Bullet cam

[plowsie]

Looking at one of these (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Colour-Bullet-Camera-Wide-Angle-CCD-Helmet-Cam-Bike-T05_W0QQitemZ230173651941QQihZ013QQcategoryZ48632Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem), can i work it off my digical camwera is my first question? Is it a good buy is my second?

[tigersaw]

1: not unless your digital camera has a video input. Never heard of one that does. You need a portable AV recorder, and a power supply for the bullet cam too.
2: Depends what it is for? If it is for a helmet cam, I doubt it. That rubber sucker wont fool anybody and security cams (which it is) are not much good with motion.

[MiniMatt]

Actually on this subject, was looking at an ATC-2000 as a possibility, I know the quality's not the best but the all-in-one camera+recorder is an attractive prospect, rather than having to faff about running wires to a suitable recorder (that I also don't own).

On the mounting side of things, on the pointy there's a bit of black plastic under the nose that sits between the triangular air scoop thingies; there's a couple of holes in it that might just be suitable for a camera mount (it's a bit flimsy mind). Dunno if there's a place similar on the curvy, I just like the idea of stealth mounting, you don't really want to get pulled and then be asked to replay video evidence :D

[Grinch]

Have a search there is a big thread on this.

[tigersaw]

why not buy a tiny camcorder? I've got a JVC Evario 26 - very tiny, hard drive recording for hours and hours, widescreen and good quality, focus , zoom etc - all things a bullet cam doesnt have. Also AV out or USB2 etc.
I've only ever tried it attached to a 200SX to watch the flames out the pipe, but it was teriffic. When its back from JVC (I formatted the drive ready for ebay, but erased the operating system too - doh), It'll be on ebay cheap if you want a heads up.

[Blue_SV650S]

What do you want to use it for?

Any if your camcorder has an AV-In then it will work.

That camera has 1/4" CCD, the better ones have 1/3" ... that will still do the job, but you get what you pay for ...

[Blue_SV650S]

...

I went the ATC route (ATC1000) and was disappointed. If you have nothing at all at the mo, then my advice is go for a bullet cam and a JDX (for example) solid state recorder! That is where I have ended up and it is a far superior setup to a ATC! 8)

[plowsie]

That camera has 1/4" CCD, the better ones have 1/3"
What is that btw?

[Blue_SV650S]

What is that btw?

It is the size of the sensor inside the camera. Genreal rule -> bigger = better. :)

[northwind]

The ATC2000's OK, but I've been getting a weird ripply interference effect. Other than that it's fine for upload, but the distortion pretty much ruins things. DOn't know what it is, it comes and goes. Then again, mine was £70, compared to at least that for any decent bullet cam, plus the camera. It's also simplicity itself to use, and waterproof.

[sarah]

Anyone tried the ATC2000 in v cold conditions?

[northwind]

I've seen some skiing footage... But if memory serves they make a sleeve for really cold conditions, to help protect it from wind chill.

[sarah]

I've seen some skiing footage... But if memory serves they make a sleeve for really cold conditions, to help protect it from wind chill.

You're right, I've seen a neoprene sleeve (http://www2.oregonscientific.com/shop/product.asp?cid=6&scid=14&pid=790) to keep it warm but only on a U.S. site. I'm guessing that without the sleeve (or the like) it'd be pretty useless on a snowboarding holiday.

[northwind]

Oi Blue, is this what you got:

http://www.sport-cam.co.uk/products.asp?cat=49

(etc)

The ATC2K's alright but I've got a bit of the bug now, so I'm tempted to get something a bit better. £160 for the DVR and the camera there, I reckon I'd get £60 or so back on the ATC...

[Blue_SV650S]

Oi Blue, is this what you got:
....

I have one of these :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-0-LCD-512MB-DC-PMP-MP3-MP4-DV-Flash-Player_W0QQitemZ140140197939QQihZ004QQcategoryZ313 88QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

It has 640x480 record quality - the one from sport cam is more expensive and only 320x240. ;)

The camera they sell is about the same spec as mine. So one of their cams (and mics) with a JXD 638 will serve you well :)

[Smudge]

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w111/luckypants_photos/North%20Wales%20rideout%20Sept%202007/2007_0909_133337.jpgive got just the thing and ive demonstrated it to him over about 100 miles at speeds in excess of 110mph

[Blue_SV650S]

ive got just the thing and ive demonstrated it to him over about 100 miles at speeds in excess of 110mph

That's just stupidity!!! :D

[Grinch]

Oi Blue, is this what you got:

http://www.sport-cam.co.uk/products.asp?cat=49

(etc)

The ATC2K's alright but I've got a bit of the bug now, so I'm tempted to get something a bit better. £160 for the DVR and the camera there, I reckon I'd get £60 or so back on the ATC...

I would be tempted to 'optain' it off you.

[Baph]

1: not unless your digital camera has a video input. Never heard of one that does.
You need to look harder then, mine does, as does Blue_SV650S'.

Have a search there is a big thread on this.
Quite a few threads infact.

why not buy a tiny camcorder?
Unless it's a DVD/CDR based one, you'll suffer from the vibrations. If it's a DVD/CDR based one, there's far cheaper alternatives out there, for less money.

