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  • HD (High Definition) is here to stay.
  • SD (Standard Definition) is inexpensive.
  • If you want to use a remote lens, your camera must have an "A/V in" port
  • None of the currently offered HD cameras have an "A/V in" port. That means they will not accept the input from a remote lens.
  • HD video editing software is just now (2006/2007) maturing in support and requires quite a beefy computer with a fast, dual core processor, plenty (+2 Gig) of RAM and mucho (+500 Gig) of hard drive space.
  • Very few SD cameras are equipt with the "A/V in" port.
  • Flash media is still expensive in that it won't hold very much footage (2 Gig holds about 20 minutes of mpeg4) and sometimes requires using a reduced frame rate (lower quality)
  • SD cameras that record onto Hard Disk or DVD may not be able to maintain glitch-free recordings when subjected to very rough trail conditions.
  • camcorderinfo.com has a wealth of information about cameras in extensive reviews.
  • I'm using the miniDV Sony DCR HC42 cameras for my SD and remote lens recordings. These got a very good review.
  • The DCR HC42 was discontinued in 2005. You can find them at great bargain prices on e-bay. The last one I purchased for ~$180. That's less that most helmet cam kits!
  • Since HD is here to stay, get ready to move from 4:3 to 16:9.
  • The Sony DCR HC42 actually records more pixels when switched to record in 16:9. Many cameras, however, simply letter box the 4:3 -- actually recording less pixels. More pixels is always a better picture.
  • I have 3 cameras. This allows multiple angles in less time.
  • MiniDV tapes can be purchased online for under $2.40 / tape when bought in quantities of as little as 20. See http://protape.stores.yahoo.net/sodvpmidvta.html
  • LANC remote controls save time and tape. Do a google search for CamEye SPORT LANC remote control.
  • LANC remote controls only work with cameras that have a LANC jack.
  • There are 2 different versions of LANC remote controls - one has firmware that allows the "on","record","pause" & "off" functions to work while the camera is in "Camera" mode and the other allows the "on","record","pause" & "off" functions to work while the camera is in "VCR" or "Tape" mode. If you're using a remote lens, you need the latter. If you have the actual camera mounted to capture the video (no remote lens), you need the former.
  • Investigate mounting the actual camera to your helmet. Google Bonehead Composites. You'll get better footage from the camera if you use it directly without a remote lens.

  • Mounting a camera on the helmet requires some planning.
  • Don't mount it on the top of the helmet. It'll get whacked/knocked off by the first low limb.
  • Don't mount it way out on the front of your visor. Small up and down movements will be amplified to unwatchable, wildly bouncing video.
  • Mount it on the side near an ear. Add a counter-balance to the opposite side of the helmet. Make the angle adjustable. Affix it firmly to the helmet. Leave any needed jacks (such as the LANC and the "AV in") uncovered and accessible.

    • My latest helmet camera set-up

    Check this out:

    YouTube link to my Helmet Camera Setup

    This is my new camera set up that snaps on and off in seconds!

    I'm now using a real camera. No more crappy lipstick tube remote lens video!

    So, now I have:

  • AE that is tuneable
  • Good white balance
  • Auto focus
  • Optical Image Stabilization (Steady-shot)
  • Stereo audio (listen to me huff-n and puff-n!)

    • And... I can snap the camera on and off in seconds. This will allow me to use the same camera for "off bike" footage that follows another rider cleaning a feature (or whatever).

    And... It's not mounted on top of the helmet (where tree limbs can whack it).

    WOO HOO!

     

    So, how do Image Stabilization systems work? 

    Right from the "horses mouth" - Sony's web site:

    "Super SteadyShotŪ Picture Stabilization minimizes camcorder "jitter" and "shake" without any change to the quality of the image

    Super SteadyShotŪ Picture Stabilization uses horizontal and vertical motion sensors located inside the lens assembly area. These sensors detect high frequency camcorder motion, like you might experience in a moving car, and an oversized CCD chip compensates for the movement.

    The Super SteadyShotŪ system utilizes a Hyper Precision CCD chip with up to 3,300K pixels. Only 330K pixels are required to deliver an excellent picture, though Sony uses up to 690K. The extra pixels on the chip compensate for horizontal and vertical motion, minimizing camcorder shake without degrading the picture quality.

    Different than most other digital image stabilization systems, Super SteadyShotŪ produces clear images even while zooming, shooting moving objects, or shooting in low light."

    OK - so here's why it is "optical" image stabilization.

    In the first section, you need to realize that this is a "mixed signal" system - part analog, part digital. Certainly it can be argued that this is a digital image stabilization system, but not in the same sense as the original/legacy, yet still employed digital image stabilization systems. I'll explain that system in a moment. Focusing on the Sony system, there are analog horizontal and vertical motion sensors that react to the camera as it shakes. This signal is fed into a chip (a PIC - Programmable Integrated Circuit). From that point on it is a digital signal that processes the information available on the CCD (a Charged-Coupled Device; the image sensor chip). Now this too, is digital information, but here's why it's better than the original/legacy, yet still employed digital image stabilization systems. The information on the Sony CCD is there. Remember, as Sony stated above, they have captured more than enough information by using a chip that is physically larger (as described above). You can think of it this way; there is a template that represents a "window" that is smaller than the CCD. This window is the correct height and width (4:3 or 16:9, depending on user preference settings) to capture images to the media This window is free to move around, to some extent, as needed to correct shake and jitter. The movement of the window is indeed digital in nature, but the information it "grabs" from the CCD is real. It was the actual image in the camera's lens. Why does this make it better? Time for the primer on how the original/legacy, yet still employed digital image stabilization systems.

    Original/legacy, yet still employed digital image stabilization systems process in a completely different way. The image is a fixed size and there is no other info available. From one frame to the next, each pixel is analyzed. Each pixel contains the information that digitally represents how the CCD was "excited" - there is information about the color, the brightness, the white balance, the exposure, etc. So, as jitter is detected, each pixel of each frame is compared to the information of the next frame that represents that same vector. Then, digitally, a new, artificial pixel is created that is an average of these. Fake information.