Helmet / Bike video cameras (Point Of View Camers – POV)or better known as Helmet Cams have been around for about 2-3 years now and vary in physical size and recording formats. I have been using the Contour HD and have about 250-300 hours of recordings of all my bike trips and runs with the Expat club that I run here in the Czech Republic. I have often been asked the following questions which may answer some your questions as well when considering buying or using a Helmet Cam.
1. Q- Which one do I buy?
Ans- This will depend on how much you want to pay and use the camera. I suggest that you go to this web site for a full comparison of all cameras..http://pointofviewcameras.co.uk/helmet-pov-video-camera-comparison
Unfortunatly they all suffer from poor audio recording due to the high wind rush noise from traveling at speed. I do not advise using a normal video camera on a bike as they are much bigger and are effected by the slip stream on there larger body so they will vibrate more plus they are heavier and larger to mount. Cannot be mounted on a helmet!!!!
In most cases (there are a very few with screens available) the Helmet cameras do not have a video screen built in which can make the positioning of the camera a bit hit and miss but you will soon learn to master this due the very wide angle lens fitted of typicaly 135deg you should get most views in frame.
2.Q- How long do the batteries last?
Ans- Between 45-90mins depending on the type and size and remember that the battery life will be shorter on colder days. Using a lower quality recording setting can extend this time.
3. Q- What is the quality like?
Ans – Ranging from medium to full 1920HD which just depends on the price and specification. Contour and Hero seem to be the market leaders check them out on their web sites
4. Q- Video storage and recording time?
Ans- Most of the helmet cams use removable media cards that range from 2-16GB giving you up to 8-10 hours of recordings at full 1920HD and fast bit rate. Just remember to buy class 10 cards to avoid frame drop out and faster write recording time. It is also wise to save your recordings onto an external hard
drive otherwise your PC/Laptop hard drive will soon fill up due to the large file sizes. The recording limiting factor will be your battery life so buy several additional back up batteries. If you are on a long touring holiday then buy sveral media cards so that you can change them every day and then download them onto a external had drive when you get home. They are very small and ligh weight to carry rather that taking a laptop with you. Although I must admit that I do carry a E-Book laptop with me so that I can do a quick edit at the end of the day or if I need to change the settings of the camera, it also enable me make sure that the camera is working correctly.
5. Q- Editing the video is it easy and what do I use?
Ans- You can use MicroSoft Movie maker on a Pc or IMovie on a MAC, I use a MAC as it does not have to convert the file format (Generaly saved as a .mov file)and the software has more options. It is great fun to do especially on wet and cold evenings or in the long dark winters. Then you can upload them to YouTube, Facebook or Twiiter to share with your friends
6. Q- Where is the best place to put the camera?
Ans- I find that on the side of your helmet at eye level is a good position preferably on the side closest to the centre of the road(depends UK or Europe!) that way you can easily record your mates on their bikes as well and you get a better view of the approaching road. Alternativily you can mount it on your handlebar or windscreen, that are a lot of different optional mounts available. Just remember that you mount it on a suction mount to attach a safety strap to the camera as vibration can knock them off! Try to vary the position of the camera to give different views to your video but never locate them where they will get in the way of any controls or make your riding dangerouse.
7. Riding with a Helmet Cam
Ans – When you ride your bike your helmet generaly stays still and you just move your eyes in different directions. So when you want to record something specific you will have to keep your eyes central and move your helmet to line up the camera with your required eye view. BE VERY CAREFULL that you do NOT loose sight of the road ahead and your surroundings otherwsie you will end up under the front bumper of a car or truck. This is where a handlebar or suction mounted camera is safer as you can reposition them and record while you ride along but still keep full attention of the road ahead. One good benifit of using a helmet camera all the time is that it can be very useful information if you have an accident you can show it to the police as evidence.
8. Q- Any more questions
Ans- there are a lot of other subjects that I could discuss but I will end up writting a book so if you have any more questions just write to me and I will try to answer them.

Does anyone use an HD Pro camera??

There is a lot of choice as to which helmet (POV) camera to buy and as allways it does come to price and what you want from it.
Strangely a lot of people forget about the other half of the camera equation which is the question about video editing. With some good video editing software you can vastly improve even very cheap and basic video by enhancing the images. A lot of these POV cameras come with there own software which enable you to download the images to your PC and include some editing facilities.
Even if you do not have an included editing software bundled with your camera, you can still download the file and then import it into MS Windows Live Movie Maker for a PC or IMovie on a MAC. Its great fun to trim out the empty or boring long scenes, add some great music or include some photos to make a media slide show. There are other software packages available such as Pinnicle for a PC or Final Cut for a MAC ranging in price from 100-1500 pounds. I have a MAC and use Final Cut Pro which cost me 1200 pounds and requires a lot of processing power and time, so there are trade offs between quality and time. If you want to produce a quick video use a simple editing program(e.g I use IMovie) but if it is for a production video then be prepared for long hours in front of the PC screen.

I have recorded over 300hrs of POV video footage of which I have proberbly only used 15-20% in finished footage the rest is on the floor! . The great thing is that unlike film nothing is wasted or lost as all the files are stored for future use in other films.

Another common problem is that everyone thinks they must save there video in full 1081 HD image size, this is a very bg file format and takes up a lot of disk storage space and even editing rendering formating time, so unless you intend to make a full presentation or documentory why not think of using a lower format like 720 HD or H242 which will save a lot of storage space and editing time. When shown on a PC you will be difficult to notice very much difference, mainly you are interested in the content of the recording and secondly the quality. What I do is save a master copy of the footage then make copies in other fromats as required that way you can allways go back and make the required quality.

What I would advise you is to go out and buy some external disk drives to store all your original and saved finished videos otherwise your PC hard disk will soon fill up with video files and slow down. I have 4TB of storage and save my original files on set disks and finsihed files on other disks, this way if one disk should fail you have not lost everything except all your hard work. Another advantage is that saving your files on an external disk you PC will be able process the data faster as it is not reading and then writing to the same disk which requires a lot of Ram and disk action

The winter time is a great time to do all your editing as the weather is cold and wet and maybe your bike is packed up for the winter season why not spend those evenings doing all your editing, you will learn by your mistakes and be reay for next season armed with your new knowledge of videogaphy.

What ever you do with your video POV camera just remember, not to allow yourself to get distracted when riding and recording and be attentive of the road and your surroundings at all times, it is too easy to get distracted and then accidents will happen.

If you need any help then let me know and i will try to anwer your questions

Cheers

Al