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.

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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…

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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…
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Here’s a new helmet cam entry from BlackEye - the BlackEye Head and Helmet Cam. The basic jist of this product is their unique mounting setup. Instead of a top mount or side mount, the BlackEye head cam uses a unique shorty camera that mounts right in the center of your helmet, just above your eyes - or it is simply worn like a headband in the same location. This product is being marketed towards bikers, climbers, etc. Click below to read more…

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Here’s a promising find from UK based Second Sight Surveillance Ltd - the DV Pro Head Cam (Double Vision Pro) (Helmet camera). Thanks for the heads up Engadget. I currently have a request for more info in the works. Until then here is what I have gathered: Designed for police/fire/etc, Custom DVR solution with 30GB (upto 80GB) hard drive, 2-46 hours of recording, 4 hour Lithium Ion based battery with integrated power management, No USB/Firewire - it uses a IDE based hot swap drive chassis approach, remote hand held LCD monitor, 3-4 different camera choices ranging from low cost entry level quality to higher end color with night illumination, and a noise cancelling microphone.

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Warmer, warmer, warm enough? Version 2 for the ATC series. It’s good to see that Oregon Scientific came right back with a new and improved ATC model, the ATC-2000. It seems they listened to ATC-1000 users and tried their best to get it right in round 2. So did they?
For starters, the ATC2K helmet cam is now capturing at 30 fps! This is huge. Resolution is still 640×480 (a 720×480 option would be nice.) Water-resistant to 10 feet. USB 2.0. Slight battery change (for the better). Overall an excellent 2.0 release!
Price. Wow. Under $130.00 US. I’m already seeing these on the web for under a $100 US. This is a fantastic price point. Read on for more!

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The defacto “helmet cam” systems for the last 10 years have consisted of simple security camera style lipstick cameras attached to a helmet with wires sprouting forth like vines in a jungle. The Viosport system has not eliminated the all the wires, but it has significantly raised the bar for lipstick style camera setups.

The Adventure Cam 3 Helmet Cam camera is Viosport’s (now VIO) high-end external analog helmet camera. With a shiny silver housing, 520 lines of resolution, spiral stretch cable, quick release connections, and integrated microphone the Viosport Adventure Cam 3 represents a highly refined version of the typical mass produced lipstick style security cameras. Keep in mind that this is NOT a fully integrated system - this means there is an external battery pack with wires and the the camera itself must be attached to a recording device such as a camcorder (not included) with external video inputs. The Adventure Cam 3 helmet cam comes with the camera, AA battery pack, necesary A/V cables, a camera mount, and a tool kit. The cost: $279.95. Read on for the rest of the review of the Viosport Adventure Cam 3 Helmet Cam system.
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Archos enters the Helmet Cam marketplace with a nicely integrated video helmet cam system, the AV 500 Digital Mini Cam. It appears they have taken the standard AV DVR units and packaged it with a somewhat integrated external helmet cam camera. I’m going to focus on the helmet cam aspect of this package, so I won’t get into all of the other fun stuff the AV 500 is capable of. There are some nice features, but in the end the MPEG-4 SP recording format robs the user of the DVD quality video fidelity. Read on for the full scoop. (more…)