site with tons of info about the various kinds and useful tips:
http://www.chucklohr.com/808/
I am planning on mounting one on my bike to record interesting things that happen/negligent behavior

i like how you could probably capture license plates for instance....

How big of a microsd did you need to make that 10 min vid?

What was the name of the seller, if you don't mind? I heard from folks on RC Helicopter forums that there are supposed to be several sources of those tiny cameras and not all models have good video. The one you showed is pretty decent so I'd like to order from the same seller.

Does it really capture 720p at 30fps? What kind of memory card are you using? Not all cards are fast enough to capture 720p at 30fps.

That link isn't working.

All the ones I've seen online have been 480p - (720x480)

Oooh, Chuck's site says there's a version with 1280x960 resolution. I'm assuming progressive scan.

Link works for me.

Oh yeah, now it works for me too, the intertubes must have been clogged briefly. I've seen some advertised as 720p.

Oh, OK, according to that site the 720p is a fake HD, all the camera revisions have 640x480 pixels sensor and just upsample the video to fake 720p.

It's amazing that someone has spent so much time on something so tiny as this video camera, wow! I may end up ordering a few from different sellers then.

There is at least one guy who claims (video on you tube) that he has the "real" one but he sells it for $75.

I've also ordered the MD80, another popular mini camera, but I'm still waiting for it. Some people say it has a better video quality thanks to slightly larger lens. Although the shape of the keychain camera makes it more suitable for helmet or RC aircraft use.

Yeah, and 2008 no less. He must have bought an old model.

I found this seller on ebay: marktech101. He guarantees that his cameras are the #3 models which is apparently the best variant according to Chuck's page.

"officer, I'm not sure how, but the camera jumped off my head, and is now at the bottom of that river"

Problem solved.

But it's a spy camera! How would the pedestrian know he had it?!? :D

If the "perp" was carrying a martini shaker, he/she is obviously a british spy, ergo must be carrying a spy camera. I guess at which point some sort of clandestine diplomatic immunity mechanism would make the entire case disappear from the public record. No one would ever know.

I bought mine from this seller:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I recently ordered another cheaper one from here, which I think is also a #3:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I have not got it yet, so can't say if the quality is the same.

I am using a 4GB memory card, it captures around 30 minutes. I think 8GB is recommended.

:roflmao2:

Thanks!