I have a helmet cam that I have used a couple of times on the slopes.
Originally purchased for use while riding enduros and hare scrambles on my
motorcycle, I took it to the mountain to see what the results would be. It
works well, but don't expect any depth of field or much peripheral view.
Dave is correct that it is standard def and full screen.
The camera itself is a bullet-style, no larger than a fat Sharpie and mounts
easily on the top of the helmet, connecting via a special a/v jack into a
handheld which I keep in a backpack (ziplock baggie wrapped in a old T). I
haven't taken a backside fall with the pack, but I would imagine that it
would be painful so I limit use to those days when I am following the
toddlers down and leisure boarding. The kids love to see themselves on
video...
I was a bit suprised with the quality, even at standard definition. It is
also very surpising just how still you keep your head, whether it be on a
bike or a board. I find the motorcycle footage in the woods to be much more
true to the experience, as you have the trees to give the perspective of how
much speed you are carrying. It is a little deceptive on snow; without any
other skiers/boarders in the frame it appears that you are going much slower
since the low def prevents you from seeing much of anything below your feet
other than white. Again, Dave is correct that it helps to focus on the
action rather than just looking down your lines the entire
time......otherwise, you will have an 8 mm full of monotonous footage to
pour over for only a few good clips. I will say that at times, I have left
it on for candid moments on the lift or at the top of the slope. The pickup
mike works well capturing audio, but one you head down it is full wind noise
unless you have the mic buried in your jacket.
Good luck, web address for the model I purchased two years ago is
helmetcamera.com.
Sean
PS - I am by no means an audio/videophile...so please excuse my lack of
vocabulary on this subject!
"Switters" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 28 Jul 2006 23:38:53 GMT, "***DRAMA***"
allegedly wrote:
I was wondering if anyone has ever used a helmet-cam or something? I
know it's silly but I just feel like trying it to film my friends as
they go ahead of me. Any advice other than 'Get a life?'
It's not so easy to get nice smooth shots if you're hand-holding. You need
to turn on the onboard stabalisation, but some work better than others.
The Sony Steady-Cam is better than Panasonic's OIS (which is next to
useless in these situations). You need to pre-focus and keep the camera
out of the spray of the snow to stop droplets getting on the lens. You
also need to practice lots.
Helmets cams can work better as the head stabaliser, but you then need to
be looking at the action rather than where you are riding. Depending on
the terrain, this may be a problem. Also, helmet cams are all (so far)
standard definition and full screen. If you have a high-def and/or wide-
screen camcorder, then your helmet stuff isn't going to match your normal
stuff.
- Dave.
--
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