Several readers have asked about our helmet cam setup - here's a brief description of what we use.
Surfski.info's custom helmet cam!
GoPro Digital Hero3 Camera
The first part of the solution is the camera itself. We bought the GoPro Digital Hero3 camera from Amazon, where they're available for about $140. You can also buy them direct from GoPro Camera.
Since we bought ours, GoPro have started selling a couple of specialize mountings for the camera - like their helmet mount.
When we bought our camera a couple of months ago, these weren't available so Alain modified an old bike helmet to take the camera. He cut a notch in the front of the helmet, then glued a piece of Velcro in place. The other side of the Velcro went neatly onto the back of the camera housing.
Helmet & camera - helmet sacrificed by Alain Jaques!
Using the Camera
So far we've only used the camera mounted on the helmet, although Al made a small mounting to go on the deck of the ski too.
The first time I used it I found that I tended to watch the horizon instead of the front of the ski. This meant that whenever I caught a run, the nose of the ski tended to drop out of the frame and you'd have no idea what was going on.
Using the helmet cam
Since then I've developed the habit of watching the nose of the ski - this gives a much better impression of what it's like to catch waves and the spray flying around the bow shows the speed quite effectively. It's good too to get other paddlers in the frame - to give perspective to the size of the waves.
"Include other paddlers in the shot to give perspective"
There are other guys playing with these cameras here too - Rich Kohler just posted a clip made with the camera mounted on a mast at the back of the ski. This has a great perspective - shows the paddler as well as the view in front of the ski.
Someone else who's been experimenting for a while with cameras is crazy Australian OC1 paddler Rambo - check his website at http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com/.
Editing and Posting Clips
I edited the last couple of clips with nothing more than Microsoft Windows Movie Maker. I also have Pinnacle Studio ver. 9 but it choked when trying to load the raw .avi files. (Reviews say that Studio 11 is an excellent product but I've yet to buy the upgrade.)
Youtube restricts you to ten minutes and 100Mbytes and I've found that it's best to push those limits (at least on the file size) in order to get the best resolution on the site. I used the "High Quality Video (small)" setting to create the output file.
(The first helmet cam clip I posted for my "Extreme Millers Run" blog is much worse quality - and was created using the default "Best Quality for playback on my PC" setting. Don't use this if you're intending to upload to Youtube!)
Alternative camera written by Derek Goldman,
February 02, 2008
Paddlers also have in stock at R1495 a similar product.
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... written by Colombani,
February 02, 2008
Tons of useful info on Rambo's locker (see blog adress in article). Especially a remote control cam on a mast. Rambo is also preparing another cam project : a camera on the boat with a wireless connection with a recorder on the shore... should be great for live race coverage. We're getting close to Formula 1 ! Watching your last video convinced me, I ordered a camera from gopro yesterday. Waiting for it now.... I think that it's great to show downwind runs, but the cam can also be useful to have a close look at one's technique and see what's right and what has to be improved...
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... written by ian newland,
February 03, 2008
Actually Colomani the recorder is still on the outrigger canoe, the wireless signal is only sent to the shore or support boat to be displayed on a monitor so they can control the panning/rotating Cam with a joystick. That way the video footage is still available digitally for DVD quality footage. The prototype should be finished soon and will have a range of 4-6 kms line of sight. Details will be on the blog.
Also a real time GPS/speed and Heart rate display will be visible in the top right hand corner of the video. Similar to motorSports.
Cheers Rambo
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... written by graham,
February 03, 2008
Hi Rob, perhaps you should look at another video service? I noticed that Ian uses blip.tv and his videos seem a bit better. some of the guys from NSWIS used to use youtube but moved to myspace because the transcoded video was better quality.
any chance of getting that cam on dawid/oscar/darryl, it would be great to see some of those guys on a good downwind ;-)
Mast?? written by Jonathan Smith,
February 03, 2008
I like the perspective the mast-mounted camera provides. What did Rich Kohler use as a mast? How was it mounted to the ski? Is there a way of switching the camera on and off when it is mounted on a mast?
Thanks fo the info on the GoPro Hero3 camera. I've been thinking about getting one for a while. I've been holding out for an improved version.
Anyone try the optional suction cup mount? I think the fisheye lense option might be cool when it becomes available. I could see mounting the camera with fiheye on the foredeck looking aft.
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... written by graham,
February 03, 2008
much clearer. i might be heading to SA later this year, going to try and get a Miller's in when I there!
Yes - the blip.tv clip is much better! Maybe that would be a better place to post these clips. What frame rate are you using? The only thing I can think of that would improve the clip is to smooth out the action a little. Thanks! Paul
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