Just kidding…. Really this is all about the New York Times giving props to helmet cameras.

If mass media outfits that did product reviews were apples, then the New York Times would be a big one. Known worldwide for its career making/breaking book and movie reviews, the New York Times has now given proper respect to the hobby of helmet cam-ing with its recent rave reviews of two our hottest selling helmet camera systems: The POV.1 and the VholdR. Their reviewer James Bogner tested the systems out on mountain bike trails in Queens and in Upper Manhattan (believe it or not). His review of the POV.1 unit, while perhaps not as in-depth as our own, never-the-less had very good things to say. Mr. Bogner praised the waterproof, shock-resistant and dustproof POV.1, saying it “inspired confidence” by being both “easiest to set up” and “painless to use”. He favored its design and the included software with a “quick” boot time. He also said the POV.1 videos, stored on an SD card, were “natural and appealing”.

The VholdR was also pleasing to this New Yorker’s highly refined palate: Sayeth Bogner about its wireless design: “simple all-in-one ease”. As to his impressions of the video that he pulled off of it: “natural and smooth”. Indeed, the video clips attached to this New York Times online article did look smooth and as natural as can be expected considering the mountain biking was done inside New York City limits. Here at HCC we are very excited to see these products given the attention they deserve, especially by such prestigious publications as this one.

We recommend that you take a look at this product review/slideshow, not for the wealth of information that it contains, but for the side by side video comparisons and for the consumer confidence that a trusted source of information like this one can provide.

Click here to read the story over at the New York Times - make sure and click the “Next Page” arrow in the upper right-hand corner of the pictures to read the full 5 page article.

As of May 1st, 2008 the all POV.1 systems will include the new Wide Angle Camera Head as standard fare. There is no price change for the POV.1 system and the Wide Angle Camera Head is also available as an accessory for $149.95. The Shop @ Helmet Camera Central is accepting pre-orders on the new Wide Angle systems and will shipping them on May 1st, 2008.

Have a look at some actual footage! Click here to download some sample RAW, untouched Wide Angle video footage of kayaking on a sunny day. You will need the industry standard XviD Codec to view this - Go here to download the XviD codec for PC or Mac’s.

The wide angle has approximately a 98 degree horizontal field of view (or 110 degrees diagonal) as opposed the 78 degrees on the standard lens. It is wide enough to get more into a shot horizontally, but not so wide that it distorts the image like a “fish eye” lens does. Also, the new POV.1 wide angle camera head has infinite focus capabilities, meaning objects both near and far in the same picture frame will be crisp, as opposed to the standard camera head having a focal range of approximately 5 to 30 feet. The wide angle will give better “perspective” to action filming. Capturing a wider field of view can give context to the action by including other subjects in the picture (ex. fellow motorcycle rider racing neck and neck with you off to side) or can simply make more of the natural landscape visible (ex. the left and right bank of a river while kayaking.) Lastly, the wide angle can also help a bit with bumpy or shaky footage, making it more enjoyable to the viewer. This is due largely to the wide open feeling of the wide angle shot which minimizes the shakes in your video. We’ve also noticed that the wider angle lens allows more light into the CMOS sensor which helps improve overall color capture. All in all we are very impressed with the new camera head!

The original narrow view camera head (could also be referred to as the zoomed camera head) will not available again until late summer of 2008. VIO is in the process of reworking the lens element of the original camera head to also use an infinite focus approach. The Shop @ Helmet Camera Central has a limited stock of the original camera heads available and can be ordered upon special request.

The VholdR, made by Twenty20, is a great all-in-one helmet camera; very simple with a user friendly design. Most importantly, the video footage I took while skiing and snowmobiling looked great! All-in-one systems (those that don’t have a cable connecting an external camera head to the recording unit) will always have issues with shorter battery run times (due to their weight conserving small battery) and the potential for total system loss in the event of a huge crash. The VholdR is no exception in these areas. However, does provide some significant advantages over typical “all-in-one” or “wireless” systems: it’s super light, and it has laser pointers that give the user an idea as to what they are capturing in the picture frame. Last but not least, the price is right. At $349.99 (with free shipping), it’s a little more expensive than some of the other budget wireless systems we sell, but those systems have less sophisticated internals and less durable externals. Twenty20 VholdR Helmet Camera: it looks cool, and it is cool.

(more…)

Better late than never! The VholdR has finally arrived. It was a hard wait, but Twenty20 did the right thing - they waited until the product was ready. Initial tests of our in-house (backcountry snowboarding) unit have gone well. We are in the works on a full blown in-depth review. Definitely some pro’s and con’s - but mainly lots of good stuff! Our Pre-Orders will begin shipping Tuesday, with additional stock to follow each week. Inventory will still be limited for the next month, so feel free to pre-order yourself one over at The Shop @ HelmetCameraCentral.com. Full in-depth review can be read here!

Checkout the VholdR video below for a piece of VholdR footage (compressed for the web) from a stormy pow day here in Mount Shasta.

At first glance, the Hero 3’s conspicuous lack of sophistication and James Bond gadgetry could easily make it cannon fodder for a bad product review. It has no on-the-fly video playback, the near TV quality 512 by 384 resolution may cause the keen eye to wander to the next product.

Upon further reflection, however, where the Hero is found wanting has more to do with exactly that : user wants, and not user needs. One can still get good footage without the LCD screen for playback, and video storage capabilities are ample for most users. It may not be as small as a tube of lipstic, but the GoPro Hero still comes in under other “cable less” helmet camera systems both in size, weight, and cost. So, if your willing to wait until you return home to view your video footage, and you don’t mind changing memory cards when taking more than an hour of Motion JPEG video, then purchasing the GoPro Hero instead of one of the pricier -and albiet more sophisticated- helmet camera systems can instantly put several hundred dollars or more towards making that next footage ladden vacation a reality.

