Sportbike Camera advice for Motorcyle / Helmet mounted action cam?

[motomasher]

======= HELMET / MOTORCYCLE CAM TEST CONCLUSIONS======

After a couple of weeks of testing both the Adrenaline Systems Superbike Cam and the Oregon Scientific ATC2k sd camera I can safely give reasonable review on their performance:
(check out my original posting below)

The Adrenaline Systems Super Bike Cam Sport model which I purchased comes with all the mounting you will need for your helmet and bike (sportbike or regular motorcycle) . Included in the kit is A Sony 580 TVL Exview HAD ccd camera which produces great images. It easy to connect and weatherproof (it rained on me a couple of times and it held up just great). Also included in the kit is an extreme sports microphone which is sturdy and has a wind guard to minimize the noise.
Hook up was a easy. You connect the camera to the microphone and power source. I then used the included cable to connect it to my sony camcorder.
For my first run I mounted it on my helmet with their extreme helmet cam mount which attaches very well to the helmet with no play. In the next run, I used the Moto Mount sport. This mount is made of impact materials. You just bolts the helmet camera to the mount and with a suction mechanism, attach it to any smooth surface. I secured the unit to the windguard and just about any place I could. What is neat about this mount is it is flexible and easy to adjust. I was able to make up any angle I wanted without vibration or it ever becoming loose.
The resulting video has been great. The quality is more than I expected as, per their specs, it contains some sort of image stabilization which is apparent when I watch the video take through some rough parts of the road.
Because you can do mounting on your helmet or bike surface, the resulting angles when you go to edit your footage add some very cool elements.
For the price I paid, this kit by adrenaline camera is a keeper. One of my riding buddies has a SCOUT by VIO and the footage he gets is just not as good. Let alone the price of that unit is 3 time what I paid.

I also would recommend getting their Li IOn power pack for extended rides. This battery I got just a week ago and it is great as it does not heat up and has a handy switch to save on energy.
Another thing worth trying is their Fender Mount which allows the camera to be mounted on the fender area. This is my next purchase from them (adrenalinecamera * com).
You can get all these together when you buy their Super Bike Cam Sport I but I overlooked this when i first made the purchase



The Oregon Scientific is entirely self contained helmet camera systems which also has an integrated digital recorder. This action camera comes with mounts and is entirely self contained. The mounts themselves are not specific for sportbike or motorcycle use but I was
able to jerry-rig mounting for the bike with some handy bolts and velcro. I used a 2gb sd card which gave me an hour plus footage on my runs. I like the fact that it has no wires.
After mounting it on my helmet as well as on the bike body, I dumped the footage from a few SD card onto my video editing platform. The resulting footage was ok but nowhere as good as I got with the sport bike cam.
The quality was just not there. Also, there seems not to be any digital image stabilization which is a bummer when going through my crappy neighborhood streets.
This systems I would say would be great for web uploading such as YouTube or sharing but not for some quality productions (DVD / HD). However, as a hobby tool to just show off some quick footage it is passable.
But if you want some quality footage and the flexibility to use the recording device of your choice, definetly go with the adrenaline system camera kit.



Thanks all for suggestions and help on getting the right set up going!


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I am currently testing out a couple helmet camera units for use on my motorcycle. One of the units is an Adrenaline Systems Super Bike Cam which comes with suction mounts for mounting on any surface of the bike as well as the helmet. It comes with some very cool mounts and microphone which produces great sound as I connected it to my home system. The camera is a 580 sony tvl which is weatherproof and looks very nice and sturdy.

Also, I got a Oregon Scientific cam which uses an SD card set up. It seems to be user friendly but judging from the brief footage I took on my bike , did not look too hot. It handles ok and is compact and easy to carry around.

I would like to get some feedback on these choices. Anyone have any experience with these models or other units? Any tips on things to look out for?
Any help will be appreciated. I will post my conclusions when I've had an opportunity to test them both out. Thanks!

[OreoGaborio]

I've been looking into getting one of those Oregon scientific ATC2k's as well. Tyler Henshaw (another one of Tony's instructors) and Neil (silverdragon) both have them.

Image quality doesn't have to be great, just wanna get lines & such while on the track & not break the bank.

[CEO]

It all depends on how much money you want to spend.

My dream setup is this unit:

It's 700 bucks, but it's fucking pimp


I have been considering this unit because it's so damn cheap, and I've seen some onboard vid from trackdays taken with it and it's pretty damn good:

For 100 bucks this thing is pretty sweet

[jcbell1007]

It may sound a little stupid, but over at ww.gixxer.com, I found a thread about the Tony Hawk Action Cam.

New Palomar vids made w/$40 Tony Hawk cam : Suzuki GSX-R Motorcycle Forums: Gixxer.com

Runs about $40 on e-bay. Uses and SD Memory card and seems to record decent video. Only downside is that it records at 15 fps and it has a 15 minute max clip time. resolution is not terribly high but nevertheless, it will get the job done.

I figured I would give it a try for something so cheap. I should have it by the end of the week and I will try it out this weekend. gonna have to figure out a way to mount it on the bike though, doesn't look like it should be too hard.

[OreoGaborio]

Thinking about giving this a try......

FlyCamOne2 Micro Video Camera for RC Aircraft from Hobby Lobby!

[Manny]

It all depends on how much money you want to spend.

My dream setup is this unit:

It's 700 bucks, but it's fucking pimp


I have been considering this unit because it's so damn cheap, and I've seen some onboard vid from trackdays taken with it and it's pretty damn good:

For 100 bucks this thing is pretty sweet

I think denno may have the pimp one if you want FEEDBACK

[spydah]

gopro motorsports hero. Hands down the best quality for its size and price.

[Crash Dummy Denno]

I think denno may have the pimp one if you want FEEDBACK

i do indeed and its amazing - DVD quality recording, excellent sound, gets rid of vibrations from bike (bumps, exhausts, plastics wiggling, etc), if its aimed into the sun (transtions) it doesnt flash out, picks up great picture in the cloudy weather, even better in the sun - it rocks

gopro motorsports hero. Hands down the best quality for its size and price.

for real, you're using that? arent you doing td videos?

[spydah]

for real, you're using that? arent you doing td videos?

Yeah, check out the comparrisons and reviews. its got the best statistics on paper, and the best video side by side for an "all in one" setup.
Plus it comes with a bunch of different mounts.

[a13x]

It all depends on how much money you want to spend.

My dream setup is this unit:

It's 700 bucks, but it's fucking pimp

]

That's what i have, and it's pretty slick.

YouTube - Supermoto @ Sear's Point

[CEO]

gopro motorsports hero. Hands down the best quality for its size and price.

Eh, I duno about that...



I have this setup. It fucking rocks.

Onboard bullet cam system deal - racer discount - 13x Forums

This video is from the June track days... obviously the quality is shitty because youtube compresses it... but if you click the button to watch in higher resolution it's a little closer. Still, the real video is much better.... full 640x480, 3MB/sec (i think around 32 fps), not to mention there is no electrical interference with the sony CCD or minox recorder from the bike ignition, like there can be from the Oregon scientific unit.

[youtube]R2ix6WyGEME[/youtube]