[Guest]

ok. i ordered a helmet cam from helmetcamera.com i am going to go to a best buy or something of the sort to hook it up and check the quality.. i guess either a mini DVD SONY or a MINI DV sony.. any input on that would be great. heres my question to all that have ever run a cam @ a track day.

what the best way of storing the camcorder?

i was thinking either i run it in the tail section...with some sort of foam. im not sure which kind or even where to get foam of that sort...home depot???

or i could run it in my backpack.... wrapped in a shirt or something.

any input at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (tutzo51)

if you can secure it in your tail section it will be better protected if the bike goes down.

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (g-man)

I run a professional type on board system with front and rear cams as well as a remote digital mic. I use a remote arming system for the Camcorder that is stored in the tail section of the bike. The Mike is mounted on top of the transmission. I have a cockpit mounted arming switch that starts the camcorder as well as starts the recording. The Lipstick Cams I use are hard wired into the bike electrical system to eliminate needing the battery pack.

My Camcorder is a Sony mini DV with a LANC cable I strongly suggest ignoring the DVD type cameras as they will not tolerate the vibration. Also be aware that The camera should be mounted firmly in the tail in a manner that if the bike is to go down it will survive. I cartwheeled my gixxer at over a 120 MPH and the Cams survived as well as the Camcorder.

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (sp2pilot)

did you secure it with foam in the tail??

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (tutzo51)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tutzo51 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">did you secure it with foam in the tail??</TD></TR></TABLE>

I built a case that is lined with high density memory foam. the camcorder is held inside that with elastic webbing .

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (sp2pilot)

A note about the helmetcam style lipstick cameras. They are a medium resolution (320) and have a tendency to start "pixelating" after a very short duty cycle if you use the rigid style mount they offer to mount it to the bike. All Video Cameras of this nature are analogue type and are not designed for vibrational loading at the amplitude that motorcycle generate. I used those cameras on the first and second generation of my on-board systems. I am now into the fourth generation and have switched over to full digital cameras (640) these are the same equipment used on the on-boards that we see on Speed TV I also use the same mounts (Ram) and fully shielded leads with 10 pin threaded connections.

 

[Guest]

Re: ordered a camera. Question? (sp2pilot)

definatly try to mount it on the bike. i had mine in a fanny pack and was very lucky when i crached to just break a tab on the lens cap. just cut down the tool kit holder tray and lined it with foam on mine and use the rubber strap to hold the camera.

 

[Guest]

well i purchased the 480 line lipstick cam from halmetcamera.com... i hope it will be better then the 320 line.

thanx for the info.

 

[Guest]

Re: (tutzo51)

I purchased the 480 line cam from helmetcamera a few years back. The first one they sent me was defective but they gladly and apologetically replaced it. The one they sent after that has been great for the 3 years I have had it. I have used it at speeds over 150 with no problems on my Gixxer and let friends borrow my set up for the track with no problems either. I have mine hooked into a Sony digital 8 camcorder with a LANC cable for control. Get a mini DV cam, they are down in price and smaller than my digital 8. Stay away from the DVD cams like G-man said. Mine records better quality than you would ever need unless you are planning to broadcast for a TV show. Do yourself a favor and get a LANC cable as it will save you alot of battery life and ease your operation of the cam while on the move. You will be pleased.

 

[Guest]

i was thinking of that and i will. how long is "helmetcamera"s LANC cable stock??? long enough to reach from the tail to the steering???

 

[Guest]

Re: (tutzo51)

Unfortunately the stock LANC cable is only about 4 feet. I know you can buy an extension though and that should solve your problem.

 

[Guest]

i ordered the LANC and the extention... i talked to the guys at Hcam and they threw in the CAMERA extention for free.....$5 bucks but at least i got a deal on something. went to best buy today and picked up a sony MINIDV model # HC32... i hope its compatable... the little shit who sold me the camera said he wasnt sure if the video adapter was with the camera and he couldnt open the box...didnt have a manual....i almost walked out. going to try it out tonight and see what happens.

SP2- could you email me pics of what your camera looks like mounted in the tail???? where did you get the foam?? what should i look for while getting the foam... i figure different density foam handles vibration differently.



Modified by tutzo51 at 1:27 PM 8/3/2005