Helmet cams... The Ultimate Accessory?

“YEAH! Wotta run! That was amazing! We were blazin’!!! Did you see me launch that drop?!?”

“I was right behind you the whole way! I was watching the lines you hit, and was following just a few meters back the entire time! It was sahweeeet!”

“That was seriously the best run I’ve ever done down that! The planets must be aligned… Geez… what I would give if I could only see that again…”

How many times have you suffered that bittersweet feeling of riding at a level you didn’t think you were capable of, and not having the ability to relive, or share the experience with your fellow riders (or uninterested non-biking friends).
Helmet cams are one of the greatest little accessories you can buy… Granted, they aren’t cheap, and you have to already own a compatible camcorder. But oh… the benefits you get if you take the plunge and get a helmet camera setup of your own….

The perks of owning a helmet cam:

Squidly being followed at speed by Tom Patton and the Twenty20 cam

Be able to relive every run you ride like you were there again
You can share your experience with friends
Allows you to film while concentrating on the more important things, like that two meter step-down that’s rapidly approaching…
Lets you film in conditions or situations that would be dangerous to your exposed camcorder
Leaves your hands free to do whatever you need to do with them…
Lets you film the person in front/behind you for extended periods of time when riding.

With really the only negative to camcorders being the sad, inevitable fact that you’ve got to shell out money to do it, helmet cams are the sort of purchase that pay for themselves several times over. In fact, you’ll wonder why they aren’t included with all camcorders when you buy them from the shop (it may have something to do with the fact that 95% of people who buy camcorders are fat, lazy slobs who would never have a use for a helmet cam…)

Well, what do you need before you get your own helmet cam setup? Basically, just a camcorder that has A/V inputs (and of course, somewhere to mount your helmet cam, and somewhere to carry your camcorder). But a word of warning… not all camcorders will work with a helmet cam. When in doubt, first find out what camcorder you have, and then check the list of helmet cams you’re interested in to find out which ones are compatible with it. And be warned... just because your camcorder might have AV IN, doesn't mean that the connection from the camcorder you want will work with it! Check and double check before you settle on a purchase!
Another fantastic place to check out is www.camcorderinfo.com... the most comprehensive reviews I've ever seen on camcorders!

Some of the different kinds of AV ports you'll find on camcorders out there. Does yours have AV IN? CHECK before you buy!

What are the differences between different helmet cams?

What are the differences between various helmet cams? Well, the primary comparing factor is the total (horizontal) lines of resolution the cam is capable of. Without getting too deep into it, the higher the number of lines of resolution that a cam records at, the sharper the image you’re going to get.

Other key characteristics you should look for in your helmet cam are:

Durability
How it’s mounted to your helmet/bike/whatever…
connection /power-pack/wiring style
additional perks, such as microphones, protective cases, etc…

So over the next couple of articles, we’re going to review helmet cams that are easily accessible to the Australian mountain bike community.

Helmet cam review: the Hel-Cam RACE DAY

Our first helmet camera we’re going to review is from Hel-cam. Hel-Cam states they’ve been in business since 1992, which is going fairly far back in the bullet/lipstick cam stakes. In fact, they claim to have designed and developed the first consumer type helmet camera systems in the world, and made them available to the public. So you KNOW that these guys would want to put out a good product with all the history they’ve got behind them. Another nice thing is that Hel-Cam seems to be a small company, since almost every time I called them, the director of the company, Paul, was the one to answer the phone. It’s nice to know you talk to the CEO immediately about the product!

Hel-cam provides a varied selection of helmet cams, depending on your needs and your budget. The basic difference between most of Hel-Cams products are the lines of resolution that the helmet cam provides. They range from $339AUD at 480 lines of resolution to the 625 line model which retails at $749AUD. All of Hel-Cams cams attach to the helmet via Velcro strapping, which comes included with all their packages. All packages also include a gimble, for drilling/mounting onto harder surfaces.

The camera we tested was the 560 line resolution model which is called the “Race Day” model, and retails for $550. This is the third from the top model, which is the recommended cam for “authoring your own DVDs, entry level broadcast or production”.

What do you get in a typical Hel-Cam package?

a helmet/bullet/lipstick camera
a battery pack
gimble mount
microphone
a hard plastic, foam insulated case
Velcro mounting setup
A manual and a sticker

Hel Cam's typical package, shown after holes were drilled into case and velcro attached to camera

One of the really nice perks of Hel Cam is they throw in a professional protective case for your camcorder. Great value!

I was very impressed with the casing that the package came in. A brand name Pelican case, which I’ve seen many times before carrying some of the most expensive camera equipment at professional shoots. These cases are waterproof, and come with “pick and pluck” foam on the inside (to easily customise the fit inside the case). The intended use for this case is to securely store your camcorder inside it, safe from the elements and shock, while the cables run from camcorder to the helmet cam. Sadly, to make this system work, you’re expected to drill the hole(s) yourself through the case in order to feed the cables through. So much for the waterproof part…(although there are ways to run the cable through AND make it waterproof).
Be aware that the dimensions inside the case are 19x13x7 cm so if you have a camcorder that is larger than that, you’re out of luck. If that's the case, talk to Paul at Hel-Cam for about getting a larger size case when you order.

