| Archive for jabonline.myfastforum.org jab-ride.co.uk South East MTB Forums |
| Ben03 |
Helmet cam issuesBought a headcam a year ago and got some great results apart from my only complaint was the light correction was far too extreme when riding under trees. The footage appeared bleached out.When visiting their office today they gave me a new filter to try out what they were just testing themselves which was apparently to combat this problem. Will be out this afternoon for a test run 
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| adam T |
tell us how it goes! 
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| OutlanderSE |
yeah, i have an archos and appaerently i can get a helmet cam attachment but i dunno how good it is | ||||||
| Ben03 |
Those things look amazing. Can you attach any head cam to that or is it a specific type? First run was under trees with the cam pointed downward. Didn't work too well but have a suspicion this filter was more for pointing groundward in bright sunlight. We did have a few probs with this in the Alps last year so would prob work there... Reckon an orange filter would be better for low light... |
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| OutlanderSE |
i think its only the archos one but i did find the specs for it
Display & Graphics Sensor Type CCD Video Resolution 640 x 480 MPEG-4 420 Lines Illumination 1.0Lux - F1.2 Color Support Color Lens Type Focal Length: 3.6mm (Pinhole Lens) and it has auto focus and white balance and Depth Field: 1.5 to 10 meters if that means anything to you |
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| Ben03 |
Does it have AV in? Most headcams work on that. Otherwise you could possibly use a webcam. | ||||||
| OutlanderSE |
no it hase special ports at the bottom (see enclosed photo)
ohh my dad got our new camer base today cannon SLI 400D i think looks fun
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| abruce |
surely if its all getting bleached out thats an exposure issue and not a filter issue...
I can imagine it trying to over-expose if your looking down at the ground, and then it just losing all detail as it pulls all the info up and cranks up the ISO... 400D's a nice camera OutlanderSE I got the Canon 30D ! |
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| OutlanderSE |
yeah it seems really good havent used it properly yet but can't wait to
and call me kian or outty |
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| abruce |
aha alright mate ! | ||||||
| Ben03 |
Yeah but you can't adjust the internals apart from focus. It isn't ideal using filters but if it combats the problem.... |
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| Syren Sistair |
I have an archos with helmet camera. works a treat and has a nice little lanc controller. quality is ok (slightly less than a camcorder), but it gets tricky when it comes to converting it to an editable form once you're back home (but the bf is in post production so this is ok as he has the right software and knows what to do). we had to buy a bigger battery pack and on one occasion it overheated the archos which made it broken for a couple of days.
footage from the archos can be seen here (not bad methinks seeing that it's been compressed yet again for youtubing...) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-rX9VbwN2Hk and http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AqcCzILAwLc if you want to know any more about the archos then just ask! we now have a sony hc96e which has av input which means you can attach a lanc controller to it. most cameras now no longer have this feature for some strange reason. |
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| JAW |
Wow that was pretty good quality. What format does it record to?
Welcome to the forum BTW! |
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| Syren Sistair |
It records to .avi files and uses the divx 5.1 codec (you can select the quality up to 2500kbps). frame size is limited to 640x480 (on our av500-100gig). the audio format is the problem, it's IMA ADPCM (44kHz) which can't be opened or played back in PremierPro - you have to use something like VirtualDub to rip the audio from the video files and then convert it before putting it back together. We've done it loads of times, but it's a bit of a faff. | ||||||
| Heffers |
i think outty was guna get a helmet cam for his Achos 504. if the quality is that good it must be worth it.
and welcome from me too. |
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| Ben03 |
Welcome!
Sounds quite complex. The one we're using is straight forward to use as it records straight onto the DV tapes but quality is rubbish in moderate light. Trying these filters has caused damage to the lens 
How much does the one you're using cost? Liking the look of Leogang as well.
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| Syren Sistair |
Cheers all...
Damage lens sounds bad. You can always buy replacement ones and they don't cost too much http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/Lenses.html We went for the AV500 DigiMiniCam which is just over £100 (http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/Archos_Helmet_Cameras.html)and has taken us snowboarding and biking for the past couple of years, so well worth the price  however it is now starting to loose its focus and we might need to get another replacement lens.
What camera do you have that's taking low quality footage? |
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| Ben03 |
This was the kit we got: http://www.cameras4sports.co.uk/product.asp?id=53
Quality is good until it points slightly groundward and suddenly it bleaches out. The edges of the image stay sharp but the colour goes.What's happend once we started using filters is there's a blotch in the centre now which doesn't focus properly
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| Syren Sistair |
but what camera do you use? | ||||||
| Ben03 |
Oh sorry the cam is a JVC GR-D270E (mini DV). Would the recording device have any impact on quality though? We also have a Canon xm2 but find that a bit bulky in a backpack.... | ||||||
| Syren Sistair |
It probably doesn't mean much difference unless you got a bargain basement one, which by the sounds of it you haven't - JVC is a good quality brand so it shouldn't be a problem. BF said that you may want to tweak the aperture settings - and it all depends on what you're shooting. Argh, variables!
And, um, I wouldn't be wanting to put the canon in the backpack! Tis an excellent camera... setting yourself up for doing the next roam heh?! From the sounds of it you need to also look at servicing your bullet cam, it's a bit of a pain, but remember that they do go through a bashing and need updating from time to time. cables for them as well need to be regularly checked - we often go through cables coz they're not designed to be extremed around in the alps. P.s. you guys done any nightriding-filming? I've been inspired by the stuff in Picture This and seems that it would be a cool thing to do given the right setting and crew. |
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| JAW |
Oops! heh heh...
Haven't recently but would always be up for it! |
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| Ben03 |
Yeah does the job well. Gets rid of the blotchy mess you get when light come through the trees etc.
Last year we broke the mic and the batter pack in the alps, so know where you're coming from there...
Sounds really interesting, never really looked into it though. What locations are most effective? |
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| Syren Sistair |
Nice pine forest perhaps? Check out Picture this
http://www.youtube.com/v/3-2t0GlWosw and right at the end there's the night shot - there are loads more on the film itself. Would need some proper lighting, but would be a sweet bit of footage on the bike. |
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| Ben03 |
Looks amazing. The cool thing is is you could also work with mist/dust/mud when using powerful lamps like that. Don't think i've ever seen it used in a bike dvd but could be absolutely amazing. There was a section at Bedgebury which could have been good but not sure if it's been thinned out this year. Where would you hire equpment like that? (guessing you'd need a generator as well) | ||||||
| Syren Sistair |
lot of production hire companies can offer basic stuff for what would be needed. just a matter of finding one in your local area or nearabouts. of course london has loads! either hire it or invest in getting some stuff from maplins or something. | ||||||
| Ben03 |
Clay Porter seems to have been looking into this topic... http://freecaster.tv/1000006_1003436 |
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