Camcorderinfo.com Message Board - In search of good solid state vid cam

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Seaking

I do a lot of motorcycle cam vids amongst other subjects, and after having tried a variety of bullet cams and recording devices, felt the results should be better. Best results are with a MiniDV cam (Canon Optura XI) but the constant banging and handling over rough roads and streets will certainly wreak havoc to the camera.. And it can't readily be mounted a helmet for side to side pans. Rigid mounts to the bike bars or fender (sticky feet) is risky for an expensive camera.

I have been seeing this 'tapeless' camera, using media cards to capture DVD quality video, they are slim and tall and some offer a variety of features, like MP3 player, video play back, but all record video to a media card. This is what I'm looking for. It's small enough you can mount to a helmet (some buckshee work involved) or to the bike with a smaller shock absorbing mount.

Unfortunately, doing review searches online these days is getting troublesome as most search results hit on ad pages, sales pages and the most stupid of review sites out there, wasting a lot of time and not finding out which camera out there would best suit my needs.

Does anyone have much experience with these genre of camera as to which is the best bang for the buck, and which gives the best video results. Not too worried about picture taking abilities, but looking for the best video results that will allow you to take the footage and render to DVD format and download (wmv/qt) formats..

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

poncho

Seaking

Have you looked at ChaseCam - Solid State Digital Personal Video Recorders: http://www.chasecam.com/recorders/pdr.htm

They have some sample footage on the site
I have no experience with the unit.
Rich

Thanks, I had already checked them out and it's not quite what I am looking for. It's an expensive setup. Their video results are sub-par to what I need. A bullet cam can't give you as good a video result as a video camera itself can. I have a 580 Sony Bullet Cam which works great but only if all the lighting conditions are excellent. MC riding doesn't always give you the optimum conditions. Even when recording to a MiniDV.

What I'm looking for are for those small hand held video cameras that do not require tape or CD/DVD but records on the small media cards. Sony makes them, Mustek and others have them but try to get a proper consumer review on any of them is next to impossible.

Seaking

Have you looked at ChaseCam - Solid State Digital Personal Video Recorders: http://www.chasecam.com/recorders/pdr.htm
They have some sample footage on the site
I have no experience with the unit.
Rich

Well after a lot of searching I found what I needed, the Panasonic SDR-S150. Armed with a 90 min battery and 8G SDHC card for close to 90 mins of XP recording, this small unit will do what I need it for, small enough to cart around on biking events, mount on the bike or helmet and give a nice enough video and pics for all my needs. Better than lugging around the Canon XI (size and weight) and better than using a bullet cam (could never get a good qual video from it no matter what).

Seen enough video samplers the guys sent me to make it quite the capable unit.

Cheers

Adjudicator

poncho

Well after a lot of searching I found what I needed, the Panasonic SDR-S150.Wow....

I never though about that model, glad it worked out.

Rich

Seaking

I may be a little late on the reply, but did you check out the Samsung Sports cam? It's rugged, with an external cam--though it might not have the quality video you are looking for. Seemed to cover alot of your other requirements though. . .
http://www.samsung.com/Products/Camcorder/DigitalMemory/SC_X205LXAA.asp#
Adj

Yes a little late, I placed my order for the Pana vid cam last night.

I had heard of this Samsung model but this was the first time I had been able to look at it and specs. Interesting little kit it is for sure. Unfortunately it's more promise than actual quality. The reviews I did find on it had most people complaining that the quality wasn't very good at all and that most people were returning their units for refunds. Erk! A nice idea, poor execution of a plan is what it looks like.

However, the samplers I'd seen on the Panasonic show me that its the camera I can use for my work and play.. quite impressive.

Thanks though, much appreciated

Seaking

Wow....

I never though about that model, glad it worked out.
Rich

yeah, I did a lot of research on it, got people to show me their sample videos and pics and its quite the capable camera. Though not highly reviewed, the good of the camera heavily outweight the cons of the camera for my specific needs. People complained about the low light abilities, but I need it for mostly outdoor shoots. The complain on the limitations on battery life and recording media lengths. An extra battery (good price) and now cheaper higher volume SDHC cards, confirmed to work by several people, will give you close to 90 mins of highest recording quality. More than enough for what I need. And it will record while the LCD is closed, not many cameras will do that.

BUT keep in mind the nature of the camera, it's an SD camera, no moving parts, small in size, large in features and abilities. I am sure it will not give me video quality anything close to what I get with my DVC30 but it's comparable to what I get with my Canon Optura XI, which is quite good in it's own. But now I won't have to run tape. Good thing I have a bunch of SD cards laying around the house doing nothing ; )

So last night I purchased one, with UV filter and extra battery and should have it in my hands within 2 weeks (USPS delivery to avoid UPS's insane charges to deliver something to Canada). After that, I'll let you know if it's the cat's meow or the dog's slobber.

Another biker who was looking at the same camera is waiting to hear how I fare with it. He's also suggested a new mounting system where a light weight clamp to the top of the windscreen would work nicely. Since the camera itself is lightweight and narrow, there won't be much wind push on it at speeds and will keep the camera up front where you can reach it, and still point it by turning the bars when stopped to catch scenery etc. However, helmet mounting is what I'm aiming for to get side views while riding.

The 90 min recording time will be perfect for running the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton this summer. Amazing trail along the Nova Scotia Highlands. hehe.. Oh yeah, I have grand plans for this camera.

