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| Shopping | Reference | Policies | Company Info | |
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Shopping Suggestions
1.
The biggest and least mentioned concern is safety - "Are you &
your camcorder protected?"
Sports include the probability you will fall, crash, or otherwise role over. Safety becomes a concern since Helmet Camera Systems involve carrying your camcorder in a pack or bag. Falling on a camcorder feels like falling on a brick. If a proper Camcorder Impact Protector (CIP) is not used - you run a much higher risk of injuring yourself and breaking your expensive camcorder. Before you buy any solution, get specific answers on how this important question of safety is addressed. If you don’t see answers or the question of camcorder safety isn’t even mentioned – buy from someone else- as that vendor isn’t offering you a complete solution. Our Camcorder Impact Protector is a major advance in Helmet Cam safety. Inflated around your camcorder and carried in one of our recommended packs - falling on your camcorder feels more like falling on a flat shaped beach ball. It also better protects your valuable camcorder from damage, moisture, dust and dirt. Xtreme Recall makes the only Helmet Camera System approved for Xtreme Sports use.
2. Without compromising safety or durability - lighter is better It takes energy to move mass, reduce your weight and you can go farther for a longer distance. As long as you don’t compromise safety or performance, lighter is better. To make something lighter, safer, and more rugged also means making it more expensive. Extensive testing, development and advanced lit-weight materials are all added costs. One reason Xtreme Recall has become the leading Helmet Cam supplier to professional athletes and broadcasters is we are “weight freaks” - but will not compromise on safety or performance. We probably spend more time field testing than all other Helmet Cam companies combined. We are that serious about finding the perfect balance between cost, performance, comfort and safety.
3. Look closely at the Warranty policy The warranty policy illustrates the confidence the company has in its own products- read the warranty and return policy carefully! Many competitors make a big deal about offering impressive warranties on disposable items, such as camera mounts, to camouflage the fact they have a substandard guarantee on the rest of their products. Other common tricks are unreasonably short return policies (3 to 15 days). Most people need a month to test a new Helmet Cam System, to feel confident they have the right system for their needs. A few recordings need to be made to uncover inappropriate or poorly thought out products. Xtreme Recall offers a One Year Warranty - on everything we offer – and a full 45 day money back trial period. No other Helmet Camera company will give you as solid a guarantee as Xtreme Recall, period.
4. 580 Horizontal lines is the highest resolution color mini-camera available. There are many specifications to consider when judging color camera resolutions, but an easy indicator is “Horizontal Lines”... We have seen 330, 350, 360, 380, 400, 470 and 580 lines; generally, the higher the number, the better the resolution. Another spec you want to look at is what Imager is being used in the camera. Choices are Samsung, Panasonic/Matsushita, Sharp and Sony:
5. Notice the number of connectors in the cable solution - 3 is ideal for land / 2 for water sports. Helmet Cam solutions come in two flavors: 2nd Generation and 3rd Generation. 2nd Gen products are modular and use a number of cables and connectors to make everything work together. Typically, they use: 2 for the mini-camera, 3 for EACH microphone, and 1 for the battery pack. You also need the cable that came with your camcorder to make it work with your camcorder. 2nd Gen advantages are typically cost and the ability to substitute just the damaged component of your Helmet Cam System. disadvantages are: weight, complexity, bulk and reliability. Consider each connection point is potentially a point of failure. 3rd
generation Helmet Cams are infinitely lighter, easier to use, and is more reliable.
Imagine a mini-camera on your helmet that connects to a thin cable running
directly to your camcorder. Near the middle of this cable there is a
second thin cable coming out of it with a mini-microphone on the end.
Plug your battery pack into the 3rd remaining wire and you are set to go.
No jumble of wires to carry, no headaches, and you only have 3 connectors
total.
6. Get microphones that are independently positional. All bodies are not created equal. Neither are all activities. Make sure you are getting independently positional microphones before buying. For 2nd Generation system, this isn’t an issue as they are all independently positional. But on some 3rd Gen systems (i.e. viosport) they have integrating it into the main video cable. This may cut costs, but is just about the second worst place to put a microphone. Poor/inconsistent sound or excessive wind noise will be the result. Our Land Sport Microphone is an integral part of our cable system - it doesn't have any connectors and weighs less than 1 oz.
