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Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

  1. #1
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    I picked up a Tony Hawk Helmet Cam, since it was $40, takes SD memory, is completely self contained.. And is $40. I figured fuck it, why not?

    Youtube tends to hate me when I upload shit, so hopefully this link works. Here's the first test video. Nothing fancy, no wheelies, just a ride around the countryside with my buddy Jay to try the camera out. It's strapped to the right side of my helmet.

    It's actually not bad, but at least in this application, having it on my head makes the video turn into a Blair Witch style nausea-fest, since on a motorcycle your head tends to do a lot of, well, looking around. Next time I'm going to try mounting it somewhere stationery like behind the windscreen. I had to put audio in it because the wind noise absolutely annihilates the microphone but on the upside if you do watch this, at least you're listening to Petrucci.

    It also gets washed out really easily if you're aiming it anywhere remotely into sunlight, and since we did a bit of riding into the sun it's pretty evident here.

    The camera itself is fussy. I had to low-level format the SDCard before it would read it, and a 128MB card (it comes with a 32MB, which is pathetic) only yielded me about 15 minutes of total video, so with the included card you're looking around 3-4 minutes max which is pretty useless unless you want to constantly run back to your PC to dump the movies off of it. I have a 4GB card, but for one reason or another the camera doesn't want to take it, which sucks. It also tends to lock up. A lot. Oodles, even. When I brought it back home to pull the videos off, I had to insert/eject the SDCard a dozen or so times to get the camera to actually recognize it. There's a 50/60hz switch on the back of it, and 9 out of 10 times I turn it on it simply displays "60hz" on the side panel and does nothing else.

    All in all I got what I paid for. It's unreliable, the video isn't stellar but really for $40 it's still worth it because it's a fun little toy. I'll post up more videos of it next time I take it out in a stationary mount instead of strapped to my mug.

    It's also worth noting that when you ride by the police with a camera sticking off of your melon, you REALLY feel conspicuous.

    YouTube - Tony Hawk Helmet Cam Test

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  2. #2
    Lifer R1's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    28 in a 35?!?!?!?!?!

    your shits weak!

    pretty good quality though!

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  3. #3
    .... naked-daytrader's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    28 mph through a speed trap.........no wheelies..........no knee dragging through the corners...

    Watching my 5 year old niece ride her tricycle, on Mothers day, around her culdesac was more exciting.....

    Pfft......


    Helmet Cam actually didn't work too bad though..

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  4. #4
    Super Moderator OreoGaborio's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    I think it's obvious... the only way to make up for this BLATANT display of responsible riding ( ) is to do a burnout on a child's puppy.

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  5. #5
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Fuckin' squids.





































    Just kidding. I don't ride like an ass on the streets. Hell, I've ridden 250 total miles in the last 5 years, and they were all this week.

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  6. #6
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Quote Originally Posted by OreoGitorio View Post
    I think it's obvious... the only way to make up for this BLATANT display of responsible riding ( ) is to do a burnout on a child's puppy.
    I had full gear on too!

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  7. #7
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Here's another one with equally boring riding. The upside here is that you get to enjoy the musical stylings of Testament.

    YouTube - Tony Hawk Helmet Cam Test

    I ripped these down pretty slim too because I didn't want to bother uploading a 120MB video of boring shit to Youtube, so the quality is a wee better locally. If I had a video that was actually worth watching I'd increase the export quality.

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  8. #8
    Super Moderator OreoGaborio's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Quote Originally Posted by CQ7String View Post
    I had full gear on too!

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  9. #9
    Freak Posting snowborder's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    I am interested in a gopro... Digital Hero Camera Home
    A little spendy but the vid quality is there

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  10. #10
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Quote Originally Posted by snowborder View Post
    I am interested in a gopro... Digital Hero Camera Home
    A little spendy but the vid quality is there
    I have a 8MP P&S camera that takes pretty solid video (Canon SD1100IS). I think that I might just grab a screw threaded for a tripod mount (that screws into the bottom of the camera) and rig up a bracket to mount it behind my windscreen. Actual audio would be cool, and I think that any helmet cam would just get smoked by wind noise.

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  11. #11
    Lifer Quigs's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    And here, for consistency, is a short clip of the mic getting annihilated by wind noise.

    YouTube - Tony Hawk Helmet Cam - No Music

    Turn your speakers down, it's pretty awful.

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  12. #12
    Lifer stevecbr900rr's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    The Music your playin in the background requires at least 100MPH runs...At least give the Music some respect...

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  13. #13

    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Quote Originally Posted by CQ7String View Post
    I have a 8MP P&S camera that takes pretty solid video (Canon SD1100IS). I think that I might just grab a screw threaded for a tripod mount (that screws into the bottom of the camera) and rig up a bracket to mount it behind my windscreen. Actual audio would be cool, and I think that any helmet cam would just get smoked by wind noise.
    do you know how long of a video this would record?

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  14. #14
    Member zachary6's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Was that Satriani in the background? Nice vid for a 40$ camera.

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    I piss excellence!

  15. #15
    Just Registered Crash Dummy Denno's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    DENNO CAM WILL BE OUT THIS WEEKEND!

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  16. #16
    I'm Unique Bowflex's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    not bad cam footage, but more nauseating than the blair witch video

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  17. #17
    Junior Member enzo_f1's Avatar
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    Re: Review: The $40 Helmet Cam (video inside)

    Helmet cam - 8
    Rider - 3

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