VholdR (new helmet cam)

[badjoojoo]

Has anyone seen this new camera yet? I was thinking of reserving one as a christmas gift to myself.
Kind of pricey, but it has an SD slot so you don't need to have an external recorder. Seems like a good idea.
http://www.vholdr.com/
http://twenty20camera.com/store/images/P/twenty20_vholdr-01.jpg

[blue04]

I was looking at this as well but 300+ is alot just for the cam

[hitman5532]

its not just the cam... the recording and everything is all internal...everything else out there you have to have a recording device seperate and wire them together. This is an all in one, 300$ is a lot but not as much as a video recorder plus a camera and wires. Not to mention that in a wreck the 'recording dvice' (camcorder and so on) will not hold up. I think its worth it and plan on getting one with my tax return

[blue04]

not really if you consider the cost of a good SD card and the limitations you have.
if the price goes down then I would pick one up. need tire warmers more then a cam for now. hell need a bike first:laughing:laughing
maybe I can get both if my tax return is enough

[wstick1]

Looks like it does the same thing as this one, for thrice the price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ATC2K-Wireless-Action-Helmet-Cam-ATC-2000-AT18-Camera_W0QQitemZ270190048712QQihZ017QQcategoryZ485 14QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[blue04]

Looks like it does the same thing as this one, for thrice the price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ATC2K-Wireless-Action-Helmet-Cam-ATC-2000-AT18-Camera_W0QQitemZ270190048712QQihZ017QQcategoryZ485 14QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

looks like the one they sell at sharper image

[hitman5532]

not really if you consider the cost of a good SD card and the limitations you have.
if the price goes down then I would pick one up. need tire warmers more then a cam for now. hell need a bike first:laughing:laughing
maybe I can get both if my tax return is enough

yeah i agree... camera is the last thing on the list... its a want not a need

[onehighfocus]

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7963/7963894_sa.jpg

20 bux at GameStop
http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1&product_id=322254

Video dont look too bad for the price **not me**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfHIzN_E__k

[hitman5532]

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7963/7963894_sa.jpg

33 bux at best buy
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7963894&st=tony+hawk+cam&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1153337209556

Video dont look too bad for the price
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfHIzN_E__k

**not me**

isnt that thing like a 10 minute capacity

[onehighfocus]

isnt that thing like a 10 minute capacity


Its says up to 45 minutes on the included card... Looks to use a SD memory card so im sure you can get more out of it if you want

p.s... I found it cheaper at GameStop... original post updated

[hitman5532]

wow thats a lot more than i thought

[USARMworker]

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7963/7963894_sa.jpg

20 bux at GameStop

Hellz Yeah! I just ordered 2 for me and one for my nephew! Thanks!

Okay, so it's totally a toy. 320 x 240 res unless it's being used as a webcam (640 x 480) at only 15 frames a second. But that's good enough for YouTube.

..

[wstick1]

Hellz Yeah! I just ordered 2 for me and one for my nephew! Thanks!

..

Hope you don't expect much in the "good" of your good, fast, and cheap on this one. :laughing
The video quality is pretty poor even on the one I linked.

[USARMworker]

Hope you don't expect much in the "good" of your good, fast, and cheap on this one. :laughing
The video quality is pretty poor even on the one I linked.

It's only 20 bucks. I'd be a fool to expect much.

God knows I've paid more, and gotten less.

..

[jmg893]

I have their wired version of a bulletcam. I'd like to go this route so as to not have to find somewhere to strap down a camcorder, but not for $300 (if thats what this V thingy is gonna cost).

[blue04]

I have their wired version of a bulletcam. I'd like to go this route so as to not have to find somewhere to strap down a camcorder, but not for $300 (if thats what this V thingy is gonna cost).

more like 350.00 which is why I wouldn't buy one. now if it came with a 6GB or more 'SD card' then I would think it over.

[AFM535]

I bought the Oregon Scientific one. $90 on eBay. Pretty much crap for bike stuff.

I've also run bullet cams with camcorders. The video looks good, but in the $500 range, with lots more wires, and tons of hassle, it's not worth dealing with.

The issue is motion compensation. The cheap stuff can't compensate for jitter from vibration. Only multi-component, expensive stuff has done that well, up til now. The vholdr looks like the first "all in one" Flash memory based camera to do it right. With some more sample video to prove it, I'll be picking one up.

[fms1day]

Looks interesting... I'd like to see more sample videos first though. This would be much easier than the videos I see on youtube, who mount cameras within their helmets.

