Off Road Helmet Camera for Video on Car or Truck advice anyone?

[atvbull]

Well, after a couple of weeks of testing the Adrenaline Systms Off Road Cam and the Oregon Scientific ATC2k helmet camera I can be sure which I would recommend most for the sport.
(Check out my original posting below)

--The Adrenaline Systems Off Road Cam kit comes with a 580 TVL Sony HAD Exview ccd helmet type camera (bought at AdrenalineCamera website). Also included is a super sturdy military microphone which is protected with a windguard to minimize sound pollution; all the mounting you need comes with their offroad mount sport which is a sort of articulated clamp which attaches to your roll bars or any rail.
Connecting the kit was pretty simple. You just hook up the helmet cam to the microphone and power source which powers both units. Then you hook up to your DVR or camcorder. In my case I connected the included RCA to minijack cord to my Sony camcorder.
As me and my brothers own Dune cars / buggies, trucks and even the old jeep I was able to test it out on our trips in the last couple of weeks.I mounted the system on every bar or clampable surface. I was even able to mount it on the door windows with the cam pointing both in and outside. Also, they include a pivot mount which allowed me to mount directly on the dahsboard for through the window angles.
Per the website recommendation, I got their Head Strap which is a strap with a loop where you can mount the camera. It goes on your head and secures with heavy duty velcro. This allowed me to take some very cool footage inside the cabin and to the outside world.
What about the video? I can only surmize it in one word: "Super!" I was a lot more than I expected. The quality was just great and all the angles I was able to achieve just where much more thant I expected. Now I see what the pro's in video do to get their features looking sharp.
What I noticed most is that the image stabilization thechnology which is supposed to be integrated does really work. It does not take out the heavy hits but there is a big difference with the stuff I shot with my camcorder alone. Best thing is that I can safeguard my expensive camcorder in a safe place while the action helmet camera can sit just about anywhere. As it is weatherproof, it was not affected by the occasional mud puddle you will most definelty encounter in offroad play.

The adrenaline systems kit is a definite keeper. The quality and ease of use are pluses. Only down side is that when mounting in the odd spot far from the reach of the cigarette lighter adapter, you have to use the battery pack which can have a short life. I ended up getting their Li-ion Sport battery unit. It is super light and compact. It does not heat up and comes with a led indicator and switch to save on battery life.



Also, If you compete and wear a full face helmet, think about getting their Extreme Helmet Mount!


As for the Oregon Scientific ATC2k:

--The ATC2k SD card helmet cam is self contained with digital recording capability. It comes with mounting but nothing specific for car / truck application. I had to make due with some
home made solutions to mount the camera on the rollbars and other surfaces. I liked that it is completly self contained. It makes it easy to transport and all you have to bring is your SD cards.
After several hours and SD cards I dumped the footage to my computer to check out the results. I must admit, I was dissapointed as the quality was nowhere near what you get even on your camcorder.
The footage is a lot lower quality and also you can see the effects of vibrations more. This may be due to the fact the mounting I used was jerry-rigged. Either way, the footage is great for use on YouTube or the like but nothing you would want quality stuff on. I did like th fact that it is portable and easy to use but I think it is more of a novelty item and nothing for the serious offroader.


Overall, go for the Adrenaline Camera. For the price you get a lot more. I have checked out the VIO sport, Digital Hero and the like from friends but the quality or price is just way to much, especially for the VIO which costs a load and delivers lesser quality than what I got.

PM me if you have any questions or comments. Thanks for all your advice...

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I finally got around to getting an action camera for my off road riding. I purchased two of them so that I can try them out and figure out which would be the best.

I would like to ask for some advice on how best to test these cameras out? what should I keep in mind? any good ideas out there?

The two systems I got for testing are The Adrenaline Systems Off Road Camera which I read on the boards has some great features. I also got the Oregon Scientific sd cam.
the adrenaline systems Off Road cam for truck or car comes with the full set up, including a real neat microphone which allows me to put the mike anywhere I want. The mounts look very well made.
They are very sturdy. I already ran into some brush and the mount did not move an inch or get damaged. Also, the camera was very easy to hook up to my camcorder. For both my truck and my dune car, it seems to mount ok.
The oregon scientifc is next.
I will post my results as soon as I can. Any feedback will be appreciated on these sports cameras.

[writeforus]

I am on our second Oregon Scientific - the first one arrived dead. Button would never push. Took me four months to get it replaced - back order, back order, back order; we already shipped, we already shipped, we already shipped... for customer service alone, it's headed into our Off-Road.com testing mode with one big strike against it! But for the price and size - and for the fact that it does NOT need a camcorder or any external wiring when a rider is wearing it - it's going to be hard to beat.

We've found some of the best placements for a camera are down low and up at the driver - see the hands work and head turn. Also out the rear window can be awesome. And reduces problems of mud and rocks flying at it and obscuring your shot. Generally, it's good to have something of the car or driver as reference - puts the track in perspective.

For bikes & ATVs, we like it on the front fender looking up at the racer's face, down low shooting from his foot's view. Even inside the fender so you see the suspension working and the track in front of it.

Once you get some short rough footage, feel free to post them in the ORC video library - so viewers can see your ride, but also for feedback on the equipment you're testing.

-ptw