HD camera opinions

[e30Racer]

So I know a lot of people here on the boards enjoy taking and sharing videos . I am in the market for a HD camera and wanted to get some opinions bc I have seen quite a few different setups that eveybody runs at the solo events. I'm not looking to spend more than $300. I'm looking for something that's small(ish), nice quality, durable, best bang-for-the-buck kind of thing. So feel free to give me your opinions!!! GoPro Hero HD??? Flip HD??? Rod??? Matt??? Bueller??? Bueller???

[engled]

~$60 at wallyworld.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIyDuYOu464

[rodhx]

I have a camera for both my car & Zac's. Mine is an Aiptek Action 1080p and Zac's is a Kodak ZX1. Both record HD in 1080p or 720p, and both were just a little over $100 (Aiptek from ebay; Kodak from Newegg). The Aiptek works best in the Miata because it has a remote so I can start recording as I get to start rather than recording the entire drive from grid to start, etc. Both work great and record to SD cards in MOV format. The videos from both look far better than the youtube resolution I have posted.

I have also used my $700 Canon "nice" camera with thoroughly disappointing results. I have come to the conclusion that in-car use really demands a 60 fps mode, which the two cheap cameras do (@ 720p) but the expensive Canon cannot.

Batteries can be an issue, especially if you want to record track days. The Aiptek uses a proprietary rechargeable battery that died on me at Barber last year just in time to miss my first-ever solo sessions, but I now have a car charger for it so I can top it off between runs. No problems at all at TGPR. The Kodak comes with rechargeable AA's so you can always just carry a stash of regular batteries for emergencies.

Biggest issue may be the mount. The ioport mount on my roll bar cost almost as much as the camera, but it is rock solid and I highly recommend it if you have a bar. A shaky mount will drive you crazy. To me the main attraction of the Gopro package is the mounting system.

[Cholewa]

Do they make car cams that have chargers you can plug into the cigarette lighter?

[AlanB]

My .02 and no more, a wide angle view or the ability to put a wide angle on the camera is critical. The sense of speed and is greatly diminished if the view angle is too narrow. Just like the racing games/sims. Even some 'fisheyeing' is acceptable. I've used a bunch of different setups (wish I had a pic of the VHS shoulder recorder I had mounted in the rollbar circa 1995) and currently use a standard MiniDV with an addon wide lens. The view isn't as wide as my old miniVHS w/addon lens, but it's ok. Both Daryl's and Rod's are much easier to deal with, much cheaper, as well a smaller/lighter/less obtrusive, etc with the only downside being the view angle. IMO, Rod's footage from the recent TT is pretty darn good and features 90% of the (my) desired view angle. YMMV, etc.

I really like to GoPro HD for the mounting options, it's 'environment proof', and it's got a great wide angle view out of the box. It's spendy but if you are going to seriously take and archive footage from the car stuff, I think it's the way to go. I've been within a button click of buying one several times but it's the cost of a Hoosier. I'll keep using my MiniDV for now.

[rodhx]

I wish mine was slightly wider, but I don't care for the extreme wide angle footage you get with the gopro wide. I like to set it such that I can see the tach, but the steering wheel is in the way of the speedo.

The biggest problem I have is the rear view mirror. For on-track stuff it is in the way and space is limited enough in the Miata that I'm basically stuck with it for now. I can't rotate the mount any further towards the back (to lower the lens) without interfering with raising/lowering the top. Going forward and it sets where a passenger can hit it. Not a problem for autox 'cause I can rotate the rearview up & out of the way.

Cholewa, after draining the battery @ Barber's I bought a very low profile USB car charger and a long cable. Unfortunately I found out at TGPR that the Aiptek will not charge & record at the same time, probably because it thinks it is connected to a computer. It did allow me to charge while in the paddock though.

Both cameras have enough battery for several autocrosses. Well, the Kodak would if Zac could start remembering to turn it off after his first run. We tend to get 1 or 2 runs and then lots of on-grid or in-paddock footage until either the card fills up or the battery is drained

[TouringBubble]

I simply epoxy'd an adapter ring to my Flip. I can now screw on adapter lenses ... wide angle, telephoto, macro, etc.

[engled]

I simply epoxy'd an adapter ring to my Flip. I can now screw on adapter lenses ... wide angle, telephoto, macro, etc.

Link to this adapter and lenses?

[TouringBubble]

Links in the description ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaQ-h-RAO2o

[kilgojr]

Link Fail on the step up ring..........plus you're a dork, the song made me laugh!

[kilgojr]

Do they make car cams that have chargers you can plug into the cigarette lighter?

I know that the Falken Tire ALMS team and the Turner Motorsport team both use GoPro HD cameras and hack the internals so that they can wire all the cameras (they have multiple views at once with multiple cameras----> sponsorship) into one switch on the dash that turns the cameras on and off by wiring them into the 12V source off the car instead of running them on batteries and what not. Not sure where I remember seeing this, but it was a write up I saw when I was purchasing my GoPro Hero pack that has since been lost.

Sad.

[TouringBubble]

Any metal step up ring that's 30.5mm to 37 mm (or whatever size your lens is) will work, assuming it fits over the OE lens.