Click the link below to learn more…

(more…)

With all the fresh snow here in Mount Shasta, we’ve been out and about playing with the POV1 from VIO. This video was shot solo by our newest team member, Eric Schweitzer. Eric is an avid outdoor enthusiast - he regularly gets out and hits it hard!

In this video, the camera was mounted on a rigid pole across the top of the helmet, with the camera at the end pointing back at the face. Quite an interesting view!

Note: Revver has compressed this video for web viewing.

Viosport (VIO), a top manufacturer of helmet cam systems, headed out to the Interbike 2007 trade show to show off their new POV.1 Helmet Cam system. The POV1 is a Fully Integrated, Ruggedized, Waterproof, Tapeless, 720×480 @ 30 FPS totally rock’n wearable video system. Check out this nice video briefing over at Mbtr.com of the POV1 showing it’s features, hands-on demonstrations, and more.

1. After watching the video, read our full review of the POV1.

2. The POV1 retails for $850, and is currently on selling for $679.95 with free shipping at The Shop @ Helmet Cam Central.

[VIA Mtbr.com's Interbike 2006 Coverage]

Well, here it is, the holy grail of the helmet cam world (for now) -The POV.1 from VIO. We have been waiting for the POV.1 since the inception of wearable video. The POV.1 is a fully integrated, fully digital, DVD quality helmet cam system. We have a POV.1 in-house, and are so impressed with this system we have moved it to the top of our recommended helmet cam list, and to our inventory over at the The Shop @ Helmet Camera Central. Also, based on our hands-on review of the POV.1, it has met most of the specifications for our dream helmet cam system.

VIO has invested quite a bit of time and money into designing this product from the ground up, and it shows. A lot of thought must have went into the hundreds of design decisions behind this unit. So far there seems to be good reason behind each issue I have with the unit. Keep reading as I discuss usability, pricing, quality, the good and the bad.

Some highlights of the Viosport (VIO) POV.1:

• The whole system is waterproof to 1m (3ft)
• Built in LCD screen on recording unit to view live video and review video
• 98 Field of View Wide Angle Lens with Infinite Focus
• DivX MPEG4 AVI Compression, 1GB at 720×480@30fps = 40 Minutes
• 24P and 30P Progressive video ready, up to 720×480
• SD card storage (up to 2GB), USB 2.0 connectivity, and Analog video/audio output
• No digital to analog conversion - digital from camera to compression
• Wireless remote - start/stop record and nice TAG feature
• 4 AA batteries powers the recording unit and camera
• 1 cable. From recording unit to camera
• Waterproof in-line microphone integrated into camera cable
• Lightweight (About 1 lb (375 grams) with batteries and camera) and power efficient
• Includes POV Manager software to quickly edit and post to web

Follow the Read More link below for the full review… (more…)

When I review helmet cam systems I generally look at the big picture - which boils down to usability, reliability, and performance. Xtreme Recall excels in all of these areas. Some highlights: One battery to power camcorder and helmet camera, Right-Angle Sony 10-Pin AV Connectors, Durable & Waterproof cable connects, Fog Proof Cameras, great microphones, and a killer waterpoof LANC remote. If you are considering purchasing a helmet cam setup, please read on….

Follow the Read More link below for the full review…
(more…)

Update: 03/06/2007: We have VholdR’s IN STOCK! available for order at The Shop. Full in-depth review can be read here.

Seattle, WA - Twenty20, the aggressive Seattle-based company known for its innovative POV (point of view) Helmet Cameras, is breaking the mold yet again with its next-generation wearable camcorder called, VholdR^TM.

Earlier generation lipstick cameras require cables, which connect them to a separate recording device hidden in a backpack. VholdR^TM leaves that setup in the dust with its self-contained, zero-wire, “Shoot and Store” design.

In fact, VholdR^TM doesn’t even involve videotape. Its internal components change the rules. Twenty20 opted to run VholdR^TM with sophisticated hardware-based video compression, and record to an SD card, delivering instantly playable and sharable MPEG-4 files. Recording time is expected to be around an hour per gigabyte, with cards ranging between 1 and 4 gigs.

Additionally, digitizing content from tape to computers is no longer an issue. Out of the box, VholdR^TM is ready to capture and deliver high quality video files with ease to the average computer.

On the outside, VholdR^TM is a hair smaller and similar in shape to James Bond’s Walter PPK. VholdR’sTM lens and image sensor are hermetically sealed. And with a protective aluminum and ABS exoskeleton, all components are splash proof, shock resistant, and can withstand wide temperature and humidity ranges, making it the perfect video weapon for sweaty rainy jungles, kiln-hot deserts, snow-covered peaks, and peeling surf spots.

Twenty20’s experience in the field uncovered - if not invented - problems that required focused solutions. From environmental conditions and size constraints, to ease of use and video quality, VholdR^TM addresses them all.

Throughout VholdR’s design and development, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) was a running mantra for Jason Green, one of Twenty20’s two founders. “Our plan is to make action video as easy to record and share as a picture on your digital camera.”

VholdR^TM is expected to release this fall in limited numbers, so if you haven’t pre-ordered yours by now, you may be pressed to find one before Christmas. You won’t however, have to call every store in town because Twenty20, in acknowledgement of their own limited supply, will be posting daily stock updates for buyers on www.vholdr.com through the Holiday season.

Customer Contact: support@vholdr.com or 866.397.6920

Website: www.vholdr.com

Expected Retail Price: $349.99 (USD)