Features
Remote Control
A remote control enables you to turn your helmet camera on and off without fumbling for switches or buttons. It also allows for a multitude of creative mounting options – outside a vehicle, undercarriage of a bike, etc – by giving you on/off access to the camera without stopping.
Best of all, a remote makes it easy to record shorter clips. This saves precious battery life, space on the memory card and reduces editing time. Once you’ve gotten accustomed to using a remote, you’ll never want another camera without one.
Video Playback Screen / LCD
Having an LCD screen is important for making sure your camera is lined up correctly. There’s nothing worse than getting back from a great trip to find you’ve recorded hours of treetops and blue sky. An LCD screen also allows you to determine which videos are worth keeping and which are just taking up valuable space on your memory card. And it’s always fun to play back videos for friends without waiting to get home to a computer.
Waterproof Rating
Even if you’re not planning to go snorkeling or surfing with your helmet camera, it’s good to know you won’t lose everything if it falls into a snowbank or lands in a puddle.
Direct to TV Cables Included
The AV output allows you to playback videos on your TV. Nice as this may sound, those cables will probably end up in a box of other useless cables from other electronic equipment. Most people view video on computers, not TVs.
Mounts Included
Accessories and mounts can often add up to a lot of money if you have to purchase mounts separately. It’s nice to have a wide selection of mounting options since you’ll get the chance to choose which works best for your application.
Optics
Lens type
Until recently, the top helmet cameras only offered fixed-focus lenses. In high speed applications, there is rarely a need for zoom. But helmet cam users are getting more creative with the ways they shoot video, making digital zoom a handy option in multiple applications. A rotating lens is also valuable so you can mount the camera at whatever angle is most secure, turn the lens, and your video will still be upright.
Replaceable Lens
Accidents happen. The most breakable part of a point of view camera is generally the lens. Replacing a lens is cheap. Replacing a camera is expensive.
Field of view
Many hands-free video companies are opting to use a wide angle lens in their cameras. The wide angle lens has a “fisheye” effect that distorts the edges of the picture. A wide angle lens allows you to see not only what is in front of you, but also the peripheral action around you. This gives a truer perspective of speed and makes it easier to capture the footage you are intending to capture.
Video Specifications
Video Quality
When looking at the concept of video quality, there are two basic components: 1) Resolution 2) Color
Computerized images are made up of pixels, which are small squares of digital information with a color value.
A pixel has no inherent size because its size will depend on the resolution of the image. With two files of the same dimensions, a file with a resolution of 150 pixels per inch will have larger pixels than a file of 300 pixels per inch. The higher the number of pixels per inch, the sharper and clearer the picture.
Resolution is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display (e.g., 720×480) Again, the higher these numbers, the sharper and clearer your video will be.
The higher the resolution of the image, the more memory required to save or send the image.
Frames per Second
During the editing process, when you slow down footage shot in 30 frames per second, the video appears choppy. Most of the leading helmet cameras offer an option to shoot 60 frames per second. This allows for clear, smooth slow motion footage.
Video Format
A video compression format of H.264 is a great universal format for HD video.
Audio
Wind and ambient noise can be very distracting when replaying video. It’s important to have the ability to adjust the microphone sensitivity to reduce background noise. The pros use an external mic to produce high quality sound and make narration easier. This is especially important when shooting footage from a motor cycle or any vehicle with a lot of engine noise.
Maximum SD Card Size
Maximum SD card size is very important when using a high definition camera. You’ll want to make sure the camera can handle a card that matches the massive memory requirements of HD quality video.
Record Time Per GB
HD video sucks up a lot of memory. Low def videos give you extended record times. Your batteries will generally run out before your memory card is full. When in doubt, carry an extra memory card and an extra set of batteries.
Image Sensor Type
Today, most digital still cameras use either a CCD image sensor or a CMOS sensor. Both types of sensor accomplish the same task of capturing light and converting it into electrical signals.
A CCD is an analog device. When light strikes the chip it is held as a small electrical charge in each photo sensor. The charges are converted to voltage one pixel at a time as they are read from the chip. Additional circuitry in the camera converts the voltage into digital information.
A CMOS chip is a type of actual pixel sensors made using the CMOS semiconductor process. Extra circuitry next to each photo sensor converts the light energy to a voltage. Additional circuitry on the chip may be included to convert the voltage to digital data.
Neither technology has a clear advantage in image quality. CMOS can potentially be implemented with fewer components, use less power and/or provide faster readout than CCDs. CCD is a more mature technology and is in most respects the equal of CMOS.
With CMOS, the size of the censor matters more than the mexapixels. The larger the sensor, the better the resolution quality. For example, a 1/3” CMOS chip offers better resolution than a 1/4” CMOS chip.
Power Source
Battery Type
The advantages of Li-ion polymer over traditional lithium-ion design include potentially lower cost of manufacture, adaptability to a wide variety of packaging shapes, and ruggedness
Battery Runtime
Since batteries are often the limiting factor to your video footage fun-tickets, you’ll want to pay special attention to battery performance. Lithium trumps alkaline. Cold weather effects the performance of both. When in doubt, carry an extra battery, especially when traveling away from a place where your battery can be charged.
