I fancy trying out a helmet cam for biking and snowboarding, but don't really know what's available at the mo.

I want a self-contained one (no camcorder) that's not too expensive. Quality of video only needs to be reasonable. I also can't stand the look of the GoPro 'plastic cube stuck to head', so that's pretty much out really.

Any suggestions?

Cam pro seems to be the reference one.

Vholdr would be exactly what your looking for, ive got one…………unfortunatly mine has been as reliable as a 1970's larda

then again i havnt got the outrageously expensive sd cards they insist you use to actually make it work!

then again i got a very early one things may have improved…..

vholdr/contourHD looks interesting, though I don't see many suppliers (I'm in Belgium).

Any other suggestions folks? (and places to buy please!)

I've been running a VHoldR Countour HD for about 3 months now and its been pretty good, no faults, easy to use, i've zipp tied mine to the headtube, it comes with a few different mounts…
Quality is good here's a few clips from the weekend, the quality is reduced when you upload to you tube the original is a lot smoother and sharper, i've been recording in SD not HD mode…

GoPro cams are the best.

I started using a Flip Mino as its cheap and quality is ok. I got a strap for helmet / bars. I soon found i wanted to do more and also wanted better footage in both video and still.

those vids look nice colin. Can I ask where you got the camera from?

go on http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/mtb-bmx-bullet-cameras.htm

I would give the VHoldR guys and email and ask if anyone in belgium is stocking the camera's…

I own a shop so got mine from me 🙂

I know you don't want one, but the GoPro really is very good and there is a wide range of mounts avilable, which are all very good. The mount is key, needs to be easy to use & wobble free, which the GoPro ones are

there was a review of this on the gadget show, have a look on google movies, the quality is very good for the size, 5cm tall… some of the foootage on a motorbike clip looked very nice indeed! you can get it for £60 if you shop about

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Veho-VCC-003-Muvi-micro-DV-Camcorder-spycam-miniDV_W0QQitemZ190328980438QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Gadgets?hash=item2c507dc3d6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

thanks guys, i'll check them out.

The Muvi's utterly s**t, horrible image tearing- the gadget show review has some footage they did themselves and it's just worthless, even at walking pace.

I'd say get a Go Pro too, sure they look goofy but they're very, very good. You can mount them anywhere, because of the tiny size and versatile mounts.

The Contour HD has higher quality but it's not so easy to mount, you're more restricted in where you put it because of the size and shape. And their customer service has been absolutely awful in the past, they launched the first vholdr long before it was ready then didn't support it when it turned out that the initial run were pretty hopeless.

have to say although I agree that the GoPro looks totally cheap and naff, the quality is excellent. I'm at Interbike and I've just been looking at the quality of the footage from their new HD version and it is simply stunning. They had a basejumper with a wing suit jump from the top of a mountain and it was amazing! They have a really wide angle of view so you get more of an impression of speed.

But yes.. they look rubbish! But deliver ace results for the money.

no one else got or like the Oregon Scientific ATC range? Ive got an ATC2000 which gives similar or greater performance to more expensive cameras (480 x 720 res, about 1hr on a 1GB card). Comes with bar and helmet mounts and still works after I fell head first off one of the highest bits of catwalk in chatel bike park with the camera on my lid (casing is scuffed but works fine).

Newer models have a screen so you can set it up (the 2000 didnt so you had to use it, play it back on you laptop to see if it was set up right).

Seen old model 2000's going for as little as 40 quid new (at toys R us of all places…)

This is my kid bro filming his first track day. Sound/mic quality is pony but I usually stick music on.

See all my videos from my go pro wide. it is amazing!!

Just don't mount it on your head!

http://vimeo.com/user654062/videos

Munge – I have the ATC2K too, it produces 640×480 @30fps only (2Gb card filled in 1 hour)? It's handy, waterproof and cool, but on a bike it's just not good enough because of the rolling shutter cmos sensor – it produces those horrible wobbles you see in your video 🙁 I've been quite gutted by it on some occasions, and pleasantly surprised on others.

Here's a vid from mine, ignore the pixellation/image quality (youboob compressed it horrifically plus I had to compress it off the camera) but check out the vibration handling, it goes wobbly and nuts on rough stuff and I wasn't even going that fast.

igot a muvi and im well pleased with it. dose all i want it to , if i can link a vid to here of me falling off , imean riding.

northwind.. it the muvi IS only bad if you use the stock SD card as it can not write quick enough, a decent SD card and the result is V good, as I said search for some decent footage on google, it walks over the ATC even being half its size and cost!!

Scrap are you using the SD card that comes with it? if so change it for a decent one and the footage will be even better!

Yeah, I've got an ATC2K somewhere too but as coffeeking points out the wobbles are just unacceptable, terrible really. I thought for ages it was engine interference or vibration (I ran it on a motorbike) but then I realised it kept doing it when I was parked 🙂 Not good enough, look elsewhere. They keep adding new bells and whistles like screens etc but they've never fixed the wobble.

It'd be better if it was more predictable- I've had some flawless footage from it but other bits just ruined.

ATC2K being good:

ATC2K being bad:

Crash, that's interesting, and makes good sense- all the reviews will be done with the stock kit after all. I just assumed that the good quality youtube vids were fakes, pretty common "marketing" strategy. I might actually give one of those a whirl then, I'd like a second camera.

thanks for that crash ,yes using the card that came with it just to get used to it before an upgrade. i really am pleased with it, also got the kit from ebay inc del was a very pleasing £77.00 pounds, now you cant beat that, fits on the frame , every thing, i just use a bit of grey pipe lagging to keep it extra secure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIT3wBIsSZA
yes thats me coming a cropper in the first min, as you can see the guy behind was most concerned.

Just found this today, it includes some Whistler biking but the basejump and slow-mo surfing are even more impressive. I'm sold, when can I have one?! There's a PDF catalog too, which details the specifications and various mounting kits.

GoPro HD Preview movies

Looking good that. Shame it needs a specific battery mind. Optional extras seem a good idea, though pricey, but some people will go nuts for the LCD screen

Obviously the moment I buy a camera something better comes along 🙂 On the bright side, I found the receipt for my old seperates system, and it turns out I sold it on ebay for £20 more than I bought it new 😆

God that HD GoPro looks good!

Here's my standard Hero Wide with a few different mounting positions – Seatpost, Chest Mount & on the seat stay. As you can see, the mounts don't wobble at all!

Northwind – it is vibration related, it's just frequency dependant – if it happens to coincide with the framerate of the rolling electronic shutter it'll bugger it all up. I've emailed them regarding this issue three times now and instead of taking it on board they fire back "If you're not happy with the camera send it back", without even entering into discussion. I feel they know its limitations and just want to get on with selling problematic goods.

Its ace on things like canoes and kitesurfing where vibration isnt an issue.