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November 21, 2005

Motorcycle head-mounted cameras

From weekend speed runs through the twisties to preparing for a documentary of an around-the-world motorcycle voyage, camera mounts for motorcycles are a versatile and entertaining tool. Most typical camera mount systems mount directly to the tank of the motorcycle via a bag with connecting hooks, magnets or an adhesive. While others still have a sort of "Road Rash" camera that skates near the undercarriage of the bike to capture the speed of the road passing by. Head mounted camera systems are one of the more entertaining, though expensive, options for the sheer freedom that they offer the rider. Besides documenting a trip or taping a speed run, you can also use the video to help show the significant others exactly why it is you ride.

The Jones Cam
Pros: Sturdy, waterproof, multiple mounting options
Cons: Requires 8 AA batteries, expensive, aging technology

The Jones Cam, though pricey, is a pretty good quality head mounted camera. It uses a 1/3" Sony CCD recording at 480 lines of resolution and comes with a lapel microphone. Receiving power through a pretty good sized remote power box containing 8 AA batteries. It's fed the juice via an included power cable to the camera. It mounts with the included clear two sided tape or velcro. Did we mention it's also waterproof, up to 10 inches? The quality of the video is high and looks great on replay. A big concern of on-board photography is vibration, especially at high-revs. CCD cameras like this are more susceptible to vibration, and unfortunately this camera is no exception. For most street users, it would probably be a non-issue. Still, if you're looking at a bike camera for mountain biking or motocross, you may want to skip the Jones Cam. Check out the website to view the sample media.

The Twenty20 Helmet Cam
Pros: Good picture, more vibration resistant than CCD cameras, extremely long battery life, waterproof
Cons: Not as high res as others: 400 lines

Similar to the Jones Cam, the Twenty20 Cam is a very comparable offering. Depending on the user, some would say it's all about image quality, while others want the longest battery life with a bomb proof sensor. The Twenty20 is more of the former. It still has great image quality and features a full 30 FPS recording capability as well as being waterproof like the Jones Cam. Both systems come with a noise cancelling high-gain microphone for capturing the commentary of the rider, or the screaming schrill of 16,000 RPM's. The Twenty20 is designed using a CMOS sensor rather than the CCD of the Jones Cam. The CMOS sensor is much more vibration resistant, as well as providing a huge decrease in power consumption. This unit doesn't suffer from the draw back of a large 8 AA battery pack; it runs off of a single 9-volt battery for over 20 hours! This is by far the lightest battery pack of the models researched here. Throw in the lowest price of all cameras, and then Twenty20 is very hard to beat.

The Viosport Adventure Cam 3
Pros: Highest Quality Video, 520 lines, 5 optional lenses, 5 sun filters, only 4 ounces
Cons: Price, heavy cable, large power pack

This is by far the most "professional" version of the bunch. It has the highest quality video, and the most versatility. It has the ability to swap through 5 optional lenses as well has 5 optional nuetral, or sun, filters. This is perfect for extremely bright situations such as snow mobiling or skiing. At 520 TV lines of resolution, you'll never worry about the people at home not being able to clearly see your adventures. The Viosport is the same display used in professional production work for programs such as Real World / Road Rules Challange and the X-Games. If you've seen either of these programs you know the quality of video is amazing, and they take a significant beating as well. One of the only main drawbacks for riders where higher speeds are attained is that the included 5-ft coiled cable is heavy. Not only is it heavy, but as wind speeds increase many people report that the cable can move around enough to start slapping the back of the helmet. A few of our more handy readers would probably choose to ditch the heavy coiled cable and go with a thinner custom straight cable.

Verdict: Most riders will appreciate the low price and long battery life of the Twenty20. However if image quality is king, the Viosport Adventure Cam is almost the same price as the Jones Cam, and offers superior quality.

Posted by Beau Gunderson at November 21, 2005 9:33 AM

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