Super small video camera

[newOldUser]

I had a little more time to screw around with the device today.

There is lots of chatter about these cameras on the RCplane site: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1158837&page=7

They love to put these things in planes.

I also saw somewhere on that site that there is another model that looks like a key-fob thingy. It has the same hardware just in a different case.

EDIT: found the link, here it is. http://www.chucklohr.com/808/

On my second charge the device recorded video for about 74 minutes. The less movement and sound that the device has to record the less memory it takes, probably a function of the video / audio codecs. I left the device running in an empty room, with just the room light turned on. It recorded for 40 minutes and only took 890 MB of space. I thought something was wrong with it when I came back into the room. I figured the 2 GB memory card would have filled up after 20 minutes, like usual. There was 40 minutes of video (real, real boring video but I've watched worse on Fox).

The secret to the device keeping it's time.... Never move the on/off switch to the OFF position. That should really be a run/reset switch. To turn the device off, leave the switch in the ON position and put the video/photo switch in VIDEO. Then press and hold the large button for 3 seconds. All the lights go off and the device is powered down but it will remember the date and time.

There seems to be a undocumented function.

Voice recorder. If you put it to PHOTO mode and press the large button once to turn it on. Then wait a second or two and press the large button again, this time holding it for three seconds the red light will start to blink. At this point the green light is on solid and the red light is blinking. The device is creating a .WAV file. The characteristics are:

9 minutes of audio took 46 MB of space.

Sample rate was 44100 Hz.

It's in mono.

Edited January 30, 2010 by newOldUser

[Rod38um]

A standard Kodak easy share camera does a decent job. It does pics and video.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Rod38um

[Gump]

nice details...thanks

[newOldUser]

Okay, I had some more time to use this camera.

Here's what I like about it:

1) Inexpensive - $15 plus the cost of the memory card

2) Pretty good quality photos and videos for a device that is so small

3) Small size means you can mount it just about any where with some zip-ties or stuff it in your pocket and always have a camera available.

3) More than an hour of video on one charge.

4) Multi-functional. Video, Stills, computer USB storage drive and sound recording

Here's what I don't like:

1) The lack of a view screen means you have no idea what you're actually recording. Several times I recorded stuff only to find out later that I was a few degrees off and didn't capture my subject in the video.

2) The device is so small that taking a still picture with it is hard. Pressing the button to take the picture shakes the camera enough to cause the picture to blur or move off subject.

3) Theres no way to delete files from the memory card via the camera. If you forgot to erase your memory card before you left the house, you're screwed.

I don't think this camera will replace one with a view screen for recording motorcycle rides. One or two of these zip-tied close to the road on the sides of the bike might catch some interesting shots to splice into a video for additional angles.

The quality of the video is surprisingly good and the camera is small enough that you can just pop it in your shirt pocket and forget about it.

So I guess I'd recommend it to people who want to take a camera along but don't want the hassle of always worrying about something happening to their expensive camera equipment. I look forward to warmer weather and the chance to test it on the bike.

Edited February 4, 2010 by newOldUser

[InyaAzz]

How would you start/stop this thing on a moving bike, with gloves on?

[vw151]

This looks like an excellent gopro alternative. Do they have a wide angle version?

[newOldUser]

How would you start/stop this thing on a moving bike, with gloves on?

Operating the camera with thick gloves could be tough. You need to be able to press a button about the size of a shirt button. You press it once to power it up and a second time to start recording, then a third time to stop recording. It's so small you might not be able to grasp it properly with some gloves. If the camera is not securly mounted it will twist as you press the button and it might not be pointing where you want it.

You might be able to mount it inside a full face helmet near the chin with some velcro and operate it with your tongue (Darth Vaders got nothing on me..). You could glue a piece of cork or something to the button to keep saliva from getting to the camera. That way you could record your voice comments about what the video is capturing ("...cough, cough...help...I swallowed the freakin cork...cough..").

If you want to record a ride the best bet would be to secure the camera to the bike, turn it on, do the ride, park, turn the camera off or once you turn it on just let it run till the battery dies or the file space is used up. To record a ride the camera would need some sort of mount (rubber bands, velcro, duct tape, shirt pocket, it has a clip on it...) to keep it pointing at what you want to record.

With a little practice you can probably turn it on one-handed, as you ride. Getting a secure mount for it is the important part.

[fusion]

This looks like an excellent gopro alternative. Do they have a wide angle version?

I don't know if I'd call it an excellent GoPro alternative. It's a cheap option for someone who doesn't want/need to invest in something better.

[newOldUser]

This looks like an excellent gopro alternative. Do they have a wide angle version?

I have no idea what other versions are available. I've seen, on the radio-controlled site listed back a couple posts, another camera called the MD80 or something like that. I'm not sure if it has a different angle lens or not. This unit shoots wide enough to cover a two lane road.

With a memory card and camera this unit is going to be about $20-$40. It's best feature is that it's small and pretty cheap. If you really want to record rides you might want to look at inexpensive video cameras in the $75-$100 range that have display screens so you can see what you're recording and delete files from the memory card without a computer.

I like this unit because I can pop it in my shirt pocket. If I use it for still shots I take at least 3 shots because you're never sure what you're pointing at so I take multiple to be safe.

[vw151]

I don't know if I'd call it an excellent GoPro alternative. It's a cheap option for someone who doesn't want/need to invest in something better.

I have a standard lens non HD gopro and this cheap camera doesn't look much better. Here is an example of a video from it on a cold cloudy day. which is where you'll really see the down sides of these small cameras.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efcFxLBg5ew&feature=related

sure it doesn't have the wide angle that you get with the gopro wide and it's not HD like the gopro HD but it's still pretty good and at $15 a piece you could afford to run a bunch of them.

[fusion]

I have a standard lens non HD gopro and this cheap camera doesn't look much better. Here is an example of a video from it on a cold cloudy day. which is where you'll really see the down sides of these small cameras.

sure it doesn't have the wide angle that you get with the gopro wide and it's not HD like the gopro HD but it's still pretty good and at $15 a piece you could afford to run a bunch of them.

It does pretty decent for what it is.

The GoPro has mounts, is water proof, is more durable... The HD adds well HD, takes even higher res stills, 4 hour rechargeable...

Sure it's a good, cheap alternative, but an "excellent" one?