First run after hibernation...

[tunnie]

Not strictly a ride report, but could not wait to test my new toy.

I've been after a bullet camera unit for a while, ever since I saw them at the stalls in the Isle of Man TT last year. But my budget could not stretch to £300+

So I got this cheapo special for £140:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mini-Bullet-Camera-DVR-Sony-HAD-CCD-Camcorder_W0QQitemZ320512577532QQcategoryZ11724QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D2%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7502880208334489742#ht_5742wt_905

Its not a bad little unit, it will automatically cut to 10 minute clips as it records, I can get 6.5 hours out of its standard memory (8Gb), its got an SD card slot for addition storage. Comes with a variety of mounts, while the results are not exactly HD, its come out ok...

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AhVsMeCPsVM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Could not be bothered with HD as its going to be uploaded anyway, and HD file sizes are huge!

 

[Monsieur]

Quite enjoyed watching that - very relaxing

All looks okay to me - nice camera

 

[franco]

.

Cool. That looks great must be cracking on HD. Was that strapped to your crash helmet or your shoulder? Doesn't look like London to me....looks wintery though.

 

[shan]

Looks like a cold Oxford to me . Or leavening Oxford BMW towards the A34

 

[wishbone]

£140 well spent , is it taped to your lid ?? I think I may indulge if wifey permits

 

[tunnie]

Cheers for comments all, to answer a few questions:

1) Nope its not London, it is indeed Oxford, i keep bike at my parents, £2,000 a year cheaper to insure there! I was leaving the BuMW dealer, heading towards Stratford Upon Avon. I refueled there, incase the battery was dead after winter, it started fine

I called in for cost on a new battery anyway out of interest, they want £111 Screw that!

2) Camera is 'bodged' to my helmet using gaffer tape, a mount came with the kit (i'll post better pictures at some point) I plan to use velcro patches as a better more permanent solution.

There was quite a lot of movement in the mount when I was securing it, the bracket moves a fair bit, so I was expecting a lot more vibration/movement, but it works well.

Not bad for the money I thought!

 

[tunnie]

Oh I was glad of the heated grips too that day, bloody cold!

 

[jonny5859]

just seen this post thanks for the link to ebay and the upload from youtube, been looking a camera like this for a while wanted it for going skiing and the bike had to make do with what i had. quality is pretty good like you say no need for full HD.. il have to invest in one myself, cheers

 

[tunnie]

just seen this post thanks for the link to ebay and the upload from youtube, been looking a camera like this for a while wanted it for going skiing and the bike had to make do with what i had. quality is pretty good like you say no need for full HD.. il have to invest in one myself, cheers

No problem, tis why I shared it

 

[AlanI]

Nice relaxing video.......apart from the sound quality of course although it helps to keep one awake.

Question: does this camera have a facility for user changeable sound recording levels? I previously had this problem, if you want to call it that, with my camera (Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth) resulting in the bikes engine tone being drowned out by excessive wind noise. My solution was to place a very thin piece of foam over the microphone input and secure it with a couple of rubber bands with the sensitivity level set to medium. It actually worked so well that I was considering permanently gluing the foam in place, and would have done so had the wife not 'gifted' me the external microphone which is available for the HD170.

By the way, although my camera came with the necessary velcro patches for attaching the camera mount to the helmet I still utilise the belt and braces technique and double up with gaffer tape and with a silver coloured helmet anyway, it's not really an eye-sore. Functionality before looks in my opinion. I did this having read on another forum of someone's expensive camera detaching itself, presumably as a result of wind pressure, and flying off backwards down the road. Smashed to smithereens needless to say.

 

[tunnie]

Question: does this camera have a facility for user changeable sound recording levels? I previously had this problem, if you want to call it that, with my camera (Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth) resulting in the bikes engine tone being drowned out by excessive wind noise. My solution was to place a very thin piece of foam over the microphone input and secure it with a couple of rubber bands with the sensitivity level set to medium. It actually worked so well that I was considering permanently gluing the foam in place, and would have done so had the wife not 'gifted' me the external microphone which is available for the HD170.

Like the idea of a thin bit of foam, where did you get it from? Can't think there i can get something like that, although have seen thin foam at the bottom of Tesco veg boxes!

It has a mic built into the unit, at the time it was just chucked in my jacket top pocket. It also has the option for Audio In jack, so you could plug in a much more suitable microphone, mount that and use it

 

[AlanI]

The foam type stuff that I used (white) is what my spare headlight bulb was wrapped in packed in the box. Waste not want not as they say.