[Fot] Video for in car filming

[Bill Babcock]

If you don't already have a video camera I suggest one of the new  
self contained helmet cams. They're cheap ($150 US) they record for a  
long time on 2GB SD cards, and they have auto focus and auto  
contrast. The Oregon Scientific bullet style camera is the best  
format but their customer service sucks and they have some issues  
with vibration affecting the SD card connection. You can fix it with  
a piece of foam earplug wedged in the holder, but you might not like  
that kind of bodge. There's also a tiny waterproof camera you can  
probably get at surf shops that's got a better lens and is more  
reliable I think they're called Sport Cam.

These cameras are so small and light that mounting them can be a  
matter of using the straps they provide with duct tape for  
reinforcement. You can helmet mount them or stick them on the roll  
bar. They are light enough that vibration doesn't seem to be much of  
a problem.

If you have a videocamera already, especially one with image  
stabilization, then you can just use a commercially available mount.  
I don't remember the name of mine--something with "Zero" in the name.  
It has a urethane vibration damper and clamps to the roll bar. Make  
sure you rig a safety strap in case the mount fails. Not only will it  
save your camera but it will also prevent FOD to the car behind you.  
I also tape a bit of tearoff shield across the lens to prevent high  
speed gook from damaging the lens. I do the same with the little  
sportcams.

Guys that get serious have bullet cameras feeding a tapeless recorder  
(using SD cards) and some have switchable or dual feeds. You can  
easily spend several thousand bucks on this, and you can duplicate  
the results with two $150 SportCams, though the quality might not be  
as high. Most of this stuff winds up on the web at low res anyway.  
The sportcams do 640 X 480 resolution at 30 or 15 FPS, which is  
better than anyone that isn't broadcasting needs.


Bill Babcock
billb at bnj.com
bnj  Website for Babcock & Jenkins, a direct and interactive agency

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On May 29, 2007, at 6:02 AM, Geoffrey Byrne wrote:

> Friends
> What advice would you give on choice of a video camera for in car  
> filming also
> mounting arrangement to minimise shake
> Geoff Byrne
> TR6 Racer Down Under
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