[blue04]

only downside is the mini SD. I believe right now the limit is 2GB

[redline]

only downside is the mini SD. I believe right now the limit is 2GB


not necessarily. New devices support SD "HC" (high capacity). That means 4.0 GB and larger card sizes. A 4 GB card would store somewhere around an hour at 720P resolution. :ride

Edit: oh carp! you said "mini" SD...oh yeah, they got that, in 4GB too: :thumbup
http://sandisk.com/Products/Item(2318)-SDSDM-4096-SanDisk_miniSDHC_Card_4GB_miniSD_HighCapacity.aspx

I wonder if these gizmos support "HC" (high capacity)?

[blue04]

not necessarily. New devices support SD "HC" (high capacity). That means 4.0 GB and larger card sizes. A 4 GB card would store somewhere around an hour at 720P resolution. :ride

Edit: oh carp! you said "mini" SD...oh yeah, they got that, in 4GB too: :thumbup
http://sandisk.com/Products/Item(2318)-SDSDM-4096-SanDisk_miniSDHC_Card_4GB_miniSD_HighCapacity.aspx

I wonder if these gizmos support "HC" (high capacity)?
nice but again that brings it to over 500 so too much for me at least
now if they give you a 4GB then thats a different story

[badjoojoo]

Yeah, this is looking expensive once you add the cost of the SD. Still, it's a no-hassle design that I'm more likely to use so that might make it worth it to me. I want quality video so the cheaper one won't cut it.

I was considering the 2020 cam before and it was like $300. But having to bring an extra storage device and wire it all together makes me think I'd use it much less than a cam that I could just clip on and go.

I think I'll be getting one.

[wstick1]

I bought the Oregon Scientific one. $90 on eBay. Pretty much crap for bike stuff.

I've also run bullet cams with camcorders. The video looks good, but in the $500 range, with lots more wires, and tons of hassle, it's not worth dealing with.

The issue is motion compensation. The cheap stuff can't compensate for jitter from vibration. Only multi-component, expensive stuff has done that well, up til now. The vholdr looks like the first "all in one" Flash memory based camera to do it right. With some more sample video to prove it, I'll be picking one up.



I don't see where you are getting that the Vholdr "does it right". It has the same specs as the Oregon Scientific (which I agree sucks). 640X480 VGA 30fps. Is there some other spec I am not seeing that makes the vholdr better quality than the Oregon scientific? Seems like the only difference is that the Vholdr uses a smaller(in size, not capacity), more expensive SD card.
I, for one, will be going back to a bullet cam/camcorder type setup. I will take a little inconvenience for a superior quality video. You can always reduce the quality for the web, but you can't make those videos from the all-in-one's look good IMO.

[boney]

I just spent a lot of time checking out video stuff. I don't know anything about the product OP posted about but I do know this: You get what you pay for.

(I also asked Com3 what he was using, since his vids tend to be quality.)

[PushHands]

I just spent a lot of time checking out video stuff. I don't know anything about the product OP posted about but I do know this: You get what you pay for.

(I also asked Com3 what he was using, since his vids tend to be quality.)

what setup did you end up getting?

[-Baker-]

I would stay away from anything of a camera sticking out like a sore thumb....umm filming stunts, Twisties....etc used against ya in the court of law...LOL

Run simple helmet cameras bullet type's

goto www.actionvideocams.com (Great guy who gave me a deal for 3 bullet cams)

Videos:
http://www.actionvideocams.com/Helmet_Camera_Videos.html

Scroll towards bottom ....
http://www.actionvideocams.com/Helmet_Cameras.html

[boney]

what setup did you end up getting?


http://www.chasecam.com

Bring your wallet.

[badjoojoo]

I don't see where you are getting that the Vholdr "does it right". It has the same specs as the Oregon Scientific (which I agree sucks). 640X480 VGA 30fps. Is there some other spec I am not seeing that makes the vholdr better quality than the Oregon scientific? Seems like the only difference is that the Vholdr uses a smaller(in size, not capacity), more expensive SD card.
I, for one, will be going back to a bullet cam/camcorder type setup. I will take a little inconvenience for a superior quality video. You can always reduce the quality for the web, but you can't make those videos from the all-in-one's look good IMO.

I think daemon's referring to the fact that the vholdr records at 640X480 30fps, which is DVD quality just the same as the other ones, and does it with less hassle than the separate recorder set-up. Plus the nice touches like the easy single button and the twin-laser framing.

I'm definitely interested if you have or know about a helmet-mount type camera with better video than 480 scan lines. I might be willing to go with a separate recorder for a better quality video. But honestly 640x480 is pretty good.

*edit*
I found this one which says it records at 580 lines and the price seems reasonable.
http://cycleprotectionproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=74
I think I'll still go with the cordless version, but I thought some might be interested in this one.

