Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: niblue on June 10, 2009, 07:10:54 PM
-
Been messing about with a bullet-cam attached to my bikes.
This one is of the XBR (remote cam mounted on top of headlamp, mic beside key, camera in tank-bag). It seemed to be affected by vibrations and the wind noise was high so I replaced the audio. Need to try again with a rubber mount for the lens and the mic near the back of the bike:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PVJrQ2_5x8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PVJrQ2_5x8)
Much easier on the Deauville (remote cam taped to fairing, mic on dash, camera in glove compartment) - better video quality and no wind noise issues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5HHMras1kY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5HHMras1kY)
-
Great stuff,shame you could'nt use the audio ( wind noise and vibration on a XBR ? surely some mistake ;) ),still love a bit of Kraftwerk.
-
Cool stuff!
Kraftwerk soundtrack really fits, I think.
-
The missus reckons the Dullville sounds like a lawnmower, but the Kraftwerk rocks!
(She's a redhead so watch what you say!)
-
Great stuff, good effort that man.
As an aside, one of the links on the sidebar took me to THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBdaIk2LTfo)
It's worth watching it all, but if you only watch the burn-out at 2mins30s and the wheelie at 3mins30s then you'll be amazed.
GC
-
Hmmm, the "Lang whang" just outside Balerno unless I'm very much mistaken ;) ;D
Nice. I need to work out a way of remoting a digital cam in order to save the risk of damage to the camera, no idea how though, or even if it's possible ??? (Fuji Finepix F100FD if there are any experts around!)
I know a proper camcorder is better but that costs (more) money! ;)
-
Hmmm, the "Lang whang" just outside Balerno unless I'm very much mistaken ;) ;D
Nice. I need to work out a way of remoting a digital cam in order to save the risk of damage to the camera, no idea how though, or even if it's possible ??? (Fuji Finepix F100FD if there are any experts around!)
I know a proper camcorder is better but that costs (more) money! ;)
Smudge,
You would typically plug the bullet camera into an A/V IN socket in the device you're recording to. In this way your expensive camera/video recorder can sit in a waterproof tank bag/rucksack/pocket with only the bullet camera and the leads running to it, being exposed to the elements.
Looking at the spec for your camera on the fujifilm website I don't see A/V input listed.
HTH,
Simon
-
You would typically plug the bullet camera into an A/V IN socket in the device you're recording to. In this way your expensive camera/video recorder can sit in a waterproof tank bag/rucksack/pocket with only the bullet camera and the leads running to it, being exposed to the elements.
That's definitely the case with my set-up. My bullet-cam (which is about the size of a lipstick) has something like a 6ft cable that needs to be plugged into an analogue A/V in on the camcorder - so effectively the camcorder just acts as a video-recorder. Apparently having an A/V in puts the camcorder in a different duty bracket, which is why it's a reasonably rare feature in the UK.
I use a Canon MV700i which has a knackered CCD so it's no use for anything else anyway, but works fine for this. My Deauville had a compartment in the fairing that the camera and associated gubbins (cables and bullet-cam power-supply) fitted in, but on the other bikes I use a tankbag.
If you want to give it a try sometime then you're welcome to borrow the set-up, including the camcorder. On a thumper it'd probably work better as a helmet-cam, because of the vibes when bike-mounted, but it's not something I'm keen on myself as the speedo reading might then get included...
-
Interesting stuff chaps, the little camera doesn't have an av input, however it does have a (mini) usb to AV adaptor cable which I assumed was for playing video clips from the camer onto a tv or similar, I wonder now if it could be used as an input as well??
Perhaps the only (quick) way to find out may be to plug one in and see!?
You can get an idea of it's (limited) abilities from the clips I put on youtube, it's a stills camera which can do clips really, but probably ok for what I do...
-
Interesting stuff chaps, the little camera doesn't have an av input, however it does have a (mini) usb to AV adaptor cable which I assumed was for playing video clips from the camer onto a tv or similar, I wonder now if it could be used as an input as well??
More than likely it'll be output only, unfortunately.
-
Interesting stuff chaps, the little camera doesn't have an av input, however it does have a (mini) usb to AV adaptor cable which I assumed was for playing video clips from the camer onto a tv or similar, I wonder now if it could be used as an input as well??
This is usually for connecting it to a PC. Depending on the Operating System of the PC, it would likely "see" the camera as a removable drive, in a similar way to a USB memory stick. This makes it simple to move photos and video clips from the camera to the PC using drag and drop.
Simon
-
I use a Canon MV700i which has a knackered CCD so it's no use for anything else anyway, but works fine for this.
You should be able to get this fixed for free (well the cost of posting it recorded delivery). Many Canon products had CCD failures over the last few years. Seems to have been an issue with the manufacturing process. Canon have try to play it down but there's(loads of forum discussions on this if you Google it.
