Attatching the camera?

Cab · June 2007

Just got an ATC2000 camera. Nice bit of kit, the build quality seems high and the attatchments all seem more or less workable.

How do you guys favour attatching it? Silicone rubber thing to the side of the head/helmet, velcro straps through helmet vents, or what? Tried it on top of the helmet this morning (don't usually wear the helmet) and that seems to have given me a good view, if slightly higher than I normally see things from.

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thereisnospooncp · June 2007

I normally have mine mounted on the handlebars but you do get a bit of vibrations coming through on the images. I tried it on my helmet and I probably fastened it incorrectly as I had neck ache the next day due to the extra weight.

http://lifeonthetube.blogspot.com/

Archcp · June 2007

I wear mine on the helmet - attached with the short velcro through two vents slightly to the side of centre - it does pull the helmet over a bit, but it's an old one and doesn't fit so snuggly as it should. I've just bought a new helmet (and left it at a friend's house - Doh!) which I think will have vents better placed to fit it on top dead centre. I also found the handlebar mount a bit too jittery.

Haven't got round to using the silicone strap yet, that'll be the way to attach it to my equestrian helmet - no vents.

You'll find it's a matter of trial and error getting the angle right - too much tarmac or too much sky. It may take a few trips to get it right...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Cab · June 2007

First play with it worked out well, got a nice view of the road ahead and around with the camera mounted right on top of the helmet. Got a lot of stares though; a bus driver gave me a suspicious look and then smiled and waved, some coppers gave me a really long stare. Got lots of room on the road too. Totally uneventful ride to work and home again (working at home this afternoon).

Just feels a bit odd having it right on top of my head, and the images look like they're taken from too high if that makes sense.

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Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Cab

First play with it worked out well, got a nice view of the road ahead and around with the camera mounted right on top of the helmet. Got a lot of stares though; a bus driver gave me a suspicious look and then smiled and waved, some coppers gave me a really long stare. Got lots of room on the road too. Totally uneventful ride to work and home again (working at home this afternoon).

Just feels a bit odd having it right on top of my head, and the images look like they're taken from too high if that makes sense.

Free baby elephants for every citizen
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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yeah, get used to the looks... [:)] I had a bunch of drunken blokes last week shouting "Hey, its the CID!" Not sure why a camera and a faux-police (POLITE) jacket would make me a plain clothed copper...

Also, you'll start to practise pointing the camera at things. I find that when my head is upright, it points up, so to 'look' at something when stationary, I have to tilt my head down and look at it as if over the top of a pair of half moon glasses - very school-ma'mish.

And you realise how much you use your periferal vision. I've often looked at things behind me, and the camera doesn't go round far enough, because I mostly move my eyes, not my head. So to film something, you need a more exagerated head movement. So you may end up looking like the result of the union of a Cyborg and a Mime Artiste...[;)]

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Archcp · June 2007

I think it may be the fever, but I have this image now of a bunch of dismounted cyclists, all clad in lycra and helmets with cameras, on a lawn, doing a sort of Tai Chi exercise in unison, practising slow sweeping panning of the camera...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Ghost Donkey · June 2007

I'm finally in business and got a good view of the sky and some roofs this morning at the kind of sideways angle they used to use in the old batman tv series. Never mind, hopefully better on the return.

domtyler · June 2007

These things sound dangerous and distracting. You should concentrate on what is going on around you rather than fiddling with video cameras.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
________
Lamborghini concept s

Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by domtyler

These things sound dangerous and distracting. You should concentrate on what is going on around you rather than fiddling with video cameras.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Porridge not Petrol
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Once it's on and running, you don't have to fiddle with it. You review the footage, adjust it a bit, and try again the next time.

Ghost Donkey, I get that angle thing sometimes - because of my helmet tipping over a bit. You can twist the camera within the mount to compensate. I'm hoping my new helmet will cure it...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

thereisnospooncp · June 2007

Hi Arch, any chance of a couple of pics of the actual velcro fitting on your helmet so I can see how your's is fastened.

TIA

http://lifeonthetube.blogspot.com/

Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by thereisnospoon

Hi Arch, any chance of a couple of pics of the actual velcro fitting on your helmet so I can see how your's is fastened.

TIA

http://lifeonthetube.blogspot.com/
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yeah, might be able to manage that - although I left my digital camera at home, and I don't know how good a still from the helmet cam will be... Meanwhile, in case it's tomorrow before I get a decent pic, at the bottom of this page:

http://www.cyclingplus.co.uk/forum/topi ... hichpage=7

is a link to magnatom's fixing pic...

Edit: No, just had a try and the light's not really good enough. I'll try to remember to bring the stills camera in tomorrow...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Cab · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by domtyler

These things sound dangerous and distracting. You should concentrate on what is going on around you rather than fiddling with video cameras.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

I put it on and completely ignored it. Can't see any danger to it.

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Archcp · June 2007

Here are a couple of shots of my set up - don't know if they'll help:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/Sue ... unt003.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/Sue ... unt001.jpg

I found the mount and strap a bit fiddly to arrange at first - tried various combinations of looping the strap through the slots. I think you just have to play about until you get something that works...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Cab · June 2007

Thanks Arch! I hadn't considered mounting it on the side with that strap, but what you've done there makes sense. I might have a play.

I'll try and post pics of what I've done sop far; basically its mounted right on top.

I'm getting good footage of my route, but I don't have the hang of pointing it at things as they pass yet. I was trying that while stopped at junctions this morning, trying to point at things going past, turning my head to get things behind me. Still not on target there yet. A matter of practice I think.

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Archcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Cab

I was trying that while stopped at junctions this morning, trying to point at things going past, turning my head to get things behind me.

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<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

You'll need the neck muscles of an owl! You really have to turn your head a long way!

Actually, once I have my new helmet, I'm going to go for mounting on top - the vents on the new one, and a flatter top, should allow it better. I find the weight drags the helmet over a bit and leads to a funny angle. Although a better fitting helmet might also help that.

Did occur to me that one could make a pad, out of that sort of pretty stiff foam they use to pad camera boxes and so on. Shape it to fit the 'spines' between the vents, and with a flat surface for the mount to sit on...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Tynancp · June 2007

blimey, they are a bit robocop aren't they, I can sew why the peds get excited, they're much bigger than I expected too

and no more slinging the helmet onto the floor at the end of a ride

good pics though, I'd love to have one to record for posterity the various lunacy I face, four weeks and three genuine emergency stops and three odd lemming peds saved from extinction

Attatching the camera?

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