Helmetcam designed for X Games…price says so

To meet our yin/yang quota, our friends across the pond have developed a camera targeted directly at you my extreme sports friend. The Predator VX360 hits what might be the very top of the line for the helmet cam category. Once sticker shock has settled, you’ll see why Predator Technologies priced this bad boy close to $900. Predator claims a three meter submersion (that’s almost 10 feet for us stateside folks) which is nothing to scoff at. Let’s be honest though, for most uses of a helmet cam with extreme sports, would you really ever need more than 3 meters? We didn’t think so. The rugged outer shell is superior to any other design that is currently on the market allowing you to be clumsy without regrets.

In a design paradigm shift, the cam has two separate parts for the video camera and the recording mechanism. Not all together bad, but around here we like simplicity and when the website mentions “cable management” it makes us gag. The nifty side of the coin is that you can check the mount angle of the camera on the LCD screen after it’s set up and with the playback functionality you can also watch the sick move you just pulled right after you land it. It has it’s use. The camera can rotate 360 degrees and is easily adjusted on the mount.

Specs for the camera and LCD screen are straight from the horses mouth below:

Aside the cheesy A-Team music playing in the background (really guys…really) the video below is pretty rad. The video quality is good enough for youtube but where the Predator really stands out is the stability of the image which tromps the competition. Don’t take my word, peep the vids yourself.

Lots more videos can be found here via YouTube and Vimeo.

Overall a great, light, waterproof rugged helmet cam…but just too expensive to be feasible. C’mon guys, it’s a recession…

VholdR CountorHD 1080p…same form factor

GoPro isn’t the only kid on the block pumping out a 1080p updated product this week. Given the totally rad temperatures most of the US is experiencing right now, we’re all itchin to get this noose (ahem: tie) off our necks and get a whiff of the great outdoors.  This is a much needed update for VholdR to maintain their market share and keep those youngsters happily youtube’n. The package dimensions are dang near identical to the 720p version that VholdR dropped on the market in the not so distant past. The frame rates for HD are the 30fps average for the output resolution.

Button layout here is key and done very well with the audience in mind. The bonus for winter sports nuts is the ability to keep your gloves on and hit (slide) the larger than life record button atop the device. Nice touch guys…our warm fingers thank you.

Besides the wind noise from the mic, this camera is lightweight, several mount points, descent battery life, up to 16GB storage, great hardware layout/design, and throws out HD quality for a list price a penny list $300….what else do you want? Careful with the winter or water sports though, this device isn’t waterproof (only water resistant). Whether or not the camera can take your compound cranial crash is yet to be tested. At least your helmet is on. Specs are below.

Details

5 Megapixel Sensor
Codec: H.264 (AAC audio)
File Type: .mov

Audio

Internal Microphone
AAC Audio Compression

Lens

135° – 960p and 720p
110° – 1080p and WVGA

Memory

Removable MicroSD
SDHC compatible
Capacity: 16GB (2GB included)

Easy Edit Software

Compatible with:
Mac (10.4, 10.5, & 10.6)
Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7)
Videos Download via USB 2.0

What’s In the Box

ContourHD Camera
MicroSD Card (2GB)
Goggle Mount
Flat Surface Mount
Rechargeable Battery (3hrs)
USB Cable

Battery & Power

Removable Lithium-Ion Battery
Record Time: Up to 3 hours
Chargia via USB to Computer
or chargers (sold seperately)
Charge Time: 4 hours (average)

Body

Water Resistant
Aluminum and Fiberglass Body
Compatible with TRail Mount System

Full product specs here.

Engadget also has a pretty sick inside/pre-release review here.

GoPro’s Hero wants you to say “hey ya’ll watch this”

GoPro is at it again, this time with some major PR heading up their Helmet Hero 1080p camera push. This one eyed monster is placed in the totally worth it category if you don’t already have a helmet cam. This isn’t an essential upgrade if you’re already sporting a semi-useful waterproof helmet cam though, save your bones for a new Waterproof Adventure Camera. They have our hearts with all the videos found here which are totally treacherous and worth a few moments of your time. There’s also a full PDF press release that can be found here. Starting price right under two Benjie’s.

