JPhillips-998

I know it is a complete individual preference but I am wondering what camera location you prefer for entertainment and learning.

I have run both on the main hoop cross member and the a pillar.

I like the main hoop that show more driver interaction and steering input but for entertainment the a pillar is a better representation of speed.

What are your preferences?

Larry Herman

My preference is a lower mount that allows good vision out of the front window. The more peripheral vison the camera has (I use a 16:9 caamera and a wide angles lens) the better you can see exactly what the car is doing, and where you have it positioned on the track. My shot gets a little of the steering wheel too, which is enough to see what I am doing there.

JackOlsen

I put a bullet camera on the base of the rear view mirror, and another one is tucked up on top of the roll hoop, pointing down at the drive. The nice thing is that I can pack and unpack the car and never accidentally bump either of them. They can stay in those positions permanently, and I never even see them.

I feed both into a View-2.com picture-in-picture box, and then record on a DV camcorder cradled in a holder on the same mount I usually put my iPod.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A CLIP from Laguna Seca, five days ago.

JPhillips-998

That's some hot video Jack. So if I understand, you have two bullet cams, one view-2 com box and a dv camcorder in the car? The pic-in-pic is automated or do you have to do some sort of overlay work?

JackOlsen

Thanks. I felt a little badly for the rest of the continental United States that day, but we were having great weather in Monterey.

The footage gets muddy and blurry from the online compression. On the 50-inch at home, it's like you're right there.

The beauty of the View-2.com box is that it automates the process for you. You just choose a configuration (big box, small box, split screen, box left, box right, whatever), and it records to tape that way. No post processing or synchronizing required.

I have a cheapo ($60) bullet camera pointed at me, and a nicer one (wider angle lens, adjustable iris, better picture) on the rear view mirror stem. Bullet cameras are nice in that they don't need a mount, even -- a hose clamp does the job. And putting the DV camera in a padded box lets me get to it easily, and it also prevents it from vibrating into oblivion.

Aside from the camera, the picture-in-picture box is probably the most expensive (~$250) part of the system, but it's been such a huge improvement over compromising between showing where you're going and showing what you're doing and trying to get the right exposure when you're showing both. I can also point a camera out the back for split screen front-and-back footage, which is useful on race days when 13/13 penalties could conceivably be handed out.

thusly

Jack, what mount did you use for the camera on the mirror? Photos?

Thanks!

Larry Herman

Here's a quick clip that shows the view that I like. It gets a lot of width so that you can see a lot of the track. You can also see my hand movenemts on the wheel. Good for a simple miniDV camera, but Jack's setup does have it's advantages.

Chulo

Larry - what kind of miniDV camera are you using?

Larry Herman

Sony DCR-HC42 MiniDV Handycam w/the .6 wide angle lens.

JackOlsen

My high tech: a little bit of gaffer's tape and a hose clamp.



The camera is a High Density Sony 1/3" Super HAD CCD CC-5HR with an optional LS-29 2.97mm wider-angle lens. It's a $210 camera, but I like the image contrast and picture quality I'm getting a lot more than I did with the cheaper models I'd tried before. (For YouTube, that probably isn't so much of a factor -- but on a bigger TV it shows.)

Chulo

Jack - can you show a few pics of how you have your HD camera mounted, so it does not skip? What kind of camera is it?

karlooz

nice lap jack. mistakes at T5? turn in a little late and missed the apex?

what tires were you running?

JackOlsen

I got a plastic tray at the hardware store, and then wrapped the camera in Saran wrap and used that expanding foam home insulating stuff to padd it with a custom-fit. I don't have a picture of it installed, but here it was when I finished it:



And here's an old picture where I was showing someone where my DL1 was installed. But the other circled thing (the red case) is where I keep my iPod. When I get to the track, the iPod comes out, and the case with the camera snaps into the same position. That way, even when I'm fully strapped in I can see the display on the camera and turn it on or off.

JackOlsen

Thanks. In that lap, I miss 4 by a little, miss 5 by a lot, and then lock up a wheel in braking for the corkscrew so that I don't get to downshift until I'm already rolling down the hill. Still, the camera stopped before I got my quicker laps in, so this is the best I've got.

I was running Toyo RA1s. You can hear them screaming in the video. The seller forgot to shave them, and this was their first use, outside of the drive up. They'll get better (and quieter) in the next couple of months.

DaMan-993TT

You DL1 is on some serious angle there, I assume you are correcting your data in the software. Also, have you merged the video and data at all? (trackvision)