I went the ATC route (ATC1000) and was disappointed. If you have nothing at all at the mo, then my advice is go for a bullet cam and a JDX (for example) solid state recorder! That is where I have ended up and it is a far superior setup to a ATC! 8)
Good man! But don't you mean JXD? :p

[Smudge]

im thinking of getting a DV camcorder that takes SD cards cos i can get 20gig SD cards from work for £49.99 it beats the neck ache

[plowsie]

That's just stupidity!!! :D
yer but it was bloody funny cos he couldnt get his visor up :D lol

[tigersaw]

You need to look harder then, mine does, as does Blue_SV650S'.



Can you give me a model / make? Still cant find a digital camera with AV input

[Blue_SV650S]

Can you give me a model / make? Still cant find a digital camera with AV input

http://www.sports-camera.com/Camcorder-AV2.pdf

I don't have a camcorer with AV-in btw, but I do have a solid state recorder with AV-in now ;)

[tigersaw]

http://www.sports-camera.com/Camcorder-AV2.pdf

I don't have a camcorer with AV-in btw, but I do have a solid state recorder with AV-in now ;)


Thanks - but none of them are digital cameras.

[Blue_SV650S]

Thanks - but none of them are digital cameras.

??? Mini-DV is digital!?!?!? :confused:

Or did you literally mean digital camera (not digital camcorder as I assumed you meant)??

[tigersaw]

I did mean digital camera. If you look at the original message by Plowsie, he asks if it is possible to connect a bullet camera to his digital camwera (sic). I replied I know of no such digital camera that can accept a video input, but was corrected by Baph, who says you and he have such an item.
I'm well aware of camcorders with AV in - (I have one, and also a Hard drive AV standalone recorder), but was interested that there may be a model of digital camera, with presumably a solid state recording medium, and an AV input.
Guess there was some confusion.. :confused:

[Blue_SV650S]

I did mean digital camera. If you look at the original message by Plowsie, he asks if it is possible to connect a bullet camera to his digital camwera (sic). I replied I know of no such digital camera that can accept a video input, but was corrected by Baph, who says you and he have such an item.
I'm well aware of camcorders with AV in - (I have one, and also a Hard drive AV standalone recorder), but was interested that there may be a model of digital camera, with presumably a solid state recording medium, and an AV input.
Guess there was some confusion.. :confused:

Oh!! :D

[northwind]

Cheers Blue, good stuff :)

Grinch, this is why I want to replace it, think on this before buying one:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XH3Z-xQYEMU

(the music seems appropriate for the seasick wobble... I reckon it's electrical interference, it's not totally linked to revs but it seems like steady revs upset it. It very rarely does it on a mirror mount, but this one's on the crash bung so much closer to the engine.)

[Grinch]

Well I imagine most of the time I'd keep it on my lid.

[tigersaw]

im thinking of getting a DV camcorder that takes SD cards cos i can get 20gig SD cards from work for £49.99 it beats the neck ache


20 Gig SD card!! there is such a thing now?

I saw a 16 GB shown on TV with a $200+ price tag, but thats the biggest I've heard of

[Blue_SV650S]

20 Gig SD card!! there is such a thing now?

I saw a 16 GB shown on TV with a $200+ price tag, but thats the biggest I've heard of

Also don't assume that if you have a massive SD card that your camera will be able to use it ... most will work with <=2gb, but I wouldn't COUNT on any more unless it says so ...

Grinch, the ATC really is a bad choice for bike stuff, don't be seduced by price and compactness like I was ... it really is a poor solution and you will only get frustrated and then look elsewhere for something that works properly! The sound is rubbish and the picture is really unstable ... I don't think there is any proper digital image stabilization. They really don't work on bikes ... well not if you want to see and hear what is going on properly!! :D

Oh and do NOT run anything with a HD ... I made that (costly) mistake too ... you are wasting your money with anything other than a good quality bullet cam (& mic) and a solid state (SD card) recorder.

All in I have spent ~£600 in gear to get to this conclusion - about half that I have ended up junking where it didn't come up trumps one way or another ... Please learn from my mistakes ;)

[northwind]

Well I imagine most of the time I'd keep it on my lid.

Aye, that works. I don't like the headcam results myself, since you're almost never actually going where you're looking, and the camera's often not pointing where you're looking either. The mirror mount like I used for the AR was alright, but there's a definate lack of sensation of speed. And not just because I'm very slow =;

The lower, wider mount gives an exaggerated sensation of speed and lairiness... Here's a very quick clip I just pulled from a longer video, to show you what I mean... When you watch the surroundings it's not actually very fast at all, but the road surface and rapid looming of close objects gives that impression of speed, and having the camera off to one side means it moves further for each lean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJHQ0ZjPjbc

[Blue_SV650S]

Aye, that works. I don't like the headcam results myself, since you're almost never actually going where you're looking,

Quite, also remember you can't tell where an ATC is pointing without lots of trail and error.

