POV Cameras...GoPro HD on the way!

As my last few posts have indicated, I've been struggling with finding the right tool for a POV (point-of-view) mountable camera for several applications including my motorsports work.

The GoPro cameras that I have have it all...the size...the mounting hardware...the functionality. What my GoPro cameras don't have is HD. In fact they're a bit below full SD.

I've explored using some other small cameras, (Blog post October 6, 2009) but awkward body designs and narrow lens choices have been a challenge to overcome.

We've been making the standard GoPros work (Blog post August 12, 2009), but even with the really interesting images that the cameras are capable of, for video production purposes ten years into the 21st century, the resolution os a disadvantage.

GoPro has an HD product now listed on their website...though it looks as if it isn't shipping yet.

I know I'll be bookmarking it and ordering when it's available.

(I am not given any promotional consideration by GoPro, Creative Labs, or any other manufacturer associated with this post.)


TimK

Vado HD...from Creative Labs

Creative Labs makes some interesting stuff. Most of it aimed squarely at the technology consumer market.

Below, I focused on the GoPro POV cameras that I use for my motorsports work. They're great cameras with well-made mounting hardware.

The problem is that I work primarily in high definition and the GoPro's video size of 512x384 is hard to utilize without really aggressive upscaling...which really isn't possible to do without featuring the obvious low resolution of the pictures. GoPro is working on an HD version, but no word yet on when it will be available.

Upon some additional searching, I decided to examine some cameras that fall into the category of the "Flip" camcorders that are out there as many of them are 720p capable. I stumbled upon a unit from Creative Labs called the Vada HD.

The camera has an on board USB connection for offloading and it charges from the USB port as well...not as convenient as the over-the-counter lithium AAAs and SD cards that go into the GoPro...but I gain the 1280x720p framesize.



This is also not to mention that the camera's form factor is that of a cel phone with an on-board camera and comes with no super-useful mounting hardware. In fact, since it's really meant to replace the family camcorder, it doesn't even come with mildly useful mounting hardware... It comes with a somewhat curious latex "boot" that I suppose is a very useful barrier against liquids and perspiration getting into the camera, though the viewscreen, lens and USB pigtail remain uncovered and available...and I suppose technically, still vulnerable. The unit is oriented vertically and has a threaded mounting hole off to one side. I'm working on fabricating a reasonable way to mount this in a car without the obblong weight of the thing causing strange stresses and vibrations. It may very well end up mounted upside down.

The GoPro comes with the waterproof shell that I've verified myself-underwater.

The Vada is of course, creating aggressively compressed video. The device has 8 GB of storage and for most casual use, as well as for the POV use I anticipate for it, I suspect it will be fine. I've included some frame grabs in the post for you to examine (click on the images for full size).



The PC utility that comes with the device seems to work well...for those who want to head directly to YouTube...you can do that right in the utility.




I've noticed with the GoPro that the Motion JPEG AVI files seem to agree with Sony's Vegas Video without much problem but my most frequent tool, Adobe Premiere Pro, can't seem to run them properly under any circumstances I can create. I haven't completed my tests on a post path for the Vada H264 material, but I'm going to be on that in the very near future.

...and of course I'll need to figure out how the heck to mount it.

TimK

Creative Labs Website

GoPro Camera Website

Fun doesn't have to be HD

I've been out a while I know...I've been on vacation. My family and I vacation near Munising, Michigan where we camp on the Southern shore of Lake Superior. One fringe benefit of the area are the numerous shipwrecks that are in the area, many of them are in shallow enough water to simply view over the side of the boat.

This year, I thought it might be fun to take my GoPro POV cameras and see what they can do underwater. I have two units with 170 degree view lenses, and these little cameras come with an underwater housing included. Since I'm not a scuba diver, I decided to simply mount the cameras on an ordinary paint roller handle extension, one shooting video and the other shooting stills.

While the video is relatively low resolution by today's standards (512x384), the still images are far larger (2592x1944).





These little cameras are a lot of fun and were a great way for all of us to get a better view of some of the more interesting sites that we could have only shown the family through a dive or a snorkel in some extremely cold water...


At 200.00 USD, these devices are the least expensive fun that I know of...







These cameras record to a standard SD card and run on two AAA batteries (lithium works best as you might guess). An underwater housing is included and depending on which package you buy, many mounting methods are available.

GoPro website