Atc2k Waterproof Action Cam

Saturday, November 5th, 2011 at 12:02 pm

Atc2k Waterproof Action Cam at Amazon

There is a wide assortment of wireless helmet cameras available at lowcost prices. But which of these is best for recording a ride from atop a motorcycle helmet? Three schemes peculiarly ordinary with motorcycle riders are the Helmet Action camera from Mongrel, the ATC2k camera from Oregon Scientific, and the Super Bike Cam from Adrenaline Systems.

The Super Bike Cam from Adrenaline Systems includes all necessary hardware for mounting to any helmet, and any sport or street motorcycle. The provided instructions are clear, and the installation is simple. The weatherproof camera may be installed either on the bike, or on the helmet. Either way, the mount may be rotated 360 degrees, permitting the capture of action from any angle. Even the rider may be recorded by mounting the camera on the bike, and turning back towards the rider. The mounting scheme includes special shock absorbing materials to steady the video. Video is recorded at 580 vertical lines of resolution. This solution is higher than other system’s VGA solution of 480 vertical lines. This solution is even higher than DVD-quality video. The scheme includes a discerned microphone with windscreen for capturing audio. The system is powered by a proprietary lithium-ion rechargeable battery. An optional lithium-ion battery pack is available for extended recording. Prices for Adrenaline Systems motorcycle helmet camera systems start out at around two-hundred and fifty dollars.

Unlike the Super Bike Cam, the Oregon Scientific system is wholly self-contained. The mounting is designed for adaptation to any motorcycle and helmet. The camera is altogether waterproof to three meters of depth, making it perfective for capturing action on a rainy day, or from the mud. Another vantage of the Oregon Scientific scheme is the finish lack of external wires to get in the way of the action. Wireless schemes are unquestionably better for capturing the action from a motorcycle. The video is recorded at thirty frames per second at VGA resolution. A usual SD card is used to record the video. The scheme is powered by two AA batteries. Prices for the Oregon Scientific helmet camera systems start out at around one-hundred and twenty dollars.

The Mongrel scheme likewise features an adaptable mounting scheme designed to fit any motorcycle, and closely any other platform imaginable. Starting the recorder only requires one touch. The simple operation may be accomplished with a single gloved hand. Like the Oregon Scientific system, video is recorded at thirty frames per second at VGA resolution. A Micro-SD card is applied to capture the video. Price for the Mongrel system get started at regarding five hundred dollars.

If you are in the market for a outstanding motorcycle helmet camera, there is a number of splendid merchants syndication these and a great deal of other helmet camera systems. Most wireless helmet camera systems may be effortlessly adapted for recording the action from a motorcycle or motorcycle helmet. It may or may not make the most sense to buy a scheme particularly designed for motorcycle riding. Therefore, it remunerate to exhaustively exploration these and other choices before resolving on one.

Most helpful customer reviews

128 of 132 people found the following review helpful.
Good Camera – Simple Sound Quality Fix
By Shawn K. Tolley
I am a police officer and I use this camera when interviewing people. I was initially disappointed with the sound quality, but found the video and capacity with the 2gig card excellent. The problem with the sound is the waterproofing. If you are not going to be using it in water or wet environments all you have to do is remove the mic cover and there is a black square rubber cover over the mic. It is 1mm or thicker and causes the sound distortion and lack of range. Remove it an re-install the cover and you get as good a sound as any other video camera. This camera is well made and a good value at the price. If it had an external mic jack it would rate five stars.

248 of 266 people found the following review helpful.
Great Durable sports cam
By David T. Webster
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1198EXTCUZ5G5 A simple video to show camera and accessories next to bicycle.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Good idea, good video, poor quality
By Terry Hutt
I bought this after being involved in an auto accident and suffering an insurance rate increase because I couldn’t prove what happened. Less than three months later I was hit by another driver who ran a red light. She and her passenger claimed she had a green light. I had this mounted on the dashboard and recording as I was hit and was able to prove she was lying. Without it I would have been blamed for the accident. It paid for itself already.

The camera provides reasonable quality video but very poor audio. It does not operate well in low light conditions (say 30 minutes after sunset). It’s very easy to use and has the ability to change resolution, frame rate, date and time, and also to delete files using the built in display and buttons. At 640×480 30fps a 2Gb card (4Gb not supported) can hold about one hour of video. At 15fps it can record about 90 minutes. It only records videos up to 45 minutes, then seamlessly starts another file. It eats batteries so I bought two NiMh rechargables from Radio Shack and recharge them every other day. You probably don’t want to use regular alkali batteries with this camera.

The construction is good with waterproof buttons and a waterproof end cap covering the USB and video ports, battery compartment and memory card slot. It has a good selection of mounts including a handlebar mount, helmet mount, and a big rubber strap that will attach it to just about anything. I used stick-back velcro to attach it to my truck’s dashboard and it’s steady over smooth roads, jerky over the rough stuff.

Recording is as easy as turning it on (press and hold the left button for two seconds) and hitting the record (middle) button. Stop recording by pressing the middle button again and turn it off by pressing and holding the left button. The right button is used to cycle through modes.

Downloading video files to your computer is done with the USB (about 45 minutes to download 2Gb) or by putting the memory card directly into the front of the computer which is much faster if you have that option.

As I mentioned, the only issue is the extremely poor audio capture. If you’re most interested in video then this is an excellent choice for you.

—– Updated —–
I’ve owned two of these cameras for about 6 months now and I’ve noticed some serious problems…

1. Mounting clip snapped on one camera. It still mounts but when the other clip breaks the camera will be unmountable.

2. Slow response to button presses. For some reason it now takes 10-20 seconds between hitting the button to stop recording and actually stopping. Didn’t do this when I first bought it.

3. Corrupts the memory card. Deleting files does not always release the memory so you eventually run out. I find I have to reformat the memory card every few days to recover the lost memory. The camera cannot do this so you need a computer with a memory card slot. If you don’t have such a computer you are screwed.

I was thinking of upgrading to Oregon Scientific’s newest model but decided not to given the quality problems I’m having with this one.

See all 196 customer reviews…