Oh and the ATC2k footage is better quality than the ATC1k I had 8)

[northwind]

Oh yeah, as Blue says the sound's diabolical. There's a reason every clip I do has music. You can remove the waterproofing from the mic for better results, or even replace the standard unit if you want, but you're getting away from the advantage of the ATC then (which is the simplicity)

[northwind]

Very close to pushing the button here... So a JXD 638, camera from sport-cam and maybe mic too, sound OK? Can you run the camera off the bike power or is it more sensible to have a seperate 12V supply?

My only concern with the JXD stuff is the fixed battery, how much life do you get out of them?

[Blue_SV650S]

Very close to pushing the button here... So a JXD 638, camera from sport-cam and maybe mic too, sound OK? Can you run the camera off the bike power or is it more sensible to have a seperate 12V supply?

My only concern with the JXD stuff is the fixed battery, how much life do you get out of them?

I use fixed voltage regulators (maplin) from the bike batt (9v cam, 5v JXD). I have noticed some interference on the JXD when plugged in to power, but the internal battery lasts for a couple of hours. And if you plug it in when parked up it will recharge.

I am sure I might be able to trace the interference (I think it something to do with the shared earth used on the cam and the JXD video lead) and make it so that it works when plugged in.

Using a remote battery pack and the voltage regulators should be fine, I just didn't want the hassle of making sure I had charged batteries ;)

There might be better units still than the JXD 638, but that is what i have and it seems a good price. My only gripe is the codec used for the sound makes it a bit of a pain to video edit (you can't use Windows Movie maker, you need a 3rd party application (I use power director)).

For the money I am happy with my JXD638 setup, but with the money I have spent to get to this stage I could have bought something far superior to start with ;)

BTW they do a 1gb JXD and a 512 ... there is no real advantage in the 1gb as you have to switch between SD card and internal memory ... i.e. if you had a 2gb card, you would be using that memory on either device ... therefore the internal memory is irrelevant (it isn't clever enough to split the files between internal and external memory)

[northwind]

Ta, all good stuff. I hadn't even thought of recharging the recorder off the bike, good tip. "For the money" is right, if I'd realised it could be this cheap I'd probably never have got the ATC. Then again, I only got it because it was so cheap, and I got the bug afterwards.

How about cameras... Is there one clear "best" out there? I don't mind spending a little more for a good solid setup.

[Blue_SV650S]

I have got one of these http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/sony_colour_ccd.htm spec sheet 21CWSHRX (High Res EXVIEW (low light) Sony CCD))

And a cheap one (~£70) off ebay - the spec was still with a 1/3" Sony CCD

I use the Ebay one on my trackbike (the low light one for my indoor minimoto)

I think as long as it has a 1/3" Sony CCD you can't go far wrong. You can get Sharp ones too.

I haven't needed to mess with the cams much as I have always been content with the quality of the camera – its just the recorder I had 3 stabs at, I think it was Baph that recommended a JXD, I did a bit more research and went for a different model than he did, but he was the one that steered me in the direction!! :)

[northwind]

Cheers. On balance, I'm going to put off til after the winter, I can't see that I'll be wanting to video much rainy commuting :smt088 but it all goes in the memory bank...

[Baph]

Can you give me a model / make? Still cant find a digital camera with AV input

Mine is a JXD 921, bought on ebay. The digital camera is pretty pants compared to the digital camera I bought for the reason that it's, erm, a digital camera, but it's there. There's AV in/out, 1GB internal memory, and it takes SD cards.


Oh and do NOT run anything with a HD ... I made that (costly) mistake too ... you are wasting your money with anything other than a good quality bullet cam (& mic) and a solid state (SD card) recorder.

All in I have spent ~£600 in gear to get to this conclusion - about half that I have ended up junking where it didn't come up trumps one way or another ... Please learn from my mistakes ;)

I learnt from Blue :D I spent a grand total of £180, and bought something that I'm happy with first time!

Very close to pushing the button here... So a JXD 638, camera from sport-cam and maybe mic too, sound OK? Can you run the camera off the bike power or is it more sensible to have a seperate 12V supply?

My only concern with the JXD stuff is the fixed battery, how much life do you get out of them?

My JXD will run for around 4 hours on the internal battery. Like Blue says, if you jack straight into the power, you'll get interference (I think I warned about AV devices getting interference from power due to the AC-DC conversion on the bike in another thread).

I use fixed voltage regulators (maplin) from the bike batt (9v cam, 5v JXD). I have noticed some interference on the JXD when plugged in to power, but the internal battery lasts for a couple of hours. And if you plug it in when parked up it will recharge.

I am sure I might be able to trace the interference (I think it something to do with the shared earth used on the cam and the JXD video lead) and make it so that it works when plugged in.

Using a remote battery pack and the voltage regulators should be fine, I just didn't want the hassle of making sure I had charged batteries ;)


Blue, I bought my regulators (12v in/out and a 12v in 5v out) for the JXD & cam from dogcamsport. They're more expensive, but that's because they're designed for AV use, so smooth the current more, which means less interference. That could be a cause of your interference (cheap regulators leading to a bad power supply). Just a thought.