Go Pro Helmet camera

[ElderGeek]

EDIT: This post makes more sense if you check these videos out. MM needs to follow the forum rules on selling things. They got deleted from RA too.

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After watching the video I have a couple of observations. This is from just watching the video, reading the product info, and owning a GoPro. I did not comapare the detailed specs between the two.

Pros

These gives a true POV angle being the camera is as close as it can be to your eye position.

The side to side FOV seems to be comparable to GoPro.

No adjustment needed, put on the goggles and go.

Small, compact, no brackets/mounts

If one does not have goggles yet, (new rider) you could deduct that cost from the Impact camera price.

Cons

No adjustement other than your head position.

The 'verticle field of view' is less then GoPro. If the rider is in a race or fast paced ride they tend to look maybe 10'-20' in front of them most of the time. As you notice in the video the top of the 'FOV' is chopped off. The only time it fills is when the rider tips his head back. If the rider is in more of a cruise type of ride, they tend to look further down the road and the field is more full, so to speak.

Can't mount the camera in different locations. (This may not be a Con to some)

Not 1080p, though the website says will be available fall 2011, (pricing???)

From a marketing standpoint it needs to be priced more than $50 less then the GoPro Helmet 1080p package.




I'm sure there are customers who will love it but for me I do like the vesatility of the GoPro or the Contour Cameras.

[Quadracer269]

I bought the Go Pro HD Hero from Rocky Mountian for $179, I mounted it on my son's trophy kart hood.... It works AWESOME....

[Wicked Al]

Yup, I gotta say I like the versatility of the Go Pro. Just made this mount for it to go on the chin of my helmet to get a better POV. I originally was thinking about the chest protector, then Mike showed his chin mount and I thought that was better as it was always pointing where your face was pointing and still gives you all the action from the front end of the quad.

Alex

[Jeremy]

No offense to you guys, but no way in hell would I ever want that in front of my face while racing. You ever considered what will happen when you take a digger? Having it stick that far out from the chin part gives it a LOT of leverage over your entire head/neck.

[ElderGeek]

I did think of that. The camera is going to rip free immediately when it hits the ground as the plastic hinge will snap before any neck damaging force is transfered. I also fastened my mount plate to the helmet with rubber compression nuts which allows some movement and rubber tearing. I could add one more 'breakaway' feature by using aluminum screws too.

With anything, the against all odds/freak situations can happen. I dont race or spend much time in the air, so in the end its a risk I'm willing to take. But I hear what you're sayin Jeremy!




Alex,

I soon figured out each helmet make will require a different mount plate. To make a mount that is universal, lightweight and solid enough would be a project.
Did you notice you need to tip the camera 'way back' to get the right angle?

[Jeremy]

With anything, the against all odds/freak situations can happen. I dont race or spend much time in the air, so in the end its a risk I'm willing to take. But I hear what you're sayin Jeremy!

But isn't that why you wear safety gear? To protect against the freak situations? To wear a chest protector, helmet, gloves, pants, etc..... but then put an object right in front of your face like that doesn't seem very smart. You're putting it almost directly in front of one of the most sensitive and least protected things on your body while riding - your eyes.

[ElderGeek]

Well, actually its more in front of your upper lip, nose area.

You have to really try to look down and almost cross-eyed at it to see it. It in no way hinders your vision.

The camera is not the issue as it will snap free on even the smallest of get offs, if hit directly. The problem is the mount plate fastened to the helmet as it 'could' hook on something. I agree with that. The same thing could be said about the visor. It is much more flexible but in the right position and rotation it can become very stiff and 'dig in' the same way. For this to happen one would need to be in a backwards superman, flying feet first and land fairly flat on their face. Conversely, if flying in the normal superman position and taking a 'dive' into the dirt, the visor would actually shield the mount to some degree due to it sticking out almost as far. A sideways impact will actually 'fold' the mount down into the helmet as there is less to hook onto.

It's all in the amount of risk one is willing to accept. Each of us is different.


Now riding without nerf bars..... Don't get me started.....

[Wicked Al]

No offense to you guys, but no way in hell would I ever want that in front of my face while racing. You ever considered what will happen when you take a digger? Having it stick that far out from the chin part gives it a LOT of leverage over your entire head/neck.

No offense taken! I thought about that, but I have to agree with Mike. In case of a severe impact, the camera will come off. The actual mount doesn't stick out that far and while it is sturdy enough for the camera and is rigidly attached to the helmet, in the event of a sudden impact, it will actually act as a crumple zone taking the initial impact and sparing my head.

Think about this. A much more likely scenario is having the camera mounted to the top of your helmet and hitting a big branch. Now that would be a neck snapping force...but instead, the camera simply waves "bye-bye" as it flies from the top of your helmet never to be seen again.

My biggest concern with this is neck muscle fatigue on long races (2+ hours) as the extra weight out front has to be countered by something, that something is your neck muscles.

Alex

[Wicked Al]

Hey Mike,

Yup, I thought about the tilt back as that was how the camera was positioned on top of the helmet. I gave it a little bit more so it could be adjusted if needed. I did try seeing how it fit on other helmets I have and noted that it was set up for only the one helmet style, all the others were so different. I am going through some designs that could accommodate a wide variety of styles.

Many of my ideas are very complex, though cool looking, they might be a tad too expensive for a camera mount I'll play around with it and come up with something, I enjoy this stuff

Alex