[wstick1]

I think daemon's referring to the fact that the vholdr records at 640X480 30fps, which is DVD quality just the same as the other ones, and does it with less hassle than the separate recorder set-up. Plus the nice touches like the easy single button and the twin-laser framing.

I'm definitely interested if you have or know about a helmet-mount type camera with better video than 480 scan lines. I might be willing to go with a separate recorder for a better quality video. But honestly 640x480 is pretty good.

Well, the chasecam touts 520 lines, but honestly I can't tell you what the difference is. All I know is that I have a chasecam wired to a canon miniDV camcorder, and I also have the Oregon Scientific camera(same specs as vHoldr). All are 640X480, but I can tell you that the video coming out of the Oregon Scientific(O.S.) camera is total crap compared to the bullet camera setup.
The only way I can explain it is like with pics. You could have 2 pics, both of them 640x480 pixels. Pic A is 20 dots per inch, and Pic B is 200 dots per inch. Pic B will be a much better looking pic. Make sense? I guess it depends on your definition of "DVD quality" because the video that came out of my O.S. camera was grainy, choppy, and wavy. Maybe someone else can esplain it better.

[Wrong Way]

The big difference is not just the format size. It has to do with the quality of the camera itself, i.e. the part that collects light. If it does not use a CCD pickup and depends on a CMOS you are going to get a crap picture.

So you can compare 480 lines and 580 lines but if you use a CMOS type collector you are going to collect 580 lines of crap.

http://www.sportzshot.com/helmet-cam-specs.php

[blue04]

the chasecam looks nice from the videos

[wstick1]

Another way to put it:
I was looking through some old videos tonight. One taken witht he chase cam, one with the Oregon Scientific. They are both unedited raw footage from the cameras.

O.S.: 1min21sec, 44megabytes

Chasecam/camcorder: 19seconds, 67megabytes

[USARMworker]

Hope you don't expect much in the "good" of your good, fast, and cheap on this one. :laughing
The video quality is pretty poor even on the one I linked.


Yep. Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epeCwYAePEA)'s a video I shot with it. It may be a crappy video camera, but it's definitely worth $20.

Oh, yeah... 7min27sec, 11.4MB :rofl

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[Moto4Fun]

My buddy picked up the Tony Hawk Cam as well. I certainly think it is fine for You Tube or some other technical analysis function, but probably not good for producing DVDs to show to your friends/Families/Sponsors. You get what you pay for, but I would say the Tony Hawk Cam is a decent value.

[classicmoto]

Yep. Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epeCwYAePEA)'s a video I shot with it. It may be a crappy video camera, but it's definitely worth $20.

Oh, yeah... 7min27sec, 11.4MB :rofl

..

That actually turned out pretty decent.

It was interesting to watch the rider in blue (directly in front of you) make a bunch of mistakes and I am glad none resulted in an accident. That person certainly must be a new rider because it will only take a few more degrees of lean angle (not much anyhow) to catch toes stuck out like that -- yikes!

Maybe pass that on before they get hurt...

Nice road(s). Looks like a lot of fun :)

[AFM535]

I don't see where you are getting that the Vholdr "does it right". It has the same specs as the Oregon Scientific (which I agree sucks). 640X480 VGA 30fps. Is there some other spec I am not seeing that makes the vholdr better quality than the Oregon scientific? Seems like the only difference is that the Vholdr uses a smaller(in size, not capacity), more expensive SD card.
I, for one, will be going back to a bullet cam/camcorder type setup. I will take a little inconvenience for a superior quality video. You can always reduce the quality for the web, but you can't make those videos from the all-in-one's look good IMO.

I totally forgot about this thread. Responding for thoroughness' sake.

The differences between the vholdr and the OS camera are not in the specs. The main differences are 2-fold.

1) Motion compensation
When you're in a high vibration situation (dirt biking / bike-mounted cam on a street bike), each frame is a still picture taken at the max resolution with the camera pointed somewhere very different every 1/30 of a second. The result is a literal video of what the camera saw : A super-jumpy image.

A camera with motion compensation will be constantly analyzing the frames, and deciding "well, we're going to bump this frame up, since the camera went down" and vice versa. Most regular camcorders do a great job of this sort of real-time compensation, so what ends up on the tape is a smooth looking video, even though the camera was bouncing around the whole time.

The OE and Tony Hawk cameras do not do this much, if at all. The VHoldr has a whole bunch of extra "brains" to it that does this work, giving you a smoother picture saved to your SD card.

2) Light sensitivity
This video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epeCwYAePEA is a great example of horrible light sensitivity. Notice what happens when the camera goes into a shady area. It takes a few seconds for the picture to switch from pitch black to actually showing the road. The sensor in the camera is an old/cheap design that doesn't respond quickly to the lower light available.