7. Consider “wind noise” when buying any Helmet Cam System with microphones. If you bike, ride, sail, or do anything outdoors faster than walking speed - wind noise will sometimes be a problem. You can’t eliminate it but there are some things you can do to reduce its effect. First, insure you get independently positional microphones. Also make sure you are getting microphones that doesn’t record low frequencies and have “wind noise reducing” foam to cover the mic. Our microphone picks up sound above 100 Hz. and we cut our foam a little larger to better protect the microphone. Built tough, our microphones will provide great sound while being resistant to wind noise, humidity and sweat. In fact, Xtreme Recall is the only company offering a 3rd Gen Helmet Cam that also has dynamic stereophonic sound.
8.
If your budget will allow it, get a dual microphone solution
(You’ll thank us later) There is an entirely different feel to stereophonic sound - it has a richer, full bodied sound. With one microphone attached to either side of your body, in your recordings, you can actually hear sounds coming at you from their respective directions. Stereophonic sound isn’t possible when using only one microphone. Having two microphones also aid recording the conversations that take place around you. An added benefit appreciated by many pros is the redundancy. With dual mini-microphones, damaging a mic no longer means loosing all of your sound.
9. The most advanced Helmet Cam technology is “3rd Generation” 1st Generation Helmet Cam is either a custom made helmet with a built in video camera or a mount that attaches your camcorder directly to your helmet. 2nd Generation Helmet Cam uses a square or cylindrical mini-camera in place of the camcorder. Typically included is a 380 line color mini-camera, rechargeable battery pack and a mount for attaching the mini-camera to a helmet. 3rd Generation Helmet Cam was introduced by Xtreme Recall in 2002. Significantly safer, lighter and easier to use - Xtreme Recall’s Helmet Cam products merge professional quality with consumer level simplicity. Advantages of a 3rd Generation Helmet Cam System:
We top this all off with the strongest warranty/guarantee of any company in our industry.
10 Batteries: Li-Ion is better than NiMH For professional use, or if you need the lightst, most powerful battery possible, Lithium Ion is what you want. Li-Ion batteries are significantly lighter and less bulky than NiMH and due to the nature of their enclosures, Li-Ion battery packs are much more rugged. With no memory effect and good for 800 recharges, it is easy to see why Lithium Ion is easily the most advanced battery technology for Helmet Cam use. Though initially more expensive, since you get more charges from a Li-Ion battery the “cost per use” works out to about the same as NiMH over the life of the battery.
11. Ordinary Fanny packs don’t work Ordinary Fanny packs aren’t designed to carry more than a couple pounds, at most. To carry more, they need shoulder straps - effectively becoming a backpack. Helmet Camera Systems weigh between 3-8 lbs. Put 5 lbs in a fanny pack one day and see how uncomfortable it is to move around. A camcorder feels like a brick in your fanny pack and is about as safe to crash on. Only a backpack incorporating a multi-layered safety design is safe enough for use with Xtreme Sports activities. A shoulder bag or belt pouch can be used for family, hiking, event and/or in-car recordings. After more than 2 years of testing, we only approved one hip pack for use with our systems – and only for activities where falling/crashing isn’t likely.
12. Goggle straps are not a great place to mount a micro-camera. Mini-cameras work best when mounted to a solid and stable surface. A goggle strap is elastic - not a very stable material. Also, consider the mini-camera will record parallel to the goggle strap - for many activities this may not be the right angle. Can you mount a mini-camera to a goggle strap? Yes. Do we ever do it ourselves? No. A headband or helmet mount will invariably work better. ** The one exception to this rule is our Scuba Helmet Cam – which is used in an environment where this isn’t a concern.
**Sharing ideas is the most effective way to increase Helmet Cam safety and usability. If you are a current Helmet Cam user and think we missed something, please let us know. Suggestions we add to this site are often rewarded with free products ;-)
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