On-bike Cameras

Camcorders

MiniDV

Standard MiniDV Camcorders record to MiniDV tape using DCT intraframe compression format, i.e. not MPEG-2 nor MPEG-4. This results in approximately one gigabyte per four minutes of video. A MiniDV tape holds 60 minutes of video.

The biggest problem in selecting a camcorder is finding one that supports AV-in (i.e. composite video and sound). It appears that virtually none of the current crop of DV camcorders support AV in. Sony has traditionally been one of the best at offering AV-in, and it appears that any model ending in 'i' will provide it.

Since these read from tape, transferring video to a computer will happen in real-time. So, a 30 minute video will take 30 minutes to transfer to a computer.

AV in

• Sony DCR-HC96 - AV in/out, S-Video in/out (adapter), DV in/out ($509.95)

Hard Disk

Hard disk camcorders behave much like the DVRs listed below. They use MPEG-4 compression, which allows them to store more data, but yields lower overall quality. Being hard disk based, it's much faster to transfer video to a computer for editing.

Digital Video Recorders

Most DVRs record using MPEG4 or DivX compression, which yields much smaller files, but detail will be poor, particularly when there is a lot of motion. Some DVRs record in MPEG-2 format, like a DV camcorder.

Solid State

MPEG 4

• Sting by Sonic. Custom DVRs made by Sonic were used in Long Way Round.
• Cylon Systems provides complete, Archos-based kits to UK police.

MPEG 2

• ChaseCam PDR100

Hard Drive-based

• Archos

Bullet Cameras

HelmetCamera.com

• HelmetCamera.com offers several types of waterproof camera. All use Sony CCDs.
  • 380 - $169
  • 480 - $259
  • 560 - $299

StuntCams.com

StuntCams sells many camera models and accessories, though their website layout makes it hard to really compare products. Their higher-quality 'Tornado' camera is obviously made by a Korean company called KT&C, and the rest of their lineup seems to directly correlate with KT&C's products (for example, compare the remote supplied by StuntCam versus that of KT&C, and compare the KT&C KPA-1 microphone to StuntCam's microphone).

Their FAQ is, in some ways, more informative than their actual product pages!

• Tornado 520 Res EX-View Cam $279
  • "This camera is a bit larger and wider than our other bullet cameras, but is the best camera for DVD quality footage."
  • 520 lines 'TRUE' resolution
  • 12V, < 100ma current
  • S/N > 68dB
  • 2.1, 2.5, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 25mm lenses standard
  • optional variofocal lenses 3.5-8mm ($49), 2.8-12mm ($69), 6-60mm ($89), 5-100mm ($119)
    • Note: this could be the KT&C KPC-650CH (standard 1/3" ExView CCD, 480 lines, most likely), KPC600BH (optional 1/3" ExView CCD, 600 lines), or the KPC-DN301CZH (1/4" CCD, 480 lines, remote control).

• 550-line Sony CCD bullet camera with variofocal 4-9mm lens.
  • Image sensor Interline 1/3 inch SONY SUPER HAD CCD w/ HQ1 Chipset
  • Effective pixels 768(H) 494(V)
  • S/N ratio More than 45 dB ( AGC OFF )
  • 12V, 130mA max
  • 100% waterproof up to 6ft

• 520-line Sony CCD bullet camera with pre-wired composite, mini-mic, and battery pack for $185.
  • 520 lines
  • 1/3" Sony CCD
  • 3.6mm lens standard
  • Waterproof if mounting hole sealed with silicon or similar, not recommended for submersion.
  • Note: this appears to be similar to the KT&C KPC-HD230CWX, which is available here for $109. Of course, this version wouldn't include the wiring, battery pack, and mic.
    

KT&C

KT&C appears to be the source for StuntBike's cameras. The full KT&C catalog appears on their American site.

• KPC-HD353CW

  

  • 1/3" Sony CCD / 520 TV Lines (2:1 interlace)
  • 0.1 Lux / F2.0
  • Digital 3X zoom, A/D Key Controller Featured
  • Digital Day & Night
  • Built in Varifocal Lens (f4.0~8.0mm or f2.6~5.6mm manual Varifocal Lens)
  • Option : Remote Controller, RS-485 Interface
  • NTSC effective pixels - 510(H) x 492(V)
  • S/N Ratio - > 50dB (AGC Off)
  • A/D key Features Digital TELE & WIDE, PAN & TILT, Contrast, Negative & Positive
  • 12V (±10%)
    

• KPC-HD230CWX

  

  • 1/3" Sony CCD / 520 TV Lines
  • 0.1 Lux / F2.0
  • Digital 3X, A/D Key Controller Featured
  • Digital Day & Night
  • Fixed Board Lens
  • Option : Remote Controller, RS-485 Interface
  • NTSC effective pixels - 510(H) x 492(V)
  • S/N Ratio > 50dB (AGC Off)
  • A/D key Features Digital TELE & WIDE, PAN & TILT, Contrast, Negative & Positive
  • 12V (±10%)
    

Connectors

• This page refers to a four-conductor phono plug in the Mouser catalog.
• This catalog page shows a four-conductor miniplug to RCA cable, which looks a lot like the one that ships with the Archos 5th Gen travel dock.

Software

This is a quick list of software which may be of use when processing video.

• The Deemon SuperResolution very cleverly yields high-resolution images from lower-resolution input video by combining frames. It may not work well with the high degree of motion inherent to sports video.
• VirtualDub is a simple, but very powerful (and free) video-processing application for Windows.

Resources

• This thread (pashnit) mentions LANC which allows external control of video cameras.
• This page mentions that nearly all Sony camcorders support video-in.
• Hooli-Cam, a page on setting up an on-bike camera.
• DogCamSport, in the UK, has a list of cameras with AV inputs. Note that the information may not be accurate for the US market.
• http://www.ovrlnd.com/DoItYourself/ProjectHooli-cam.html a page on setting up an on-bike camera.
• This post (advrider) contains some excellent information including mention of MPEG-2 versus MPEG-4 compression.
• This post (advrider) links to video files demonstrating a 520 line camera connected to a PDR100 (MPEG-2) and a DV camcorder.
• This page (pashnit) has a rundown of camera mounting options.