I’ve never been the type of person who even considered owning a helmet cam. I mean, who the hell wants to watch a POV of my sorry ass skiing down the mountain, when they could be experiencing a first-person view of a pro athlete doing backflips off a cliff or flying around snow-covered peaks in a wing suit?
Well, I never did buy a helmet cam, but my lovely wife got me one as an anniversary present, so I am now the proud owner of a GoPro HD Helmet HERO. I’ve been using it since December and sorry ass or not, I’ve been having a ton of fun with it.
First off, the GoPro HD Helmet HERO shoots amazing quality video for such a small package. To say it’s professional quality would be true, as I’ve even used it to shoot footage at my day job as a TV news videographer. As far as skiing is concerned; the wide angle lens, coupled with the GoPro’s ability to shoot in several different HD quality formats (1080p / 960p / 720p HD resolutions record at 30 and 60 frames per second) give it a lot of bang for the buck.
Of course, there are some downsides. The GoPro HD Helmet HERO is loaded with so many options, that it can get very confusing, especially when you go deep into the menu settings which are displayed on a tiny LCD screen. Small buttons control it, which are difficult to press with gloved hands, and menu icons are not entirely intuitive to read. A thorough scan of the instruction manual is essential to learning how to properly operate this camera.
Because of this, I generally set the camera to one setting (720p) and leave it. Then all I have to do is turn it on and hit the record button. Check out the video below to see some helmet cam footage edited into the piece.
Wasatch Backcountry 2010 from Utah Outside on Vimeo.
The camera body is nice and small, but burly. When inside the polycarnonate housing, it feels pretty bomber and is waterproof to 180 feet. It also comes with an extra housing door with holes for recording better audio when you use it in situations where the camera won’t get wet.
Camera mounts are another perk with the GoPro HD Helmet HERO. It comes with mounts for three helmets and two pieces of gear or vehicles. Also included is a head strap that lets you slip it on a helmet like a headlamp, which is what I use the most when shooting ski footage. Another helmet mount that comes standard is a “lace-through-stap-mount” designed for vented lids like bike helmets.
In addition to the included mounts, I also got a Chesty, which as the name implies, mounts on the chest. I like it as it looks less dorky then having a camera sticking out of my head, and stays snug against my body which means less camera shake. The only problem with the Chesty it that it forces an extreme closeup view of my hands and knees in the foreground of the shot. Nevertheless, the Chesty allows for a unique angle that is just another tool for coming up with different shots to edit into your awsome ski/bike/surf movie.
A good example of this can be seen in this video, shot and edited by my friend, Jared Anderton. He has a ton of mounts and puts them all over his mountain bike to capture creative angles.
[HD] Mountain Biking Zen Trail and Bear Claw Poppy – February 2010 from Jared Anderton on Vimeo.
But that’s not all! The GoPro HD Helmet Hero even shoots 5MP photos, either manually or automatically, hands free. I’ve never used this function since I like to shoot stills with my Canon SLR, but for anyone who doesn’t want to haul another camera into the mountains, this is a good option. Although I imagine it’s a little hard to frame a shot when there is no viewfinder to look through.
The battery is another good improvement on most digital video cameras. It uses a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery with a built in battery warmer. In my experience with it, the battery lasts a long time (2.5 hours according to the company) and is easily recharged by plugging it into the USB port of a computer. Thanks to the battery warmer, the life of the camera is extended in cold weather, perfect for shooting my sorry ass ski footage.
Aside from needing a degree in Egyptian Hieroglyphs just to read the menu, I am very happy with the GoPro HD Helmet HERO. This little guy shoots awesome, steady video, has a good on-board microphone, and mounts to just about anything. Despite my initial reluctance to being a helmet cam owner, the GoPro HD Helmet HERO has now become a staple of my outdoor backpacks, whether skiing, mountain biking, or just shooting video of an epic landscape.
To show off the different HD quality settings, side by side, I put together this video so you can see what it looks like in 720p, 960p and 1080p.
GoPro Hero HD Camera Demo from Utah Outside on Vimeo.
You can purchase the GoPro HD Helmet HERO, along with accessories, at Backcountry.com
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