24
DECEMBER 2011
●
MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS
B
ACK IN THE
June 2009 issue, when we ran our first
h
elmet-cam comparo, HD (high definition)
wasn’t available, but it’s now pretty much stan-
dard among today’s serious contenders.
For Round Two, we’ve brought back the (tied) win-
ners from Round One, in their new HD trim: GoPro’s
HD Motorsports Hero and Contour’s HD1080P
(formerly Twenty20’s VHoldR). Challenging these
returning champs are several diverse HD models with
a variety of features that make them highly competi-
tive: V.I.O.’s POV.HD—an expensive setup with sep-
arate camera head and recorder, Drift Innovation’s
HD170 Stealth—a self-contained unit with integrated
LCD screen, and Liquid Image’s Impact Series 365—
an off-road-oriented model with the camera built right
into a set of goggles. Finally, we’ve included one standard-
definition helmet-cam that wasn’t in Round One, MotoComm’s
RiderCam 30F, to see if HD’s benefits justify its higher price.
Note: Shortly before this article went to press, Drift sent us a
pre-production sample of the updated HD170 Stealth. The new
unit, called simply the “HD,” functions exactly the same, but
comes in a lighter, smaller package. As our HD had not received
its final software optimization, we used the HD170 Stealth for
comparisons of video and audio quality. But since both will be
available by the time you read this, we’ll include info on the
new HD (clearly designated) where appropriate.
For those of you who missed the ’09 comparison, a few warn-
ings still apply. First, even with the myriad mounting options
available, any particular helmet may have a surface irregularity
that precludes locating the camera where you want. You may also
have reservations about attaching a permanent base-plate with a
powerful adhesive to your fancy graphics. These caveats obvi
-
ously apply to bike-mounting, too, along with the possibility
that vibration may be more of a problem without your bump- and
buzz-absorbing flesh in-between the motorcycle and camera.
Also, with a bike-mount, you can’t capture interesting sights to
either side with a simple turn of your head.
Our biggest frustration in the previous test was the inability to
confirm what the camera was actually “looking at,” since none
of those earlier cams had a preview screen. We wasted many
hours recording rides, only to discover—at playback—that all
we’d caught was sky or the ground rushing by a few feet ahead.
Some trial-and-error will inevitably be involved in achieving
the aim you want. Obviously, it’s best if you can do this by
pulling over and checking the footage a few minutes into a ride.
Built-in LCD screens make this possible.
Tech Talk
Since helmet cams have become more technologically sophis-
ticated, we’ve included more detailed specifications, some of
which may be unfamiliar to those without a background in
photography or video equipment. Here’s a quick rundown.
Just like that giant flat-screen TV in your den, HD cams may
be capable of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) or 1080p (1920 x 1080)
resolution and some here also offer 960p (1280 x 960) as well.
Basically, the higher the number, the finer the image; more detail
translates into larger file sizes and images that still look sharp and
clear when viewed full-screen.
Recording at 720p and 1080p has a wide-screen aspect ratio
of 16:9, whereas 960p has a 4:3 ratio (like a 35mm camera),
which catches more of what’s happening above and below the
frame centerline. Standard-definition settings of QVGA (320 x
240) and VGA (640 x 480) also have 4:3 aspect ratios; WVGA
(848 x480) has 16:9.
Higher resolution also means less “footage” will fit on your
memory card and older computers can have trouble playing HD
files. It also limits the smoothness of action recording because
HD cameras can’t do 1080p recordings at the same “frame
speed” as 720p. Frame-rate, expressed in frames-per-second, is
limited to 30fps at 1080p, but most of these cams can go up to
60fps at 720p (standard Hollywood films are 24fps, by compar-
ison). The faster the frame-rate, the more continuous the flow of
movement on the screen; slower frame-rates can look a little
“jumpy,” since more happens in-between the captured moments.
Recording at 60fps also provides better slow-motion replay later
(to study your bike’s suspension action, for instance), if your
multimedia software allows.
A related factor is bit-rate, which is a function of file compres-
sion. Some cams here allow you to adjust the quality of the
recording by employing more or less compression as the file is
saved; high bit-rate/low compression means more of the data
collected by the sensor is preserved in the file, and vice-versa.
Again, more data means larger files and less footage for any
given card capacity; it’s also more demanding on the memory
card and the playback computer. We’ve included the manufac
-
turers’ claims of recording time at each unit’s highest quality
settings; lower settings can greatly increase recording time
storable on a given card.
Lenses here differ in several ways. Focal range is the span of
distance from the camera that will appear in-focus; this is rele-
vant if you are trying to include something close to the camera
(i.e. your speedo) along with the scenery. In general, we found
Helmet Cam Shootout—Round Two
Hi-Def Raises the Bar
Product Comparison
by Mark Barnes
Size may matter: Center from left to right: GoPro, MotoComm,
Contour, Drift HD, Drift Stealth (with remote). Liquid Image
goggle-cam (top left) and V.I.O. (below right with corded con-
troller) are entirely different animals.
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