Want to go for a ride w/ me?

[Greg]

First off, this video sucks... it's really just a test. The sound is bad, you may as well turn the volume down or off. The camera placement is kind of low, so you see mostly pavement. Like I said, it's a test... don't expect much.

Long story short, I picked up an 'extreme sports' digi cam, the GoPro Hero 3. It's pretty cheap at $129. It will take 57 minutes of video on a 2 Gig card, is waterproof up to 100 ft, takes pics at 3 MP and had a few other image-capturing features.

My plan is to use it wheelin first and foremost, then motorcycling and mtn biking. I want to be able to secure it to a roll cage or sheetmetal and film wheelin as it happens. Since I partly disassembled my TJ, I got to try it out with the motorcycle first. I think I can tweak the mic for less wind noise, I'll try that tomorrow.

Anyway, here's the vid.-


[YOUTUBE]Msvz4b6bOdk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[spencurai]

I killed my helmet cam the first time I used it I just might have to get one of those so I don't have to wire a DVR and mic seperate.

 

[yellowbronco]

Vid was cool, pretty good resolution. Sound was like someone giving the raspberries for 4.23 minutes.

 

[Greg]

I killed my helmet cam the first time I used it I just might have to get one of those so I don't have to wire a DVR and mic seperate.

That sucks! I thought about using a video camera with lipstick camera, but the idea of crashing with several hundred dollars of electronics equipment didn't appeal to me. As cheap as the Hero 3 is, I'm not too worried about it. It's also quite small, the camera itself is about the size of a matchbox! Good for mounting on a helmet, roll bar, etc. Being able to upload directly from a memory card is great. The camera also comes with a USB cable if you don't want to pull out the memory card.

If you get one of these, look for the Motorsports Version, it comes with better mounts and bigger buttons for use with gloves. I think it's about $50 more. I got the wrist mount and have been playing with mounting ideas.

 

[Greg]

Vid was cool, pretty good resolution. Sound was like someone giving the raspberries for 4.23 minutes.

It records in 640x480 res, perfect for internet uploading. Not good for much else, but if you want better video, buy a real camera.

That road is fun, winding all over the place and gaining/dropping elevation on the way. The road is real fun on a bike, but a dirtbike with knobbies and some speed makes it real exciting! I think I can 'fix' the sound tomorrow, we'll see.

 

[Spork]

Nice video, I want a bike

So I checked out the camera
http://www.goprocamera.com/index3.htm
Did you just strap it to the Rear tail light?

 

[Greg]

Nice video, I want a bike

So I checked out the camera
http://www.goprocamera.com/index3.htm
Did you just strap it to the Rear tail light?

I actually built a bracket out of aluminum that set on the left blinker, then extends out about 5" and set the camera on that. I had the camera outside of the waterproof case, and used double sided tape and electrical tape to hold the camera on... It's not a permanent solution, but it works. I have tried strapping the camera on my helmet, but the viewfinder was too low. I also tried it on my chest protector and again, too low. It's hard to get the angle right, that video was one of the better attempts of placing the camera.

 

[BroncoMama]

I had the camera outside of the waterproof case, and used double sided tape and electrical tape to hold the camera on...

That's awesome!

 

[Tacoma]

Is the bracket waterproof?

 

[Greg]

Went on another ride yesterday, I 'fixed' the microphone problem by applying Scotch tape over the mic. I figured this would stop the wind buffeting and it did! I also put the camera back inside it's waterproof case, the case inhibits sound even more, but you can still hear the bike. I have another video where I tried talking again and you can't hear a thing. No biggie, but it would be nice to have both. I'll keep playing with it.

This time I mounted the camera on the left rear-view mirror. Much better location, but you do get some vibrations from the bike. I think the best thing will be to have a fully adjustable helmet mount, that way my body is absorbing the vibrations and the camera looks where I look.

Here's the pavement portion of the ride... (I'm trying to upload the fun rocky/muddy/snowing parts, but YouTube isn't cooperating.)-

[YOUTUBE]cKp_9TP3Z54[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Spork]

That was much better.












And I still want a bike.