What’s Included:

• 5 Megapixel HERO Wide Camera with 170º Wide Angle Lens
• 1 Shockproof/Waterproof Quick-Release Housing
• 1 Headlamp-Style Head Strap
• 1 Vented Helmet Strap
• 2 Curved, 3M™ Adhesive Mounts
• 2 Flat, 3M™ Adhesive Mounts
• 1 Three-Way Pivoting Side Arm Assembly
• 2 Quick-Release Buckles
• 1 USB/RCA Combo Cable
• Warranty: One Year

SD card not included

The camera itself is a bit bulky but GoPro provides a whole schlew of mounts for a car, hadlebar, roll bar, head, grab bag, surf board, rc car, kayak, etc. Replacements parts seem plenty and fairly priced on their website if you happen to break/lose a part. Here’s the listed specs for this beast:

SPECS

Model Number: GHHW5170

Resolution: 5 megapixel (2592×1944) photo, 512×384 video

Sensor: CMOS

Video Format: MJPEG, 30 fps, saved as .AVI file

Optics: glass lens, f/2.8 aperture, with ultra-wide 170º angle of view

Modes: video, standard photo, photo every 2 or 5 secs, 3x photo burst sequence, self timer, upside down photo/video flip

Exposure Control: auto

White Balance: auto

Self Timer: 10 seconds

Microphone: built-in with adjustable recording/input level

Audio Format: 8kHz, mono

Memory: 16 MB internal, expandable to 2GB with SD card (not included), expandable to 4GB with SDHC card (not included) via free software download from GoPro website—available soon

Capacity: 56 minutes video (incl. audio) or 1,945 photos with optional 2GB SD card. 1hr 52min video (incl. audio) with optional 4GB SDHC card—available soon

Power: 2x AAA batteries (not included), lithium batteries highly recommended. 3hrs. video recording with lithium, 2hrs. with NiMH

TV Out (with RCA cable): NTSC or PAL

PC Connection: USB + RCA combo cable

PC Compatibility: Windows ME, 2000, XP, and Vista; Mac OS X 10.2 and later

Waterproof: rated to 100 feet/30 meters

Dimensions: 1.75″ x 2.30″ x 1.25″/4.45cm x 5.84cm x 3.18cm (H x W x D)

Weight: 4.9 oz/139 g

Samsung has the concept right…that’s where it ends

We like where Samsung is headed with the SC-X300L…and then we saw this baby reviewed by engadget and totally lost interest. The form factor is just clumsy and hard to strap on, which sorta defeats the whole point of a “wearable” camcorder. For $449.99 there are many many other options.

Peep their review here and prepare to be underwhelmed.

VholdR is Being John Malkovich

Lookin’ to do something totally treacherous? Then you should probably be wearing a helmet, and while you’re at it might as well attach an HD camera to it. Whether framing a sick move…or just making sure you catch your bud biting it…chump…VholdR’s new ContourHD is a must have for any serious endeavors. Plus chicks dig a rad video of you eating it to go along with your new tattoo. This beast hosts:

• Tough shell of aluminum and fiberglass
• Water resistant (not all cams are waterproof)
• All-in-one helmet cam (i.e.: no wires)
• HD 720p resolution (30fps)
• Internal mic – AAC
• 16GB memory capacity (2GB included)
• 4.2 ounces
• full specs

You could press 8 hours of moves on the memory but sadly the battery will only last you about 2 hrs. So until we’ve learned to adequately harness the power of the sun, bring backup batteries for those back country days. Stunning review by the crew over at Helmet Camera Central can be found here. Engadget also did a kickin review that can be found here. It can be yours now for $279 smackaroos. Check it below (wind sounds thrown in for free).