======= HELMET / MOTORCYCLE CAM TEST CONCLUSIONS======
After a couple of weeks of testing both the Adrenaline Systems Superbike Cam and the Oregon Scientific ATC2k sd camera I can safely give reasonable review on their performance:
(check out my original posting above)
The Adrenaline Systems Super Bike Cam Sport model which I purchased comes with all the mounting you will need for your helmet and bike (sportbike or regular motorcycle) . Included in the kit is A Sony 580 TVL Exview HAD ccd camera which produces great images. It easy to connect and weatherproof (it rained on me a couple of times and it held up just great). Also included in the kit is an extreme sports microphone which is sturdy and has a wind guard to minimize the noise.
Hook up was a easy. You connect the camera to the microphone and power source. I then used the included cable to connect it to my sony camcorder.
For my first run I mounted it on my helmet with their extreme helmet cam mount which attaches very well to the helmet with no play. In the next run, I used the Moto Mount sport. This mount is made of impact materials. You just bolts the helmet camera to the mount and with a suction mechanism, attach it to any smooth surface. I secured the unit to the windguard and just about any place I could. What is neat about this mount is it is flexible and easy to adjust. I was able to make up any angle I wanted without vibration or it ever becoming loose.
The resulting video has been great. The quality is more than I expected as, per their specs, it contains some sort of image stabilization which is apparent when I watch the video take through some rough parts of the road.
Because you can do mounting on your helmet or bike surface, the resulting angles when you go to edit your footage add some very cool elements.
For the price I paid, this kit by adrenaline camera is a keeper. One of my riding buddies has a SCOUT by VIO and the footage he gets is just not as good. Let alone the price of that unit is 3 time what I paid.
I also would recommend getting their Li IOn power pack for extended rides. This battery I got just a week ago and it is great as it does not heat up and has a handy switch to save on energy.
Another thing worth trying is their Fender Mount which allows the camera to be mounted on the fender area. This is my next purchase from them (adrenalinecamera * com).
You can get all these together when you buy their Super Bike Cam Sport I but I overlooked this when i first made the purchase
The Oregon Scientific is entirely self contained helmet camera systems which also has an integrated digital recorder. This action camera comes with mounts and is entirely self contained. The mounts themselves are not specific for sportbike or motorcycle use but I was
able to jerry-rig mounting for the bike with some handy bolts and velcro. I used a 2gb sd card which gave me an hour plus footage on my runs. I like the fact that it has no wires.
After mounting it on my helmet as well as on the bike body, I dumped the footage from a few SD card onto my video editing platform. The resulting footage was ok but nowhere as good as I got with the sport bike cam.
The quality was just not there. Also, there seems not to be any digital image stabilization which is a bummer when going through my crappy neighborhood streets.
This systems I would say would be great for web uploading such as YouTube or sharing but not for some quality productions (DVD / HD). However, as a hobby tool to just show off some quick footage it is passable.
But if you want some quality footage and the flexibility to use the recording device of your choice, definetly go with the adrenaline system camera kit.
Thanks all for suggestions and help on getting the right set up going!
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