I bought the HDmax from Dogcamsport.co.uk (excellent service, answered every question i had online, and even called me on my mobile to chat about it for a while answering even more dumb questions from me!) – it arrived the next day as promised by RoyalMail. The camera is featured on their website, so for pictures go HERE… the photos are accurate and do not provide any false promises about size or package contents.

As its a pretty new product to the market I couldnt find any reviews out there…so here’s my first review based on playing around and some quick unedited clips of footage:

Package Contains:

1 Goggle Mount
1 Flat Mount with adhesive stickers
1 Handlebar Mount
1 Vented Helmet Mount with elastic strap
1 Lanyard Rope
1 Carry pouch
1 USB Cable
1 AV-OUT Cable
1 AC charger
1 Li-Ion 1000mA battery
1 User manual (CD-ROM)
1 Wired Remote Controller
1 HDMI Cable
2gb Micro SD Card
1 Micro SD card to SD card adapter for use in card readers (not mentioned on website)

To give a (hopefully) well-rounded review I’ve copied and pasted the manufacturers description and will agree/disagree as necessary:

“Here we have a real turning point in the world of high definition helmet cameras. The HDMax Extreme helmet camera has a built-in bright 2 inch LCD screen so you can watch back the footage you have just recorded instantly. It also makes it easier to position your camera and get the shot you are looking for.“

– Agreed, although turning point is a pretty strong term to use the HDmax does appear to use the main features from the other 3 HD helmet cams about at the moment – 60fps@720p from the Go-Pro HD, rotating lens and laser alignment from the Contour HD and LCD screen from the Drift. The LCD screen is very good for framing shots and as the camera comes with the standard 1/4″ tripod mount build in its easy to use as a “normal” camcorder as well as helmet mounted. The LCD screen comes on automatically when turned on and after a short while turns itself off to save battery, although if you want to turn it on again at any point during filming you can using the button on top of the unit.

“But….when the camera is on your head….how can you see the screen to make sure the camera in pointing in the right direction? Simply press the large rubber button towards the front and the camera will fire out a laser beam. Make sure the beam is horizontal and at eye level and you know you’re good to go.
The HDMax Extreme has a rotating lens so you can wear it on either side of your head or even flat on top. Rotate the lens and you’ll get a nice straight image. You can even invert the video by making an adjustment in the menu.“

– Agreed again! The laser is a very handy little feature and the ability to rotate the lens makes framing a shot when mounting the unit on different helmet types and positions on a bike/tripod/gorillapod simple. The laser is bright and a continuous line that is wide enough to level your shot. The rotating lens itself is firm enough to stay in place and if you’ve got naked fingers then rotating it is a little tough, when tried with gloves it is much easier (no conerns about it rotating out of place and getting wonky shots). The laser comes on automatically at the start and turns itself off again, but can be fired up again by pressing the button at the front of the unit. This button is easy to find when wearing gloves and when mounted on your head as it is separate from the power button and still-photo button.

“The HDMax by CamSports uses the same high quality video electronics as the GoPro and Contour HD cameras so you get vivid crisp and clear video no matter what you are filming. It has a wide angled lens of 140 degrees which we feel is perfect for motorsports as well as head mounted applications. You’ll capture a good wide image without throwing the subject miles in to the distance.“

– Full HD outdoors test

– Full HD indoors test

– 720p 30fps indoors test

– 720p 30fps outdoors test

– 720p 60fps indoors test

– 720p 60fps outdoors test

“To start recording, you have the choice of a large sliding switch on the side of the camera or a wired remote controller (supplied) can be used…useful if mounted in the back of a car facing forward.“

– The slide switch is easy to find and easy to use whether wearing gloves or not. The remote switch is on a cable over a meter long and is plugged in under the unit, it plugs in to the USB slot that is not obscured by the mounts or tripod mount which is a well thought out touch – along with 2 sets of sticky velcro pad cut to fit the bottom of the remote switch… very handy.

– All the sticky pads included are 3M pads.

“There is a 3.5mm Jack for audio input so it can be connected to an external mic or an intercom system.“

– Unfortunately I can’t comment on this at present as I did not invest in the additional external stereo microphone… the input is at risk of being obscured by a tripod mount however by attaching the standard mount to the unit there is another tripod thread provided, the rotating lens means either can be used so this possible problem with some larger tripod bases is overcome.

“The CamSports HDMax is water resistant, it can be used in the rain and the snow but if you want to use it in or on the water then you will need the waterproof case coming out for it very soon!“

– Can’t comment on its weatherproof abilities yet as I haven’t been out in bad weather, but there is good footage online of it being used in the snow without problems. Dogcamsports informed it that completely waterproof casing would be available in around 6 weeks time.

“Looking to produce footage for UK television? Not a problem with the HDMax you can choose from several resolutions and specify 25, 30, 50 or 60fps. This not only gives the choice of silky smooth video for uploading to Youtube and Facebook but also standard video files that will drop right in to just about any video editing time line.“

– Selecting through different resolutions is VERY easy in the menu system, in fact the menu system is incredibly straight-forward. I’d have no concerns about lending the unit to friends with limited technical sensibilities as anything they ended up doing could be easily rectified.

