CAU-LLC

I am looking for a Camcorder for taking video's on Auto-X and on the track. I just bought a JVC Hard Drive that seems to get bounced around too much and stops recording at the first shift or corner? I have tried all settings plus called JVC and it seems that I will have the same problems with all hard drives?

I also have a Sony but that takes a Mini DVD and only records about 30 min and I'm looking for something that records longer. What are you using and is working well!

Thanks for the help! Have another event coming us soon! I have a brace bar with mount so that is not the problem!

Jim Booth
Corvette Accessories Unlimited
www.cau-llc.com

Wicked Weasel

I use the Panasonic GS320. It uses 3ccd for recording and the picture quality is great. It also uses tape so there is no problem with the car bouncing around. It compares to the HD cameras without the costs which is what I was looking for in an in car camera.

I will be posting a video later of VIR and you will see how it looks.

BTW I also added a wide angle lense to mine and that helps get a much larger viewing field.

robvuk

Hard drives and DVD's are no good for in car video. You need a miniDV tape drive or even one of the memory card recorders that are available now. The tape will give you full resolution with minimal compression. Ideal for importing and editing. The memory card units usually compress to MP4 which is good for internet distribution and posting on Youtube type sites as is. A little less quality but you can transfer to your computer drive easily. Unfortunately that convenience is lost if you need to convert it back to a format suitable for editing.

I agree, the wide angle lens is nice for track vids.

AU N EGL

Mini DV tape works best.

yakisoba

I have a small Samsung cam that records to a card. It also has a remote cam pod that can be located (on its cable) some distance from the camera. Makes a good helmet cam. I have a 2 GB card for it, but it'll take up to an 8 GB. The 2 GB is good for over 30 minutes of a track session, and that's all I need, really. It would hold perhaps 40 minutes of recording. There's no jitter, since there are no moving parts much. I think it's an SC-X300L model.

BrianCunningham

I took this with my digital recorder.

Gray Ghost GS

I use a Panasonic GS150 Mini DV tape video camera. Great resolution and sound! Here's an example of some in car video I took at VIR recently testing a new engine, suspension and tire setup.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fusea...deoid=12203088

Last C5

I use the Panasonic GS-180 (almost the same as the 150) and an external microphone and my videos are great. Wide angle

Adam Boca

I have a Canon Elura 100 and very pleased with the results...

Check out my thread here with a recent video from this past weekend..
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1754481

Adam

Bill Dearborn

I have a 10 year old SONY Hi8 Camera that records to a tape. I get 2 hours of video on the tape. To get the video onto the computer I have a WinTv card that captures the video from the camera and allows me to choose different resolutions. I can also capture/edit video by using a Dazzle video adapter and software but the WinTv card is a lot better at capturiing the video.

Its a little old fashioned now to have an analog camcorder but digital just hasn't gotten good enough yet. Maybe in another 5 years.

Bill

VetteDrmr

Well, Bill, I rarely disagree with you, but this is one of those times.

I'm recording with a Sony DVR-720 (IIRC), which records to a Hi-8 tape in digital format. The video quality is better than my old Sony analog recorder, because it downloads directly into my computer via an IEEE-1394 interface (firewire) in uncompressed .avi format.

I then use Sony Vegas software for my video editing. The end result is as good as non-HD can be.

This year I've started using a remote camera (a 520 line scan bullet camera) feeding into the camcorder with great results. I'm probably going to get a set of lenses and fiddle with the focal length some.

I know this is Youtube quality, but here's the last autocross I recorded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE1HGUl6po4

I agree with robvuk about the hard drive/DVD and solid state memory cameras.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

robvuk

The best of the analog recorders only had about 300 line capability. The basic standard definition digital is 480. Then you have to take the analog signal and digitize it anyway to get it into the computer for editing and a conversion loss.

Try it Bill. Step out of the dark ages. Digital is ready for you. Even the MP4 memory card models will look better than the old analog.

GeorgeZNJ

I use a sony handycam DCR-HC46, great video and sound, and it has a very small remote control. Can use it to stop/start/ and zoom.

AUTO_X_AL

I can get about an hour with my mini dv. I think the wide angle lens makes for a better view.http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=86vetteracer

These are all the videos I have made so far this year. It seems the car I drive messes with the camera at high rpm. Maybe the ignition is the problem. It seems in a different car that was carburated with an MSD ignition, it had no issues. This is an inexpensive mini dv with a homemade mount and a $25 lens. Enjoy!

BrianCunningham

I like your setup, you can see both the course, and what you're doing inside

In the lense attached or in front of the camera?

AUTO_X_AL

It's screwed on with an adapter. thats why you kind of get some of the black on the corners. I got the lens off of ebay pretty cheap and the Camera was an inexpensive mini dv that I bought with some GM perq points. It truly was a cheap setup that anyone could duplicate for well under $300 maybe even under $200. So far it has worked well. I have heard of alot of FI cars with factory ignitions having the distortion that i get.

I was hoping to be at Waterford and get some good video there but a minor mishap kept us from running as of late.