New kit time!! Vivitar DVR-480 helmet cam

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 10:55 pm

OK, so over this passover week, I lent some audio gear to a Jewish group and they kept insisting on paying for it. Stating that it wouldn't be ethical for me to accept payment, they decided to slip me a $50 gift card to Fry's Electronics instead (VERY nice group of folks!). So, I started wondering what useless bit of stuff or practical things I needed. Then, looking online I noticed that they dropped their Vivitar helmet cam down to $34!

Now, I know it's no GoPro HD, but at the same time I have a fundamental issue with putting a $300 buck camera on my *helmet*, which is designed to take a massive amount of trauma and protect my head from all sorts of environmental issues. And, before I can justify the need for a fancy helmet cam, best to try a cheap one to see if it will even be used.

The camera in question is the Vivitar DVR-480. It looks more like the mounts were made for bicycle than motorcycle, but that's OK since I ride a Rattler 110 and the handlebar mounts should fit the bars just fine. The helmet mount will take a little consideration but I haven't even dug into it yet. I'll have an unboxing in a few and tomorrow I'll try to catch some downtown rush hour footage to get an idea of performance.

I also picked up a few Lithium batteries and a class 4 SD card, so it should have the best chance. The week after next is the Phoenix Meetup ride to Wickenburg, AZ (a small former mining town just north of the Valley) so I figured it would be a good chance to see how it fares. Also, if all else fails I got a set of standard camera mounts for helmet and handlebars so I can mount some of my other camera gear on the bike. Mounts alone could of cost $30!

Syd · Post by **Syd** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:35 pm

That's one long-ass straight stretch of a ride, neo, will the Buck-ten keep up?

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:47 pm

Syd wrote:That's one long-ass straight stretch of a ride, neo, will the Buck-ten keep up?

Don't see why it wouldn't. Averages 52-57 MPH on readout, and I've ridden WAY longer than just from Phoenix to Wickenburg We shall see. Top speed is 55mph and I imagine quite a few won't be going that speed. If I take up the tail end, so be it

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:50 pm

Awesome, good luck, and sounds like tons of fun.
Glad to hear that the Rattler is finally treating you well.

I'm secretly waiting for my bf to get the new GoPro so I can have his old one.. shhhh...

He somehow manages to get amazing deals on things because he knows, and does web work for people. Lucky duck.
This is what happens when he gets new stuff though, I get his old stuff, and because he's a software engineer he always needs the NEW BEST EVER TOTALLY UPDATED stuff for business/testing purposes... which he then writes off on his taxes.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:23 am

Eager to see samples!

I've been using a handheld Kodak (their earliest model) which doesn't have any kind of stabilization so it's mostly just good for stills. Video is far too jittery!

On the other hand, helmet cam/riding cam is kind of a low priority so I don't feel like I need to spend a big ol' chunk on one.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:38 am

The solution to the woes of mounting a 300$ camera to a helmet is to get it from REI.

20% discount for members until the 15th, and if it ever breaks from going down you can return it for a full refund if you feel that it didn't meet expectations (durability in this case).

Plus it now comes with a livestock mount!

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:39 am

Grrrr.... image hosting is playing hell with me as are a bunch of things. Got called in on a FREE gig as a personal favor and it's turned into a major mess. So, I haven't had much time to play around with the camera. But, I have made a sample video that is a bit rough (image isn't quite center and there's some other issues which will be shown later). But, there is hope. Hang on and I'll have a proper review and sample video for you guys tomorrow

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:59 am

Well, the angle was a bit off, but I do have a sample vid!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sdbtFZpizs4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Some of you may notice the aspect ratio is a bit ...well, odd. You see, when the camera ships it comes with three mounting brackets: One for the handlebars, one 90 degree bracket and one flat one for the top of a bicycle helmet. Each one comes with an annoying nub that locks the camera into one position. This keeps you from being able to change the angle on it. So, in order to have a side mount camera with adjustable pitch, I took a dremel and removed the plastic nub. This works great for making an adjustable camera that sits on the side of the helmet. The only problem is that it also means that even when you flip the video, your aspect ratio is still 480x640. So, it's not a perfect camera. I've considered mounting it to the top of the helmet, but that would require getting the angle right.

The second part that is irritating is that the only two helmet mounting options are a poorly designed vinyl strap that doesn't even come close to reaching around the entire helmet, or a super-sticky two sided adhesive pad. Either one is NOT a good option, and I'll be exploring options such as magnetic strip and heavy velcro later.

Video quality is "OK". No GoPro, but it does what it says on the tin. There is no pretense that the video is going to be awesome for $34. But, it met expectations. Once I get the angle right you won't be looking at ground all the time. As for the funky aspect ratio, I'll have to put my brain to that to see if I can get the 90 degree bracket to work better at angles. It's a work in progress

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:05 am

Lokky wrote:The solution to the woes of mounting a 300$ camera to a helmet is to get it from REI.

20% discount for members until the 15th, and if it ever breaks from going down you can return it for a full refund if you feel that it didn't meet expectations (durability in this case).

Plus it now comes with a livestock mount!

