NetManiac

Interesting stuff at that link 95m3racer. Have you used their stuff? What's a full system run (cam+DVR)?

ngoldrich

JackOlsen, that is a very cool wing video. I am going to have to try that camera location. Thanks for the suggestion.

I think a splitter cam shot would also be cool.

Norm

RJay

The Archos was one of the hard-disk based ones I was referring to. There have been people that have taken RCA Lyras, Archos etc in to cars and they are dead in less than a day, (or at least their disks are, if you were going to try this, Archos appears to be the best of the bunch) . Its possible that your could cushion it sufficiently and it would be nice, but I think you're are talking more like $7-900 for an Archos solution with the cam.

Personally, I think if you don't insist on a bullet cam and are using a traditional camera mount and can live with the current 1Gig limit, the new Canon SD200/300 might be the best compromise. It will do 640x480 unlimited okay probably 12-14 minutes on a 1gig card, comes with a remote and costs < $300. Not bad for DVD quality all solid state recording.

Me, I had ignored all these reward points I built up over the years and finally realized I could just get a free camcorder, which is what I did. The only drawback is that it will only record 320x240 video on memory stick, but on the plus side, as was pointed out elsewhere the Sony steadyshot is pretty good. For this season, I figure I'm just going to buy a 1gig memory stick and run tapeless that way.

Brian P

I'll have to check my manual again, but I believe that the Canon SD200/300 can only do a couple minutes of recording at 640x480. It has unlimited recording at the lower resolutions.

TT Surgeon

Interesting discussion, I'm very interested in running an inexpensive/tapless digital camcorder. I think I'll get a cheap one on ebay (or 14th street) and give it a try. I already have a window mount device as well. A friend destroyed a very expensive Sony at Limerock last year as it wasn't secured well and went flying at the hard braking big bend.

RJay

You appear to be correct. According to dpreview.com the 200 can only do thirty seconds, the 300, however they spec as unlimited. Which do you have? I'd be curious to know if the 300 can do this. Perhaps I'll check the canon website.

APKhaos

I guess the major downside to the lipstick camera approach is loss of image stabilization. Unfortunately, nobody seems to have the technology to incorporate image stabilization in a remote camera setup. It is possible to mount remotes to minimise vibration, but the results are always less effective than you can get with an image stabilized camera/recorder.

Look for remote cameras that offer a range of focal lengths. A wide lens can be great for in-car mounting [see the racecam image above], but you will want longer focal length for other mounting points. Helmet Camera has some nice features, including a very rugged protective mount and interchangeable senses. Its well worth a look of you are going the lipstick camera route.

FWIW, its unlikely that the HD-based recorders are going to be rugged enough to survive the in-car envioronment without some serious shock mounting, and even then the risk of a head crash is significant. Storage will get cheaper, and decent resolution all-silicon recorders will emerge. We are just not quite at the point where full DV resolution is available with a decent storage time. Remember, five minutes of DV format is around 1 Gbyte. Chubby!!

PMS993

Hey Bill;

I'll say this about the Race Cam system, you add to the overall cost but the image of the interior of the car (feet and hand positions) and the exterior with very good depth of field are extremely useful from a learning standpoint. Make sure you also go with a "digital" video camera as well. The next thing you will want to do is to convert your films to a format most people can watch. That now is DVD. You can download digital video into your computer and then using programs such as Studio Movie Maker Version 9 and do some really nice editing that even a former Marine like yourself can handle.

Brian P

I have the SD300. It's possible that Canon ships the same manual for both and I was looking at the SD200 specs. I'll check again tonight.

Dbltime

Cute Mac. Why don't we go for a little run at Sebring. Bring your running shoes!

John H

I have a Sony that I bought after my old one pooped out. I really only had two must haves. 1. external mic so I could actually hear the motor rather than the wind noise and 2. I added a wide angle lense so you don't feel like you are in a tunnel watching playback. The only other thing I'd like to do is hard wire a power source so my battery doesn't keep dying. I missed my big wreck (see avatar) and a late braking fiasco at VIR (no damage other than to the grass at the end of the front straight) because my battery died.

95m3racer

Yep, www.jonescam.tv

They sponsor our Formula SAE team. They have some of, if not THE best camera systems available.

They currently produce the smallest high def camera on the market. They have several exclusive products/designs, and are doing business with everyone from news crews, to olympics, to police force, to skydivers.

They are great to deal with, and thier products are awesome!

If you have some money to spend, and want the absolute best of the best, give jonescam a call! www.jonescam.tv

mskala

This is the application I was shooting at with the picture-in-picture. I couldn't
see how to mount a camera that wouldn't be obscured by the driver most of
the time. And I can pick other angles like rearward shot in second cam if I want.
Cheaply.


BTW, I don't see what the problem is with stability with lipstick cams. I have not
had any significant movement when they are mounted with the standard ball
mount to a solid part of the car.

95m3racer

Well if you want a video system with Data acq, you can get DaVid from Aimsports, and use cameras from Jonescam.

For a couple grand you can have a highly professional setup, reliable, and easy to use.

http://www.aim-sportline.com/DAVID/documents/best.wmv

Jack667

I have the fisher ~$600 digital camcorder that recorder 640x480 onto SD cards. It'll do 60 minutes on a 1GB card. I'd really like to try it in the car, but as RJ said, I'm not sure how well it would do as it doesn't like alot of movement. I'm also a bit afraid of it breaking with all the abuse it would take in the car...
Now that I'm thinking about this, I might do a test run when I tow my car in for some work.