For the 2011 Speedweek we decided to experiment a bit with a roll cage mounted camera. It was such a great success for us, that I thought I would share what we learned for those who were interested. After some research, we went with the GoPro HD Motorsports HERO camera (http://gopro.com/cameras/hd-motorsports-hero-camera/). It records in professional grade, full HD video up to 1080p and lists for $299.99 on the website. After a brief search, we were able to find it on E-Bay for $239.00 with free shipping. In addition to the camera, you also need to purchase a memory card. We went with a 32GB, just to make sure we didn't run out of memory. I think that set us back around $64.00 and we never came close to filling it up. Since we decided to mount it to the roll cage, we picked up a specifically made roll bar mount for $29.99. The mounting of the camera was very easy. We simply clamped to the rollbar and we were done. No drilling, taping or other modifications were necessary. The only addition we did was to zip tie the camera mount to the roll bar just for safety. The operation of the camera couldn't be easier. No wires or other plug ins. We set up the camera for "one ****on operation", which meant that we literally just pressed one ****on to power up and begin recording. After run, you click it off and you're ready for the next one. We brought our laptop out with us to the salt. The camera is charged by the computer and we were able to play back the runs back in the pits. Back at our hotel we hooked the camera up to the flat screen TVs in our rooms, which gave us better visual detail. We could clearly read the tach, oil pressure / water temp gauges. In regards to editing the videos, you can purchase software from GoPro or third parties like Power Director 8, Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker and a few others. We decided to p*** on purchasing a video editor at this time, preferring to use the free editing tools offered by YouTube. So far, we've loaded raw footage of the first and last runs on YouTube and edited them down for length only. They also offer the ability to rotate images, add soundtracks and other simple revisions, about all you'll need unless you're a video professional. Lastly the camera comes with two cases. One is a sealed waterproof case which is recommended for speeds over 100mph and the other is vented for other applications under 100 mph. We utilized the sealed case for our first run but decided that it picked up too much wind noise and not enough engine noise. We later switched to the vented case and picked up more engine noise but also more of the high pitched drivetrain noise. Finally, we used the vented case and put a strip of tape over the vents and it seemed to allow a better mix of low end (engine/exhaust) noise and also the higher end (drivetrain) noise. This was the setup on the final run...listen and compare for yourself. You can clearly hear the rear end grinding itself up as the car powers down and comes to a stop. This is our first run: This is our final run of the week when the rear end went south: All in all, this is truly a piece of technology any novice (which we are) can figure out and operate properly. This camera also turned out to be a pretty amazing technical tool. It gave us the opportunity to see the run, hear it and diagnose any problems that arose. Furthermore, it takes some pressure off of the driver to try to remember how the car was driving, when they shifted, how the car handled, etc. Next time, we are going to use the down time between the end of the run and when the tow vehicle arrives to have the driver provide commentary directly to the camera while those thoughts and feelings are fresh.
Neat way to use that camera. I first saw one a couple months ago, at the underwater robot compe***ion...the guy who had it clamped it to our ROV and got some neat footage.
I just got this last night. http://contour.com/ I think its going to put go pro out of business. Check it out.
The camera is becoming standard equipment for the various racing divisions at Irwindale Speedway in California. The video quality is excellent. The camera even survives major hi-speed wrecks. There are many in-car videos on Youtube that use it.
I run a GoPro on my lil El Mirage bike, I love it! If you want to see how it looks to go a "BLAZIN" 67 mph HERE IT IS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8cNkSUviyA
Thanks for sharing..........The end of the 2nd video "Something broke"......Oops. Chris Nelson Kansas
Damn! <object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NfSZzkO5fa8?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NfSZzkO5fa8?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>
I can personally vouche for the GoPro cams. We use 3 of them on BMX bikes, vehicles, and on stage. Very cool. You can get some awesome effect out of em with the wide angle too Very cool and affordable units, and great video quality
I use a standard Go pro out in the desert and it works awesome. I want to get another one and will get the HD version when I do. There is all kinds of cool stuff for the HD, they have mounts/cases for doing 3D video's.
I've used the GoPro for snowboarding and skydiving. So far... indestructible, but the sound quality lacks in high speed scenarios.
I was amazed at how easy the GoPro was to set up and install. It's very light weight and easy to operate, especially with the one-touch option. I'd recommend it...
i prefer Amazon for electronics... no sales tax, and if its from Amazon and not a 3rd party there is usually a shipping discount. either way you end up saving on sales tax.
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