Cheers

Adjudicator

Seaking

I'm not sure the type of bike you have, but I've had a lot of luck with Rammount products for mounting not only video cameras, but also my GPS, radar detector, etc. I have two Ram mount balls attached to the handlebars of my Harley, and interchange devices as needed. I'm really pleased with them. As long as you lock them down, they are very secure, and there are many options for various mount locations and devices...

http://www.ram-mount.com/camera_mount/camera_mounts.htm

Adj.

hehe funny enough I have one of those RAM Mounts that came with my Garmin Zumo 450. Unfortunately, according to the RAM site, the clamp will fit on bars 1" or less. I have phat bars of 1.5 inches diameter. But the set up is a simple enough design that I should be able to buckshee something together easily enough..

Thanks for the info!

Adjudicator

hehe funny enough I have one of those RAM Mounts that came with my Garmin Zumo 450. Unfortunately, according to the RAM site, the clamp will fit on bars 1" or less. I have phat bars of 1.5 inches diameter. But the set up is a simple enough design that I should be able to buckshee something together easily enough..

Thanks for the info!

Check around a little more, i'm sure there is one that would fit. One option might be the:

http://65.102.174.116/rammount/productdetail.aspx?partnumber=RAM-B-108B&searchTerm=ramb108&item=4

That goes 1.5" to 2.0". There are other ones that are more like a vise clamp, but I wouldn't trust those with an expensive camera.

I'm looking to get the Panasonic AG-HSC1U or the HDC-SD1 and mounting that on my bike. I wanted the better video and am willing to sacrifice current editability options, to hopefully future-proof myself a little bit. I've held this unit and it is pretty darn small. I'd prefer a pistol grip style camera, but just haven't found one with good enough video quality AND optical stabilization. I'm hoping this Panasonic will be a good balance of size, video quality, lens quality, and optical stabilization.

Adj.

Seaking

Check around a little more, i'm sure there is one that would fit. One option might be the:

http://65.102.174.116/rammount/productdetail.aspx?partnumber=RAM-B-108B&searchTerm=ramb108&item=4

That goes 1.5" to 2.0". There are other ones that are more like a vise clamp, but I wouldn't trust those with an expensive camera.

I'm looking to get the Panasonic AG-HSC1U or the HDC-SD1 and mounting that on my bike. I wanted the better video and am willing to sacrifice current editability options, to hopefully future-proof myself a little bit.
Adj.

oooh nice mount. Prolly perfect for my needs and similar to what I'm designing. I got my Zumo 450 GPS yesterday and got to see what the RAM mount looks like upfront. Adapting it for camera work isn't going to be that difficult or expensive.

And like you, I prefer to get quality over size, hence why going for the Pana SDR-S150 instead of wasting my time with the bullet cams. They just don't seem to work as well as people are trying to tell you they should. No one around here can get super decent video.. sure scale it right down for web work no probs but you really can't see much then.

BTW, the Zumo 450 is a great kit, but if you plan to get one for bike and auto use, step up to the 550 as it comes with all the accessories you'll need for the auto. If I were to spend $$ for those accessories, I would have spent the same amount as the 550 kit lol. But luckily I already got my hands on those items for free.. ; )

Seaking

Check around a little more, i'm sure there is one that would fit. One option might be the:

I'm looking to get the Panasonic AG-HSC1U or the HDC-SD1 and mounting that on my bike. I wanted the better video and am willing to sacrifice current editability options, to hopefully future-proof myself a little bit. I've held this unit and it is pretty darn small. I'd prefer a pistol grip style camera, but just haven't found one with good enough video quality AND optical stabilization. I'm hoping this Panasonic will be a good balance of size, video quality, lens quality, and optical stabilization.
Adj.

I have my Garmin 450 and now my Panasonic SDR-S150 camera and wow, both units are awesome! And the fun thing is that the camera comes with a hard rubber nub that you can screw in the bottom and it fits the top of the RAM mount nicely! Sweeet! But I might just get the proper camera mount from RAM anyway..

The Panasonic S150 camera is very sweet! It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be and it takes excellent video. Though more expensive than a bullet itself, the price is comparable when you consider you don't need the digital recorder. The S150 can take nice photos, and video, all in one unit. Just perfect for taking to bike rallies and events. I just have to figure out how to mount it to the helmet (head swivel shots). I also picked up a UV Protective lens as well for it.

Oh yeah, tis gonna be a sweet ride season.. now if only I can get the bike back from the customizer, I'll be all set to ride.

Adjudicator

Seaking

Sounds great. I'm really tempted now to get the Garmin 450. I use a Garmin Quest right now, and although it is a nice little unit, it doesn't seem tailored for bikes as well. Not as functional without the big touchscreen buttons like the 450.
Sounds like you got the right fit for a camcorder.
Have a great riding season, and make sure to keep your eyes on the road and not on the toys!
Adjudicator

if you're thinking of getting the 450, might as well go for the 550 even if you're going to use the Bluetooth, XM radio stuff. The 550 comes with all the bike and car adapters and mounts, plus AC adapter which the 450 only has what you need for the bike. After you buy the AC and car Adapter and the car mount, you've spent more than having bought a 550. My failure to have noticed this. Oh well.

yeah, it's gonna be tricky to get used to the GPS while riding. Like any smart rider, you only glance down at it periodically to make sure you're on the right track and only work it while stopped. But the main use for me is route tracking. The supplied software seems to work nicely in this regard.

The S150 camera, tiny as it is, weighs about the same as the 450 does as far as I can tell by holding them, so I don't think the RAM mount will have too much trouble handling it..

I'll let you know how it all works out.