The VHoldr has a much better sensor that responds to ambient light changes much faster, giving you an image that never whites or blacks out large areas, which is very useful in outdoor riding scenarios, where bright light and dark shadows happen constantly.

So, bottom line... the specs on the box tell you how many pixels you're going to get, and how many frames. That's it. A good video camera does a whole lot more... capturing correct color/brightness of the pixels, and making the frames flow together smoothly.

Take a look at the new video samples posted up on the vholdr website for reference: http://www.vholdr.com/shoot/camera/samples

[AkatomboR6]

I think I'd get the samsung x300L instead
http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/detail.do?group=camerascamcorders&type=camcorders&subtype=digitalmemory&model_cd=SC-X300L/XAA

[Lonster]

I had the previous generation Samsung (just like this one), and while it's a good little digital video cam, it won't be as good a unit as the Vhold.
My 2 cents,

Lonster

[SikDMAX]

So has anyone gotten a VholdR yet?

[RCJonB]

FTW http://goprocamera.com/

[wyoung8]

The Tony Hawk Camara looks pretty cool the money, can you get it at a local gamestop store???

[SikDMAX]

So no ones using these yet huh? I think Im going to pick one up.

[USARMworker]

The Tony Hawk Camara looks pretty cool the money, can you get it at a local gamestop store???

:dunno I got mine online.

FTW http://goprocamera.com/

I just picked one of these up at Cycle Gear today. I used a 20% off coupon from their circular so it was $135 plus tax. I'll post a video as soon as I get a chance to use it...

[sparkyincali]

Cant wait to see the videos from these.I have a 20/20 camcorder setup but dont use much becasue of mounting and wires and such.I would definitely take more vids if it were easier to mount and use

[hitman5532]

if you sell it....i got dibs:teeth

Picked mine up after a 3 month wait from Cycle Gear. Bought 2, I may sell one of them. I've been using the MotoComm for the past year which has pretty decent recording. I got it for $80 after the 50% discount and additional 25% discount off the clearance rack. It was missing some cables and other unncessary crap that I don't use.

The Vholdr is pretty cool no friggin' wires to route through the bike and extra luggage to carry around and fumbling around for the start/on/record switch and worries about "is the damn thing on?" while riding around the track.
Users will need to use the ScanDisk "premier" micro SD card. Some have already started to whine about the "horrible" quality on the Vholdr site when using the standard sd cards. Vholdr highly advises the use of the "Premier" Scandisk card for optimum quality playback.

Will test next week at Buttonwillow.:thumbup:teeth

[boney]

Picked mine up after a 3 month wait from Cycle Gear. Bought 2, I may sell one of them. I've been using the MotoComm for the past year which has pretty decent recording. I got it for $80 after the 50% discount and additional 25% discount off the clearance rack. It was missing some cables and other unncessary crap that I don't use.

The Vholdr is pretty cool no friggin' wires to route through the bike and extra luggage to carry around and fumbling around for the start/on/record switch and worries about "is the damn thing on?" while riding around the track.
Users will need to use the ScanDisk "premier" micro SD card. Some have already started to whine about the "horrible" quality on the Vholdr site when using the standard sd cards. Vholdr highly advises the use of the "Premier" Scandisk card for optimum quality playback.

Will test next week at Buttonwillow.:thumbup:teeth

What's the "real" battery life? Yes, you'll need a fast SD card. Can you use SDHC cards? (bigger than 2 gigs)

[n10sive]

Got my VHolder yesterday and went on a ride today. Putting the video on youtube now.

First impressions:
1) Nice size. Really good quality video. Uses the MPEG4 CODEC from FFDSHOW.
2) HORRIBLE SOUND!!! The mic is WAY too sensitive and all you get is wind noise. I filled the sound hole up with cotten and put tape over it. Reduced it slightly. All you have to do is blow on the camera and you can't hear anything else.
3) The sticky for the helmet mount is like super glue. Will probably never get the mount off my SHOEI now :( They did put a safety wire on the camera so if it comes detached from the mount it won't blow away.
4) Youtube replaces the codec so uploaded videos look just as crappy as everyone elses. I'll try uploading to he vholdr site and see if the clarity is any better.

I like everything about it except the sound. Tempted to open the thing up and install an external mic.

Edit: I recorded a 1hr ride on a 2G SD card with a little room to spare.

[SikDMAX]

Bump....... who else has picked this up? How do you like it?

[hitman5532]

I have 2. Bought two thinking I would use them, but I only use one...work great...I am actually thinking about selling one... if interested PM me