[john horscroft]

Looking for help choosing a head cam.  Any ideas chaps??  Under £200 for sure, preferably nearer to £100!

[SA Chris]

You get what you pay for!

For a POV camera I think the Go Pro is great. Easy to use, loads of mounting options, waterproof. And just under your upper price range;

http://store.magicseaweed.com/GoPro-HD-Hero-960/Item/11739/

May be cheaper if you shop around! Especially if you can get one from the US or Far East; I got mine in Canada for about 2/3 the UK Price.

Not sure if the Full on HD version with all the bells and whistles is worth the extra £100

http://store.magicseaweed.com/GoPro-HD-Helmet-Hero/Item/2431/

[SA Chris]

Have heard good things About the oregon scientific ATC range, but never used them. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=sr_in_-2_p_4_35?rh=n%3A560798%2Cn%3A%21560800%2Cn%3A560834%2Cn%3A1104372%2Cp_4%3AOregon+Scientific&bbn=1104372&ie=UTF8&qid=1308736894&rnid=365489011

Don't think they have wide angle lense like GP, so may not be ideal for helmet mount.

[SA Chris]

How do prices compare in your part of the world?

[john horscroft]

Thanks chaps.  Unfortunately, the budget is never going to stretch to £200 so the GoPro is a no-go..... 

[SA Chris]

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=110355&PHPSESSID=26kg1s4l6hsbalgljflqmvu4p5

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=109557

Other end of market. By all accounts the end result is pure shite though. Might as well stop and take photos on the way and then combine as TIFF. You get what you pay for.

Otherwise I can sell you my old Go Pro so I can upgrade to HD?

[john horscroft]

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=110355&PHPSESSID=26kg1s4l6hsbalgljflqmvu4p5

http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=109557

Other end of market. By all accounts the end result is pure shite though. Might as well stop and take photos on the way and then combine as TIFF. You get what you pay for.

Sorted!  What do you mean I'm tight?  Seriously though, I've found a couple of ex-demo cameras that normally retail for just over £100 -

http://sport-cam.co.uk/ex%20demo.asp?cat=141

Might go for one of these..... 

[SA Chris]

You reckon that will be wide angle enough for biking? The "narrower" lenses seem to result in jerkier movement.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Thread Resurrection:
However much I'd love a GoPro Black they are well pricey. Sports Pursuit had a 'Lava HD' for £45, half what ebuyer have them for at the mo. Tempted to get one just to see what's it like.

http://www.sportpursuit.com/join/779d46

[SA Chris]

Humph. Can't see it without logging on. Is it waterproof? I'm thinking of upgrading from my old Go Pro.You can get the old GP Hero HD for a lot less now the new ones are out. 

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

It's this one (below) can't find any reviews so it might be quite new. Comes with a few mounts and waterproof case. Does fast frame rate for slow-mo but not at 720. Doubt it's better than even an old GoPro but for £45 (£50 delivered) could be worth a punt. Offer seems genuine, can't see it less than £90 anywhere else...[gets credit card out...]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lava-LC-001-Sportscam-Bundle-Accessories/dp/B009H1IPRI

http://www.lavaaccessories.co.uk/product-sports-cam.html

[SA Chris]

For that much it looks worth a punt. Test before using in anger for that powder run though!

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

...looks quite similar to this Polaroid one...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polaroid-XS7-Waterproof-Mounting-Included/dp/B009ETEEAU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ph_2/278-9562435-4866937
still cheaper

[SA Chris]

Might well be rebranding of the same product. Holler if you want some advice on using it when boarding.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

...think your right,  but this review says they aren't bad for the price...
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Polaroid-XS7-First-Impressions-Review.htm

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Holler if you want some advice on using it when boarding.

Cheers, I was thinking of getting a pole and shooting some RAD footage like this...


Girly laugh at the end is optional

[SA Chris]

I would give a girly laugh too. I was thinking of bolting a ski pole to the end of my board to get some footage like that, but not done it yet. The headcam footage gets a bit dull unless there is someone in shot in front of you.

[lagerstarfish]

If you aren't already a follower, The Don of consumer electronics reviews, Techmoan has reviewed a few head type cams

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/category/action-cameras

[lagerstarfish]

old thread, but...

Techmoan has finally found a good cheap action cam - only £60, with screen, with waterproof housing

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/6/9/sj1000-at-lasta-good-cheap-action-camera.html

[Wood FT]

that's great, cheers. I was watching the video waiting for him to say "but... it does melt in the sun" but it never came, certainly interested

[lagerstarfish]

not being able to switch it on whilst it is already in the waterproof housing is a bit of a let down

odd that they didn't sort that

[SA Chris]

Yup. Waterproof buttons are easy been on camera housings for years. Not sure i would want to switch it on and close it up with 7 mm neoprene mitts on. Also nice to have option of switching on or off while in the water; can be a long wait before a decent wave turns up sometimes

[nai]

I took the plunge.

Only arrived yesterday and initial feelings are mixed, to be fair I'm not quite sure what I should have been expecting never having used anything similar previously.

While it's straightforward to use in terms of which buttons to press the operation of the buttons is tricky requiring a really firm press (especially if in the housing) so, for example, zooming is very clunky and there's no way of doing it without moving the camera. Also when zoomed in above about 2x the picture quality detiorates significantly.

The LCD is very dark so you're operating in point & pray mode.

All the mountings are pretty flimsy so don't expect them to take too much hammer.

The lack of on-off switch on the housing isn't that significant, you can perform all other functions and the battery life is good enough that it'll last long enough  longer than you can at your age.

Sound recording has also managed to disable itself twice in under 24 hours, not sure what's going on with that

Jury's out for now, this is a first attempt with it, I'll post up more when I have chance to mess again.

[SA Chris]

Which one did you go for?

[nai]

the one Lagers linked to on techmoan.

Worth reading the comments on there if you're hoping to use it in water, folk have been testing the case and finding it isn't totally waterproof.

[SA Chris]

That plus them saying you can't switch on in water means I will probably stump up for an HD Go Pro when I upgrade.