REI is probably the last place you want to look for *inexpensive* in anything! I'm still trying to determine if this is something I'll use more than a few times a year. Frankly if I have $300 burning a hole in my pocket, it's going to a better helmet and gear, not the camera that goes on the top of it. A base model GoPro (if there's even such a thing) would be MORE than I would need. If they could make this vivitar in 720 with a better bracket system, I'd be just cool with that at double the price. The 480 is grainy by today's standards, but you won't be hurting too much if an errant rock or tree branch takes it out while riding with it

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:34 am

At 6:16?

He's sexy and he knows it

I may pick me up one of these for the price. I've always been hesitant to order a costlier one for upwards of $200 plus hardware because making a vid of me doing my usual riding seems gratuitous to me. I mean watching this video or any number on youtube does the exact same thing for me. It's just not me riding the bike.

However to show friends and family this would be nice. Especially some family. Some of whom still think a scooter is a moped that travels at 25mph at the side of the road as well as its rider. Which is me in this case. Me...not going 25mph at the curb.

.

JHScoot · Post by **JHScoot** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:12 am

$36 at Amazon, free shipping. I may order, may not. Seems to be a now "regular" price around the internet.

http://www.amazon.com/Vivitar-DVR480-LI ... 434&sr=8-1

Couldn't find it at Fry's.

Lokky · Post by **Lokky** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:47 am

neotrotsky wrote:
Lokky wrote:The solution to the woes of mounting a 300$ camera to a helmet is to get it from REI.

20% discount for members until the 15th, and if it ever breaks from going down you can return it for a full refund if you feel that it didn't meet expectations (durability in this case).

Plus it now comes with a livestock mount!
REI is probably the last place you want to look for *inexpensive* in anything! I'm still trying to determine if this is something I'll use more than a few times a year. Frankly if I have $300 burning a hole in my pocket, it's going to a better helmet and gear, not the camera that goes on the top of it. A base model GoPro (if there's even such a thing) would be MORE than I would need. If they could make this vivitar in 720 with a better bracket system, I'd be just cool with that at double the price. The 480 is grainy by today's standards, but you won't be hurting too much if an errant rock or tree branch takes it out while riding with it

Oh I'm aware that REI isn't cheap, but they offer the gopro at the same price as all other retailers, but threw in 20% off and lifetime warranty so I had to snatch it up! (I did have some money my parents told em to get a nice point and shoot with to take pics of my vacations, so I guess I didn't stray too far

)

RoadRambler · Post by **RoadRambler** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 12:36 pm

I thought the resolution and tracking were just fine for a helmet cam. Good buy! Let us know if you find some improvements for the mounting.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:55 pm

I just got one of these for $90 at Costco. It's the Samsung HMX-W200. It's water, shock, and dust proof and it comes with a built-in screen. That's something you don't get with the Go Pro. It doesn't come with any mounts though. So I'm going to buy a tactical vest for $35 which has velcro molle attachments all over it. I'm going to stick velcro on the back edges of the camera and stick it to the vest. Hopefully it'll work out well and I'll have a setup for $125 instead of $400 (with the optional screen).

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:35 pm

Well, I've actually been looking at some less 'spensive options for "sport" cameras if you will.. because I would like to have something to use until I claim the older GoPro... and I stumbled upon this Kodak PlaySport ZX3 one yesterday, and it's newer (though less desirable) cousin, the ZX5. They're similar to the Samsung that K1dude posted.

The ZX3 gets really good reviews, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too tough to figure out something that would work for a mount. The ZX5, though it has a couple new features, has a smaller sensor which makes the video quality grainier, BUT the bundle does come with one of those bendy-leg tripod mounts. The ZX3 Bundle is $105, and the ZX5 Bundle is $150. First world problems.

I think, if this doesn't become one, we should have a thread about sport cameras/camcorders. They're definitely handy, if not for riding the scoot or bike or what-have-you, for lots of other purposes.
For instance, I would use mine skydiving if I had a decent mount for it... and if you go on vacations anywhere it's just a nifty thing to have, I know I wish I had one when I went to Hawaii a few years ago. That said, I do wish more of them had still photo capability rather than JUST video (these Kodaks do), but most cell phones now-a-days have decent photo-taking abilities anyway.

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:47 pm

AWinn6889 wrote:Well, I've actually been looking at some less 'spensive options for "sport" cameras if you will.. because I would like to have something to use until I claim the older GoPro... and I stumbled upon this Kodak PlaySport ZX3 one yesterday, and it's newer (though less desirable) cousin, the ZX5. They're similar to the Samsung that K1dude posted.

The ZX3 gets really good reviews, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too tough to figure out something that would work for a mount.

I believe the ZX3 kit is available at Sam's Club for $79. If you have one nearby you might want to check it out.

AWinn6889 · Post by **AWinn6889** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:46 pm

k1dude wrote: I believe the ZX3 kit is available at Sam's Club for $79. If you have one nearby you might want to check it out.

It's a bit of a drive, but maybe I can get my sister to check it out for me. Thanks for the tip!

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 2:31 am

Well, I do know that the "Image stabilization from YouTube is an utter joke. Made the video look like crap. The original video looked fine without it. It just looks silly with the video frame constantly changing. Will see if I can upload a better looking version.

As for on-bike the 2-stroke Rattler just, well, rattles too much. Video got all wavy and looks MUCH better when mounted on a helmet. I still say for the price there really isn't another option that is anywhere as cheap. Even the crappy point and shoot cameras need elaborate hacked together mounting vests and still costs well over twice as much. Once I get the orientation fixed I think this cam will work well until I start making more at work