“CamSports have included all the mounts you should ever require from a helmet camera like this. You get a flat surface mount, handlebar mount, goggle mount and a vented helmet mount. The camera is fitted with a 1/4″ tripod thread socket on the base and the cradle also has a 1/4″ tripod thread.“

– I don’t know if I was lucky, but included in the box was 3.. yes 3 flat surface mounts with adhesive bases.

– A selling point the websites seem to miss is that the handlebar mount is also big enough to use on seat-posts and the seat-tubes on all 4 bikes in our house, it also comes with 3 rubber strips to use to reduce the diameter of the mount.

– The goggle mount is sturdy and fits the straps of my Thor Enemy goggles perfectly, when attached to the side of a full face helmet is feels strong and does not wobble around much at all due to its light weight.

– The vented helmet mount has slots so can be mounted in both directions and the elasticated strap is long enough and fixes well enough to my vented helmet for me to have no concerns taking it night-riding tonight.

“The battery supplied is a Li-Ion rechargeable cell that gives over 140 minutes record time. You can power the camera externally by USB. A UK mains charger is also supplied in the package.“

– Another bonus of the HDmax is that the spare batteries are only 10pounds, cheaper than the other units on the market that I’ve noticed. As with most products charged through a USB cable it charges faster when the power is supplied by the mains than from being plugged into a PC/Laptop.

“If you want to play back your video on a bigger screen then simply plug the camera directly to your TV, Monitor or HD projector by using the supplied A/V cables. You also get a HDMI cable for watching your footage in the highest resolution possible 1080p.“

– The HDMI cable appears to be good quality and plugging the unit directly into the television provided no surprises, worked simply and was straight-forward as expected.

“To protect the screen when the camera is in use you get a solid plastic slide on cover. We will have other colours available soon so you can personalise the camera and match it in with the colour of your chosen helmet.“

– The plastic cover to protect the screen is a nice little touch and is easily removed/placed back on. the possibilities of different colours is purely cosmetic, but if like some of my friends you want to colour co-ordinate everything you ride with I can see a few selling.

“All CamSports cameras come with a full 1Yr Warranty.
We supply a 2gb MicroSD card with each camera but we recommend getting a larger card. At full quality, the HDMax extreme camera will use around 4gb for every hour of video. The HDMax is compatible with the latest 32gb MicroSD memory cards.“

– The remaining recording space in each resolution is displayed on the LCD screen so if you’re running out of space then selecting different resolutions will allow you to see exactly how much you can squeeze out of a memory card.

It’s a very tidy little unit! Very easy to use wearing gloves or not, the menu system is simple to navigate and just makes sense. At its current price point its one of the more expensive units but does incorporate enough features to feel worth that money, the built in 1/4″ tripod thread means it is open to a large amount of applications and after-market/alternative mounts too.

One happy customer 🙂 Looking forward to going on a night ride with the Trout LL and Trout Mini tonight to test it properly!

So, do you like it then?

i’m planning on kidnapping you and the zesty, then making you go up and down the same hill whilst i film you… then put in some horrible horrible music to make you radder to the power of surfmatt

Its going to have to be some seriously evil music to do that!

How big/hefty is it compared to the contourHD?

Does the screen flip out or is it only viewable from the side?

only weights 115grams with the battery inside it. about the same size as a computer mouse i’d say.

screen is viewable from the side and not a flippy-outy.

Great review, think I’m first to view the vids, nice wrist action when chucking the hat 😀

Looks like the FOV changes between 1080 & 720 then, I think the others do that. Will be good to see it on a sunny day…

why thank you, I pride myself on a manly wrist action!

great review, thanks! I’ll be getting one I think.

night ride unedited clip/s hopefully online later. made the mistake of running both the trout lumens liberator and the trout mini at the same time… great while riding but the spot from the mini is so bright when mixed with the LL that it becomes the focus point for the camera… easier to demonstrate with a vid clip me thinks 🙂

You seem to be lacking in snow

haha yup, had a good 3 days of it, then 3ish days of hardpacked ice on all side roads but main roads fine, then it warmed up for a weekend and it all disappeared! dont have to drive for more than 20-30mins in any direction to find snow though…. we’ve just been very lucky i think.

720p night ride

unedited, bad language when mate has a saddle-cocyx interface – NSFW, bad lighting choice with too many lumens mounted just under the camera. haven’t played with microphone levels yet and well yeah…. its a tester shot… will be many more tester shots before i film something properly to make sure i use the right lighting/mount/framing choices.

ive seen this cam at the London Bike show and Boy is it Big
would not this on my head.
To big and bulky

This camera is actually the same size as a Contour-HD but it has a screen, better video quality and mic input and HDMI live video output!
Other cameras with built-in screens are MUCH bigger!