A slightly different what video camera thread?

[heebeegeetee]

Evening all,

I want to take more video movies, particularly in-car stuff. However, I know that if I buy a video camera I won't use it for anything else and it would rather be a waste of money.

Now that the compact digicams have a reasonable movie formats, typically 640 x 480 (30 frames/second) with sound until the memory card is full, would it be feasable to use one of these? I have a brace bar behind the seats in my car to which I could attatch a camera mount. I have the idea that I could just mount a compact digicam to this and fire away with the cam pointing through the windscreen.

Would this work or am I being ridiculous? I did tend to click away through the windscreen with my previous camera (until I gave it away to my nephew) and got good results. However, with what I'm proposing to do the camera would be mounted farther back and I'm worried it would simply focus on the windscreen.

Might I be better off using a high-zoom consumer cam, where 10x zoom is typical? I can't justify the expense of an dSLR as I just wouldn't make use of its features, and having a shirt-pocket point and shoot decent camera is more important to me, but would I get frustrated by its movie quality?

I'd be interested in your thoughts, guys.

[GetCarter]

Never tried it... but my thoughts.

The S80 I got yesterday
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=231477&f=109&h=0

Does up to 1026x780 @ 15 fps or as you say 640x480 @ 30 fps. But I haven't checked to see how long one would get on a gb card... unless you are a bloody fast driver you might not get many laps onto a disc (?) I can check this if you wish.

However - the good news about the S80 is that you can choose to focus manually, so you could overcome the windscreen problem.

... but you'd never be able to fit a bullet cam... which is where (IMHO) all the good footage can be got.

Steve

[agent006]

I tried this with my Ixus, attatched to teh screen ehater vent with a couple of cable ties. Picture was good enough, but sound quality was really poor, could hardly hear the engine at all. I keep meaning to try it in a different position, but never get round to it.

[heebeegeetee]

GetCarter said:

Does up to 1026x780 @ 15 fps or as you say 640x480 @ 30 fps. Steve

That's interesting. I read about the S80 but discounted it as soon as I saw 15fps. Was I wrong to do so? Also, I'm sure I read somewhere that a tv can only show a resolution of 640x480, is that correct, and if so, is there any point in having a higher resolution.

Sorry if these are really numpty questions, its that there is only so much time in a day and I'm already spending too much time on trying to choose a camera.

[GetCarter]

heebeegeetee said:

GetCarter said: Does up to 1026x780 @ 15 fps or as you say 640x480 @ 30 fps. Steve That's interesting. I read about the S80 but discounted it as soon as I saw 15fps. Was I wrong to do so? Also, I'm sure I read somewhere that a tv can only show a resolution of 640x480, is that correct, and if so, is there any point in having a higher resolution.

It does 30 fps at 640 - and in all other repects it comes out as the best camera in it's class providing you can live without raw.

Old TVs do 640 x 480 - newer ones do twice as much (mine does 1280 x something) and the Hi Def that are now on sale do much more.

I still think the main problem will be how much you can fit on a card. I'll see if I can dig out the specs on mine.

OK... I'm back - I have a 1 gb car in and it tells me I have about NINE MINUTES of space @ 30 fps... so pretty hopeless eh? Thats about four laps of Castle Combe!

>> Edited by GetCarter on Friday 30th December 11:57

[cirks]

surely the easiest thing to do for in-car shooting has to be either the bullet cam hooked up to laptop etc OR, just buy a cheap 2nd hand camcorder. Even if you don't intend using it for anything else it means you'll a) be able to control the focus b) not worry about it as much as you might strapping your brand-new camera to your car c) be able to shoot 30-60mins at a time. Plenty of laps of Donington d) hook it straight up to your TV/Video/PC etc for watching/editing.
Only problem I've had using my digital camcorder in this way was at Combe with the roof off and getting the camera drenched by a sudden downpour

[heebeegeetee]

cirks said:

surely the easiest thing to do for in-car shooting has to be either the bullet cam hooked up to laptop

Ooh, could you explain how this works? I assumed a bullet cam has to be connected to a camcorder. Is there a simpler way? I have a laptop...

You're right about media storage using a digital camera though. I'd imagined that I'd just take a short clip of film and download it to the laptop, but I reckon that'd be a lot of faffing about.

So either your above suggestion or a cheap camcorder is the way to go.

[GetCarter]

heebeegeetee said:

cirks said: surely the easiest thing to do for in-car shooting has to be either the bullet cam hooked up to laptop Ooh, could you explain how this works? I assumed a bullet cam has to be connected to a camcorder. Is there a simpler way? I have a laptop...

Most of us use the sony bullet connected to a camcorder with AV in - about £125 from here www.rfconcepts.co.uk/cameras.htm

They work well gaffered to crash helmets too

[HankScorpio]

Just thinking out loud...

Could you use a 30 quid web cam (or less, i saw some generic for a tenner), gaffa tape and a laptop?

http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?c

30fps at 640x480 should be ok and some of them have integrated mics so should pick up some interesting sounds..?

Who's going to try it and post some footage...?

[fergusd]

Res is not the only factor in quality . . . the lens is too . . . plus white balance and colour rendition, etc, etc, etc . . .

I agree that a cheap second hooker mini-DV cam (with AV in) would be by far the best solution (unsure as to new cam costs these days - bought mine ages ago) . . . easily 1 hour record time per tape, decent image quality and the facility to use a bullet is you need to . . .

I use a couple of things on track - DV cam on a hague mount on the harness bar of the Elise, which gives a brilliant view - the cam also has an image stabiliser which works very well for a nice image - I just leave it on full auto . . . www.ziplockk.com/dreadspins.mpg as an example (in my defence it was wet and I had overinflated slicks on the car ;-))

I use the same camera in a padded bag in my caterham with a colour bullet camera - the caterham is fully open so 50% of the time in Scotland that means the camera would get wet . . . the cam gets ziptied to something solid in the boot - in a plastic bag - to keep it safe(er) while the bullet cam gets bolted to the rollcage.

I'd be a little carefull about relying on using a laptop in the car unless it's properly secured . . . not only because it could cause an accident but because on all the recent trackdays I have been on any kind of handheld object (camera / laptop / mobile 'phone) is being specifically banned . . . eg. cameras MUST be permanantly attached to the car (like a big clamp that cannot 'just come off') . . .

Fd