Mounting a video camera on a rail?

[Smit100345]

if you are worried about the camera getting hit then this might solve the problem

 

airsoft world are selling them soon

[Richard65]

I just have no idea, I can't shake the feeling that I wouldn't be satisfied without the GoPro, but the resolution of the Contour is enough for what I want and the footage of your videos from The Stan looks up to the standard I'm after...

 

What I want, basically is footage clear and smooth enough to be able to see shots in flight, the camera to auto adjust for focusing at any distance and for changes in brightness, as well as being shock proof and not wobbling around everywhere and the sound clarity thing is a big thing for me, I want the video to sound like it sounded to me whilst I was recording it.

 

The idea is to edit the video as little as possible, so I think the GoPro will aid that a little better, the wide angle will give a better field of view, the HD recording and 60fps will help the smoothness and clarity and the sound will make it easier to understand my comms and whatnot. The Contour feels like it'd be lacking in one or more of those aspects and the Tachyons I've looked at only shoot 720p and 30fps, which is more of a GunCam only sort of set up, I'm specifically after something headmounted, I'm going for a 1st person shooter feel.

 

Still edging towards the GoPro the more I think about it... Is there a better Contour than the Roam?

 

Ed,

 

I think you are expecting too much from any of these cameras. You may see the shots in flight but as they are only 6mm pellets they could easily get lost in the overall view. This is one area where it would really help if someone with a camera could post some footage for you to view.

 

Auto adjust focusing is not a feature on any of these that I can see. You have a fixed, wide angle lens that will give a decent depth of view but that is about it.

 

They are all designed to take knocks but will suffer a bit from camera shake especially if you are running. Sound quality is not bad but if you look at the video footage on the manufacturer websites they mainly seem to have muic rather than voices on them - not sure how sensitive the microphones would be as I guess you would be doing any commentary in a fairly quite voice.

 

We found with the go-pro that it helped to angle the camera down especially on bright days. In the straight ahead position the wide-angle lens can pick up too much light from the sky and make the ground view too dark. By angling it down the main view will be brightre and the sky brighter still.

 

The go-pro does give great quality and you can get a protective case with an open back which helps with sound pick-up. They sell a chest harness and helmet straps as well as various other mount options. I have not used a contour but it looks as if it would fit airsofting better. I do have a spare protective case for the go-pro and some mounts.

 

If you would like to have these to see if you could live with it on your gun/helmet them just pm me your details and I will pop it in the post. You could also use it for some target pracrtice to see how it stands up to punishment. The mounts are on the case rather than on the camera which may be another point against it.

 

My gut feeling is that trying the case will decide you against the go-pro - at least for airsoft. The mounts gor the go-pro are on the case rather than on the camera so although the sound might be better without the case, it would be harder to fix to the gun or helmet.

 

The origin of this thread came from somone just starting out in airsofting and for them I would suugest a spy cam for around £20 unless they have plenty of spare cash to cover their loadout as well. The quality will be a little less (but not that bad) and I really doubt that any of these cameras will get used much.

 

Unless you swithch them on and off during the periods of low activity then you will either do a lot of editing or sit through some fairly dull footage.

[Ian_Gere]

I forgot to mention your earlier post, Richard. I was gobsmacked by how good the quality of both audio and video is on that go cart footage you put up, to say it was done on a £20 device. I'm getting one of those! I don't care about mounts for that money, I'll put the belt clip into my helmet band with the unit upside down and LX tape it to the scrim just above my helmet rubber if I can't think of anything more snazzy. I can always wrap some camo tape round it to make it blend in!

[joshcowin]

How do you mount it to yourself, Josh? Can you link me to the helmet attachment rig you've got?

 

I'm thinking of getting a newer helmet with one of those NVG fixtures on it, so it'd be cool if I could fasten it to that somehow lol.

 

You'd definitely recommend it though?

mines stuck on with the sticky mount and ive bashed mine many times and that thing is not coming off ever.i would reccomend it yes,mine was £200 for 2 curved sticky mounts,2 flat sticky mounts,extended mount,camera,casing,fully waterproof back and audio back,3 point elastic mount,bike helmet strap and a flat plastic mount so you can have it still on the ground ,apologies i thought it was 60fps at 1080p,heres a video of my dad using my go pro for snow boarding,it plays a bit slow on bad broadband or slow computers but i think that because its vimeo http://vimeo.com/40304843

[Airsoft-Ed]

I'm aware that no camera will be as good as I want it to be, I'm just trying to ascertain which is the best available, within reason, for filming airsoft.

 

I didn't say I wasn't going to edit anything, I'd just rather have the best piece of equipment for the job.

 

I wasn't trying to come across as naive, just trying to pick up the most knowledge in the shortest time by posting hypothetical situations.

 

I will most likely have to deal with a lot of irritating issues, regarding camera film and sound effects as well as problems regarding attaching it to myself and I'm aware of that. The point you've all said weren't unknown to me.

 

But anyway, I've ordered the Contour now, if it's here in time for Saturday and someone lends me £20 so I can get to Skirmish then I plan to film the day and let my brother edit it so he can get to grips with the software for his college course.

[Ian_Gere]

But anyway, I've ordered the Contour now, if it's here in time for Saturday and someone lends me £20 so I can get to Skirmish then I plan to film the day and let my brother edit it so he can get to grips with the software for his college course.

Sounds like a plan!

 

Soz if you felt patronised by my earlier post, but yeah, you did originally come across as naive on what you could reasonably expect from a camera within your means ;-)

 

Anyhoo, all's well that ends with you @Skirmish on Saturday, with or without camera, b/c I'm dying to try out good comms there! I have a cunning plan for the trench field - a variant of Alexander The Great's battleplan against the Persian horde and comms would give us flexibility to smoothly adopt Plan B if the enemy don't go for it like the Persians did.

[rschris]

SOFTWARE!! ye contours software program is crap and can do minimal on it...much better getting another program to do your editing.

[Airsoft-Ed]

I'm leaving it up to my brother, Chris. He's doing a media course so he needs to know that stuff. I've got a Mac so he says he can use iMovie? I personally have no idea.

 

Ian, sounds like a plan! I've got a mate who'll hopefully be lending me £20-30 so I ought to alright. Then my Uni loan comes through on Monday, apparently, so I ought to survive the month now haha.

[Ian_Gere]

I dread to think what I'd have been like with money if I'd been into airsoft while I was @Uni

 

*Imagines* - Yeah, this month I can get 125,000 BB's, a BFG, tightbore barrel, russian silencer, fags, and 40 packets of Batchelor's Super Noodles... that ought to do me!

[Airsoft-Ed]

I'm living at home and also have a part time job, so with that + the fact I rarely, if ever go out drinking (never saw the appeal) and have all my meals bought for me, I have a fair bit of disposable income lol.

 

£900 for airsoft roughly every 3 months + what I get from work, which tends to be between £200 and £900 a month depending on how many hours I do. I just have to worry about lunches and busfare.

 

Despite that, I still end up in situations like this... I keep getting more and more reckless, really shouldn't have spent £160 on my new pistol, £30 on my MTP UBACS etc etc. I must spend roughly a tenner a day on breakfast and lunch... If only Subway weren't so delicious and wasn't so close to... Well, everywhere, there are too many of them!

 

I have a £1250 overdraft and as above, have less than £30 left...

 

I even worked in a bank lol, I ought to be good with money.

 

Oh well, I always manage to work ways around everything, I don't owe anyone any money, apart from Student Finance England, anyway, so I think I'm doing ok... After a fashion.