Camcorder help

[Treejumper]

Well dummy me ordered a helmet camera before finding out my Sony TRV58 Hi8 camcorder doesnt have the input jacks! :( So now i have to find a good but would prefer cheaper camcorder or video recorder to use with the helmet camera. What do those of you with helmet cameras use and are you happy with it.

I was looking at the GV-D200 Digital 8 Video Walkman VCR as an alternative to another camcorder but they are pricey($550)! I talked to my brother and he said work (Air Force) used a Sony digital 8 recorder in the planes and he had to repair them from rough handling by planes and pilots. :) He said they got them for $400! So i emailed him to see if he could get me one, used or new, but i doubt he can. So i'll probably have to go camcorder route. I'm having a hard time finding out if the cameras have what i need for hooking up the camera. I like Sony but not limited to them, thanks!

 

[biglou]

TJ-I just picked up a Cannon Z40 for $459. It is a miniDV, which is optimum for downloading to a computer, and it has the AV inputs. If all you want to do is get it to a VHS tape, all you need is a super8mm analog recorder. That's what I did at first, but needed a good way to get the vids into a computer. Get yourself a miniDV camcorder but be certain that it has A/V inputs. You can also use the camera to record older stuff off your VHS tapes (using your VCR's outputs) and the miniDV will automatically do the A-D conversion for you. To get it into the computer, use a FireWire port (cheap add-on). If you have Windows Movie Maker, it will let you edit and compress the video, even add a soundtrack. I have not downloaded the Movie Maker 2 upgrade yet, but hear it is impressive.

 

[Treejumper]

Wow, so the Z40 has the jack. I looked at that one and the Z60 online but couldnt find anything that said about having video inputs. Wally World has the Z60 for under $500 so i'll look at that today when i'm in there to see what its like. In my searches last night i think the Sony-TRV350 would work too and is the same price range as the Cannon. The miniDV would be a nicer option, thanks! I get paid friday so i have today to deceide on one.

 

[biglou]

You might be able to find a Z40 on closeout somewhere, too. I had another camera picked out on the Best Buy website, but when I stopped by the store on the way home, I found that there were multiple misprints in their specs pages. The Z40 DID have inputs, while the other one (Sony, I think) didn't.

Check out www.steves-digicams.com/ for some accurate specs, then do a search for the particular model you want on the Best Buy site and see if they have any special prices or rebates. Good luck!

 

[Danman]

So, How are you guys keeping these $500 camara's from getting crushed?

 

[Treejumper]

I wear a CamelPack that has a backpack compartment on it. I wrap my camcorder in a towel and place in the pack. Then my chest protector goes over top of the camel pack. When i crash or fall, 99% of the time i land on my head so the camera is usually pretty safe. :)

 

[biglou]

Yep. There is definitely an inherent risk here for the camcorder! I wear mine in a fanny pack.

 

[Treejumper]

Well i finally picked up a MiniDV Camcorder today. I went with a Sony TRV22 and got it for $650. Alittle more than i wanted to spend but what the heck. So now to try and figure out how to use it. :)

Lou, do you wear your fanny pack on the front or back of your body? I'm just wondering how hard it will be to start/stop record being in a camel pak on my back. Mine came with a remote but dont know if it will work while riding. Maybe velcro to my chest protecter. ;) Now i just need the mini tv mounted to the handle bars and i'll feel like i'm at home. :laugh:

 

[biglou]

Hehe, I like the remote velcroed to the cp idea. That way, when you crash, hopefully you land on the "Stop" button and shut the camera off! Actually, I usually have someone else hit "Record" before I ride off, or just spin the fanny pack around to the back after I hit the go button. Heck, I have the new miniDV cam, but haven't used it yet. I have so many projects going, that I need to get them all settled before I start playing with stuff again, because the helmet cam will inevitably lead to computer problems! So to answer your question, I like the fanny pack idea best.

 

[Treejumper]

I know what you mean! This helmet camera is leading to computer problems too. Now i have to update my computer so i can use it. My harddrive is 98% full so no room for video, processor is 100mhz smaller than recommended so this will be fun. Bright side is i've always wanted to get a newer computer. I knew dirtbiking was expensive but never figured this part into it. :)

 

[LoriKTM]

Hey Chucke, welcome to the helmet cam club!  Don't forget to buy a humongous hard drive for your computer while you're at it!

We managed to get Winblows 2000 installed on a second partition on my computer, so we could get the firewire card installed, so we could download video.  We got about 15 minutes of video downloaded, but when we tried to edit, we were out of HD space!  D'oh!!  That's next on the upgrade list...  :think:

 

[Timr]

Originally posted by LoriKTM
Hey Chucke, welcome to the helmet cam club!  Don't forget to buy a humongous hard drive for your computer while you're at it! 

Amen to that.  I just dropped another 80 gig hard drive into my machine dedicated to just video editing.  I have another 40 gig drive that runs the system. 

Speaking of systems, Windows XP Pro is much better at resource allocation and multi-media applications.  Also, there is a small freeware program out on the net called "End it All"  Do a search for it and download it.  Run this program before you start your video editing software.  This shuts down everything on you computer in the system tray except two items need to keep windows running.

Also,  another video editing tip.  Go to control panels and obviously, shut off your screen saver.  Also turn off the clock on you task bar.  For some reason, video editors don't like that little piece of the system software.  Also turn off any energy managment settings that you may be using.  You don't want you system trying to shut off the monitor and/or hard drives and processor for what the computer is thinking is a period of inactivity when in reality what you are trying to do is render a video project.

If you don't have one already, get a video editor that will allow you to capture an entire tape, 60 min, in what's called preview mode.  This is a much lower quality, and doesn't take up near the hard drive space of 1 minute of full quality DV video.  When you render you finished project, it goes back and recaptures the video that you used, and writes it to the hard drive.  For what it's worth, I use pinnacle systems Studio DV versoin 8.x

good luck! 

 

[Treejumper]

Thanks for the tips! I have to go all new computer when the time comes so i'll keep the suggestions in mind. I tried the cam tonight and wouldnt you know it i had a heck of a ride but the camcorders button got moved to off when i moved the fanny back from front to back. I was so pissed because i didnt stop to check it til i was done riding. I even had a cool shot of a turkey who took off in front of me and i chased it down! It was about 4 feet right in front of the camera but nooooo, the stupid thing got turned off. I need a bigger fanny pack as the one i had already barely held everything and obviously too tight as the switch gets bumped easily. Might try to find some foam padding and make a cutout for the camcorder to keep it from moving.

 

[factoryRM]

You don't need an expenceive camera, als you need is some dupt tape and a $100 camera and your in buisness.