Setting up the helmet cam

Other than customizing the case, there isn’t any other assembly required before getting your helmet cam running. The instructions are simple and to the point, but more diagrams and photos wouldn’t have gone astray. In either case, I had the helmet cam up and running in minutes. The battery pack needed 8AA batteries, which you have to purchase separately. This will power your cam and mic for several hours. Apart from the specific order of which you connect the power to the mic and the cam, the rest of the setup is no more difficult than hooking up your DVD player to your TV. Connect the yellow video plugs, connect the white audio plugs, and leave the other audio (red) plug alone (unless you have a second microphone for stereo sound…). Connected to your camcorders A/V cable, you’ve now got a LOT of cabling to deal with. It’s not exactly a “clean” wiring setup, but that’s something you can change with some electrical tape.

The fitted case, with camcorder, battery pack and extra camcorder battery snugly inside, and the AV and power cables routed through the drilled hole in the case

The entire setup plugged in and ready to go. The case would go in a hydration/back pack, and the cam/mic to be attached to the helmet.

As for hooking up the cam and mic to your helmet, that task is left to one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century… Velcro! By using the included heavy duty Velcro patches, you can pretty much attach the cam securely to almost anywhere on your helmet. Not only does this style of attachment allow for versatile attachments, it also means you can attach the cam and mic without drilling holes or otherwise modifying your helmet (which you should NOT do to any helmet). It also means attaching and removing your cam is quick and easy, and you can cheaply set up other places to mount your cam by merely purchasing more velcro.


Despite it's looks, the velcro attachment was surprising strong	When in doubt, always go for more upward aim of your helmet cam, 'cause it's probably pointed too low...	You can protect your investment by doing some creative cable routing through your helmet	Protect your cam by using the visor	Combined with cable routing, it's a safe, clean system.

When Hel Cam means their cams are waterproof, they aren't just talking about some raindrops...

I attached the cam to both a full-face helmet and to an open-face helmet without problems. After verifying that the cam was sending video and sound feed to the camcorder, I started the camcorder recorder, packed it within the protective case with the cabling fed through the drilled hole, and placed the closed case inside the backpack I was wearing. The cam and mic were so small and light, I wasn't even aware that anything was attached to my helmet. Amazingly enough, the Race Day cam, (like almost all of Hel-Cams bullet cams) is completely waterproof. This gave a little extra peace-of-mind when the notion of riding in the rain came up. Just make sure your protective camcorder case has some sort of covering inside your backpack. (On a side note, you can get completely waterproof camcorder case, mic, and LANC systems suitable for snorkeling, SCUBA and more. Check with the website or visit the discussion forums...)
The A/V connections from the cam come in the shape of RCA plugs (the separate yellow, white and red plugs). Although bulkier, the great thing about this choice is that RCA plugs are easily adapted to almost any other connection type. They're kind of the "lowest-common-denominator" for A/V connections, thus making them very versatile. They worked easily with my Sony camcorder's A/V cables.

The performance of the cam

The cam worked flawlessly, recording images that were at least as good as the normal lens and resolution on my camcorder. I recorded over 5 tapes worth of material in one day, and didn't have to change the batteries to the cam once. Once back at the studio, I showed the quality of footage to my editor co-workers, who work almost exclusively with broadcast quality footage or better, and they were suitably impressed. The audio quickly became unlistenable due to wind noise when riding. A larger foam "wind sock" on the end of the microphone could possibly fix this. The cam did not hold back or degrade the image recorded by my camcorder at all. In fact, if there was a weak link in the process of recording image and sound, it would be the camcorder. The helmet cam I used records at 560 lines of horizontal resolution. My camcorder, the Sony DCR-HC32 offers up to (advertised) 500 lines of horizontal resolution. So the cam is actually much better quality than the camcorder. Mind you, the extra lines of resolution aren't wasted, since they contribute to a better overall picture, but to truly realize the quality of the video image offered by this helmet cam, you should be using an HDD or HDV camcorder (if you can afford it). Also, if you think you'll be using different camcorders, or upgrading your own, then it's probably best to spend a bit extra and try to get the best quality cam you can afford (as opposed to being disappointed with the quality later...)

What are these pictures about?

The real measuring stick between helmet cams is the number of horizontal lines resolution they run at. We've performed this test using the industry standard chart for testing horizontal resolution. First, we do the test using the best, most expensive camcorder we can get our hands one (in this case, a Sony PDX-10P, costing about $3000+ and running at 530+ horizontal lines), and then we do the same test using the helmet cam we're reviewing. After framing the resolution chart in both viewfinders, you can see the differences in resolution and sharpness between the helmet cam and the expensive camcorder. Simply look at the lines radiating from the center square (the ones with the numbers 300, 400, 500, 600, etc... placed alongside them). Using a paint program or something similar, zoom in on these lines, and the point at which you can no longer see the difference between black and white... in other words, it all blends together as the same colour grey, is the highest point of resolution of the cam or the camcorder. Using this, we have a comparative benchmark between helmet cams, and camcorders.


