Bullet Cam advice

Unluckyalf · 31 Jan 2007 at 04:58

Hi, i am just after some advice on a decent bullet cam to fit to this:

I regularily go off into the wilderness on business trips and I want to see if i can record some or all of the trip.

Also i wouldnt mind an indication of what sort of file sizes are generally acceptable for cam vids, and what software is best for capture.

Most of the trip will be dirt/gravel/sand but it will have to be waterproof/resistant as I'll have to cross some rivers too. Ideally i dont want to have to fix the cam to the roof. I hoping to fit it just under the front bumper.

Any advice is appreciated

moss · 31 Jan 2007 at 08:15

Dont have any advice sounds like awesome trips though, wont the cam get covered in mud under the front bumper?

Tomsk · 31 Jan 2007 at 08:24

moss said:
Dont have any advice sounds like awesome trips though, wont the cam get covered in mud under the front bumper?

Save some money by getting a non-waterproof one and sticking it in the cab looking through the windscreen.

What medium are you recording to - tape, DVD or HD?

I know Archos do one for their 404/504/604 range of media players. I think it costs about £200 for a 404 (30GB) and £100 for the camera.
Don't know what they cost down under though.

Firestar_3x · 31 Jan 2007 at 08:39

My bullet cam was £40 imported from china, i've got it attached to the lower front bumper all year round.

Its waterproof but i wouldn't like to take it through extreme conditions.

wired directly to 12v, rca lead for video.

Got it pluged into a USB Capture box + very thin laptop running windows movie maker

Unluckyalf · 31 Jan 2007 at 08:52

Shouldnt get too muddy to be honest. Most of the trip is very dusty with the odd creek/river to go through (which should clean the dust off).
I have done a few of these trips already, so know what its going to be like. Ill show you a few pics quickly.

Bottom pic is whats left after Cyclone Monica in March (i think) of last year.

I was hoping for perhaps a webcam solution? Something that plugs into a laptop direct and saves it there? Not sure if thats feasable or not.

My other consideration is going to be vibration though and whether the picture quality will be any good on a rough dirt track at 110kmh

I had thought about sticking it on the dash but cams always look better when they are lower down. Otherwise itll look like im trundling along at 20-30kmh

I have friends/family in the UK so i can purchase from there if needed

Firestar_3x said:
My bullet cam was £40 imported from china, i've got it attached to the lower front bumper all year round.

Its waterproof but i wouldn't like to take it through extreme conditions.

wired directly to 12v, rca lead for video.

Got it pluged into a USB Capture box + very thin laptop running windows movie maker

Ah, looks like just what i need. Got links or is it a competitor?

Tomsk · 31 Jan 2007 at 13:55

The Mcrosoft Lifecam Nx6000 (I'm only suggesting it 'cos I happen to have an etailers paper catalogue in front of me right now) claims to take video at 2mpixel (1600x1200)

Vibration shouldn't be a problem. I've experimented with a digital compact camera sucker mounted to my windscreen and it didn't move. A webcam should be a lot lighter and thus less prone to vibration.

Also I doubt that you will be able to find a waterproof/dustproof/kangarooproof webcam.

Westyfield2 · 31 Jan 2007 at 16:43

Tomsk said:
The Mcrosoft Lifecam Nx6000 (I'm only suggesting it 'cos I happen to have an etailers paper catalogue in front of me right now) claims to take video at 2mpixel (1600x1200)

To make matters worse, the LifeCam NX-6000 is only able to pull 15 frames per second maximum, and at resolutions of 1024x768 or higher, that number will drop to an incredible 4 fps, which is unbearable for anything, causing huge motion blurs. (I can see the blur when my eyes blink in live video). Taking photos at high resolutions also takes some skill as the same blurs apply, since it's basically taking a still frame from the same 4 fps video.

1024 x 768 wmv video (4.6mb)
No THANKYOU!!

For nice bullet cams / complete kits head over to Fast Films (no, I don't work for them so am not on commission!)

Zip · 31 Jan 2007 at 16:48

YAY for landcruisers!!!

Unluckyalf · 1 Feb 2007 at 04:01

Fast Films looks to be just what i need. 1st proper bush trip wont be till April as most bush roads are closed for the wet season.

Any yes YAY for cruisers (apart for the design fault on mine that means i have to tie the radiatior fan down to the chassis before i can do water)