A Guide To Helmet Cameras

If you need a small special camera to shoot images as you ride a bike

, then using helmet cameras is an option worth looking at. These cameras are small and are attached to the helmet at a vantage point that helps in capturing action in a very effective manner. Such cameras have many names including bullet cameras and lipstick cameras as well as micro video cameras. When attached to the helmet, they can shoot the action without disturbing the rider who can continue using their hands and feet in an unfettered manner.

The history of helmet cameras began way back in the year 1987 when such a camera was invented to shoot mountain biking sequences. This camera was mounted on a motorcyclists helmet and the camera would then feed signals via a cable to a VCR that was placed in the riders backpack. No doubt, this kind of rigging was quite unsophisticated, but even despite that, it soon began to be worn by mountain bikers as well as by Trials riders who wanted to capture their rides on videos.

Once the rider completed their rides, the rig was taken out and then the footage captured could be played back and viewed offline. Today, things have changed considerably as the latest helmet cameras are much tinier in size and they are certainly very sophisticated and are not at all like the ones that were used in 1987.

A major change took place in the working of these cameras when the 1 inch Toshiba CMOS chip cameras came out that would be placed on the helmet (on one side) while the other side had a 12 volt battery attached to the persons helmet. This camera would be connected to a small sized VCR. It did not take too long before bikes had some modifications done to them so that a camera could be mounted under the riders seat and also beneath the button bracket so that the camera could shoot action along the trail and from the wheels.

These cameras soon became regular equipment for bikers as well as for a whole host of other people including those that loved to surf and ski as well as those who dove from the skies and many other people too became interested in these cameras. Soon, digital cameras made their appearance and when they did they allowed the cameras to become smaller in size and they were also a lot more advanced. These cameras could be hooked to digital video recorders that could display video as well.

There are two main types of helmet cameras to choose from including the CCD and CMOS type. These cameras can be made in different shapes which are mostly small and cylindrical and which look just like lipstick tubes or even bullets. These cameras can also easily be hooked to video recorders that have video input features.

CCD types work on the principle of charge coupled device or CCD image sensor. These cameras are normally powered up by twelve volt DC power and they will output signals in analog format. Though such cameras offer better picture quality, they also are big power guzzlers.

CMOS cameras work differently and make use of CMOS or metal oxide semiconductor image sensors. Such cameras need only a 5 volt battery which can provide sufficient power. However, quality of image produced is not all that good and in low lighting, the quality of image diminishes even further.

by: Nathan D. Clark

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