Resolution test of the Hel Cam Race Day cam (560 horizontal lines).	Resolution test of the Sony PDX-10P "pro-sumer" camcorder (530+ horizontal lines, and about $3000+)

To find out more about testing resolution, check out this website.

The Hel Cam Race Day cam, shooting from a tripod. This helmet cam has a healthy fish-eye lens on it. Great for riding.

My Sony DCR-HC32 camcorder, shooting from the exact same tripod, in the exact same position. Notice how much tighter the view is.

The camcorder I was using was the Sony DCR-HC32, a recent lower end camcorder with decent picture and sound. It’s actually recommended on a few helmet cam sites, including the Hel-Cam site, probably because along with A/V inputs, it has an input for LANC (more on this later). However, the A/V connections coming out of the camera are HORRIBLE. Instead of using something similar to a headphone jack, it uses a proprietary connection that only Sony uses. This means you can only buy specific Sony cables, at one length, and probably at shocking prices. As well, instead of the end of the plug being in an “L” shape, so it contours with the camera, the Sony cable sticks directly straight out the side for over 3 cm! When trying to fit the camcorder and cable into the protective case elegantly, this effectively makes it a complete pain in the ass. Along with some other really annoying design choices, this camcorder is not that great. One thing Sony really has going for it is that almost every camcorder they make is LANC compatible. But, if buying a new camcorder, check with the helmet cam sites for a list of compatible camcorders for something other than Sony, or at least the DCR-HC series.

LANCs for the memories!

On the first day of using the helmet cam, we went on an epic day of heli-biking. We rode probably for more than 6 hours in total. Even though the helmet cam was easy to set up, the process of stopping and starting the helmet cam recording went as follows:

stop riding
take off the pack
get the protective case out of the pack
open up the case
take the camcorder out of the case
open up the lcd screen to access the playback record controls (this varies with different brands of camcorders...)
turn on/off recording
reverse all the past steps to put the camcorder back safely in the pack and start riding again

This was such a laborious and lengthy process, that it was preferable to just start the recording, and let the camcorder record until you ran out of tape (which you had to keep track of with a watch). This means a lot of useless footage would be recorded and a lot of battery power needlessly chewed through. We went through 5 60 minute tapes in one day of riding. I'm sure only a total of 10 minutes is useable.
What I yearned for was a convenient, fast and easy way to turn on and off the recording of the camcorder. This is where the LANC comes in. LANC is essential a cabled remote control for your camera, and the most popular version for helmet cam applications is a single, multi-state button. The LANC cable would run from your camcorder, through the protective case, and reside somewhere easily accessible to you, such as the chest strap of your backpack. The theory is, you would set up your helmet cam system (with the LANC) once, and when you decide you'd like to start recording, you'd press the button on your strap. When you'd like it to stop, you'd press the button again. How easy would that be? These LANCs even come equipped with lights to tell you the state of the camcorder! Hopefully I'll be able to do a review on this system, but if you have the chance to try it with your setup, and you have the money to spare (about $150), I would DEFINITELY recommend checking out getting a LANC at the same time as your helmet cam! After a few rides with your helmet cam without one, you'll know what I mean....

Videos

Craigieburn, New Zealand

If you're ever stopping through Christchurch, and you've got your bike with you, you have really got to try this trail... The uphill, thankfully on gravel road, seems to go on forever, but boy... is the downhill ever worth it!
Low Res - 21.7 MB
High Res - 66.4 MB

Heli-biking, Queenstown, New Zealand

Four friends, one guide, one helicopter and a heck of a lot of riding... that's heli-biking at Queenstown. Wanna see a good sample of what you can expect? Check this out... (note: Quicktime 7 needed to view this movie)
Heli-biking in New Zealand - 16.5 MB

Ourimbah 05/03/06

Ok. I gotta explain myself here. My buddy Jeff and I were going to race at the club meet at Ourimbah. But we arrived too late for a practice run, and I get a little nervous before any race, so I forgot to do up my helmet strap... DOH! Anyway, here's the result of my first run, seeing the course for the first time, with my helmet strap undone, and the helmet cam rolling. This is also a great example of one of the reasons why you run a helmet cam... to make sure the camcorder isn't exposed to any abuse that might happen out there. (I apologize for the fog and low angle... the cam was pointed too low on the first run and the cam was catching all my huffing and puffing...)
Whoops At Ourimbah - 5.5 MB

Conclusion

I thought the Hel-Cam Race Day camera was great. It performed perfectly, and the resultant video was fantastic.

Positives

Fantastic image quality
The cam is waterproof
Nice extras included like the Pelican case
Velcro system is simple yet very effective and versatile

Negatives

The mic could use a larger foam mic cover or "wind sock" around the end to cut down on the wind noise.

Things I would do/buy differently next time

Spend some money on a LANC remote control system
Purchase another camcorder with A/V and LANC input than the Sony DCR-HC32, and check how the A/V cables worked on it and then double check with Hel-Cam if it was compatible.
Buy a huge duallie, since riding on a hardtail doesn't do much for the steadiness of the cam. ;)

You can contact Paul at Hel-Cam at 02 4955 4444 or 0412 618 865 or helcam1@bigpond.com

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