I had a CCD issue with an MV650i that I'd bought second-hand on Ebay. Rang up Plymcare, an official Canon Service Centre, who confirmed it was likely the CCD that was at fault. I posted the camera to them and it came back working perfectly within the week. This was fairly recently, about a year ago, I think. I was impressed that they were willing to fix a camera, that's a few years old now, and one which I didn't even buy from new.
If you look up the MV700i under the support pages on www.canon.co.uk, there's some information about the issue there:
<SNIP>
"It has been found, that in rare case, some of the CCDs, used in Canon digital camera and digital video cameras, have a problem that causes abnormal image output.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Canon will offer free repairs where an error is caused by this malfunction."
</SNIP>
HTH
Simon
-
Thanks for that Simon. I'm pretty sure my MV700i has that issue - it hadn't been working for a while (maybe a 18 months) but I'd put into a cupboard and forgot about it, however when I bumped into it again a couple of weeks back I decided to see if I could get it working and found some info on the CCD issue on the web. That made me realize that it should still work with my bullet-cam, which is why I was out playing with it again.
I'll see if I can locate a local Canon service place and see if they'll help, however the camera has had a hard life (I've used it as part of a mountain-bike helmet-cam set-up) so they'll probably take one look at it's externals and decide not to fix it!
-
I can't say I'm au fait with modern technology, but do you have to convert your camera to left hand cranking to enable it to be used on the move?
(http://www.sunshinelookalikes.com/crashers/photos/Director%20and%20Cameraman.jpg)
GC
-
Nope as the lady in the car shows you can sit outside in your fur coat whilst cranking away inside where the equipment is safe and warm.
But why have they put Micky Mouse in a can - and what silly blighter let him out again?
R
-
Interesting stuff chaps, the little camera doesn't have an av input, however it does have a (mini) usb to AV adaptor cable which I assumed was for playing video clips from the camer onto a tv or similar, I wonder now if it could be used as an input as well??
This is usually for connecting it to a PC. Depending on the Operating System of the PC, it would likely "see" the camera as a removable drive, in a similar way to a USB memory stick. This makes it simple to move photos and video clips from the camera to the PC using drag and drop.
Simon
hmm, I just use the mini usb (camera) to normal usb (computer) cable to upload to the computer, I didn't think many computers came with AV plugs ??? or do I just use old computers... lol
-
Interesting stuff chaps, the little camera doesn't have an av input, however it does have a (mini) usb to AV adaptor cable which I assumed was for playing video clips from the camer onto a tv or similar, I wonder now if it could be used as an input as well??
This is usually for connecting it to a PC. Depending on the Operating System of the PC, it would likely "see" the camera as a removable drive, in a similar way to a USB memory stick. This makes it simple to move photos and video clips from the camera to the PC using drag and drop.
Simon
hmm, I just use the mini usb (camera) to normal usb (computer) cable to upload to the computer, I didn't think many computers came with AV plugs ??? or do I just use old computers... lol
Apologies Smudge, I misread your post. The mini USB to A/V cable is probably for playing back via a TV, or a PC with a video card with an A/V in socket.
-
Had another play with the camera today, on the CBF1000 this time. I tried mounting the camera lower for dramatic effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Ll5in-lOU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Ll5in-lOU)
-
That's a nice sound from the exhaust ... most unlike a new bike. Your youtube clips kept me up until the small hours, trying to figure out which roads you had taken them on. I think I recognise the Lang Whang (A70)on one of the clips.
I must try and do record my own XBR ... once I get the noisy ::)reverse cone megaton exhausts back on the bike.
-
Cheers.
The last clip is also the A70, but a lot further west on the section from Douglas to Muirkirk.
I needed to get some miles on the CBF as it's first service is booked on Friday. The weather wasn't great but I took the A70 to Cumnock, A76 to Sanquar, B797 to Wanlockhead, B7040 & B7016 to Moffat then home on the A701 and A70.
The camera detached from the bike on the B7040 section, which is a shame as that's a nice road.
-
Hi some of you seem to have an idea about cameras etc...
I have a Minolta DiMAGE 7 Hi - a 5Mp compact DSLR, it has a USB out on it - which I have not got so have to use a card reader.. and also an A/V out which looks like a 3.5 mm stereo jack. I am guessing that the common band 3 from the tip - as in stereo out, and then the tip and middle must be audio out and video out. Any idea which will be which? Ditto any idea what I would need to 'read' the video out? I have a very long remote release for it and can make up a simulaly long power lead, but was wondering if I could take a V out when it is in take mode rather than playback and thus have a better idea of what it is pointed at. We currently have Owls with fledglings in the garden and I have been trying to take pics of them - with out any luck it must be said, but have been thinking if I could adapt the minolta for a more reasonable remote release.
Any knowlege would be appreciated, any p*** taking will be accepted...
R
-
Can't help you personally but a quick google turned up this site: http://www.pbase.com/pganzel/stuff_im_working_on (http://www.pbase.com/pganzel/stuff_im_working_on) for someone who's done a lot of tinkering with the 7 so it might be worth contacting him.
-
Ta
Damn just looked at the website - so many other projects I can get half started.... :-[
R