My Conclusions on the Adrenaline Systems Splat Cam and the Oregon Scientific sd card camera.
(Please see my original posting below)
After taking the Adrenaline Systems Splat Cam Pro through the paces of our last paintball games, I have to say it is a great gun / mask mounted model.
I was able to mount it very easily on my paintball gun. The mount is bullet proof and comes with special padding to take some of the jolting and rough use.
There where no adjustments necessary. Just tighten the bolts and it held on with a death grip. The adrenaline systems spat cam also came with what they call the Splat Cam Mask mount. This mount made it easy to mount the mask directly on my mask. It comes with both velcro and adhesive applications which was a pretty easy to place on the side. The mount has an adjustable strap which, once tightened, maintains the camera very stable. Connecting the paintball camera to my Sony camcorder was no sweat;
Hook up was simple. The microphone is pretty cool as it allows you to place it any place you want. The footage I was able to capture was super.
I was able to combinethe more intense barrel mount footage with the mask mounted version to get some great edits. The picture clarity was awesome as it is a SOny 580 Exview HAD ccd version.
Both the sound and picture are first class. I put my last meet on DVD. We check it out over beers this weekend. Thumbs up from all the team members!
My buddy has the VIO Sport s.c.o.u.t. helmet camera which costs 3 times the price of my splat cam. We compared footage and I have to say, the adrenaline systems version is so much better.
You don't have to be a slave to their DVR and use your own camcorder or DVR. This is a big plus as I can use my handheld for run of the mill footage or hook up my sony HD camera for stuff I want to record in excellent quality.
You can find the unit I purchased at:
http://adrenalinecamera.com/product_info.php?products_id=231
The whole line is at:
http://adrenalinecamera.com/index.php?cPath=1_27&osCsid=48a73efb84f9a4ed93584988c8aa793c
The second helmet cam I tried out was the Oregon Scientific ATC2k / ATC2000. This unit is self contained with multiple mounts and integrated recorder. It takes an SD card with a convenient slot. The construction is sturdy and compact. The mounts where not to friendly. They are generic and meant more for motorcycle helmet camera applications. Nonetheless I was able to jerry-rig a mount to my paintball gun and unto my mask with some creative velcro application. Once mounted it felt a bit heavy on my paintball gun and mask.
The SD card recorded footage with a limited time frame (due to SD card limitations) Once I downloaded the files to my computer I found the video of reasonable quality. But once I edited it and put it on DVD, the quality was not that good. Nothing I would dare use on any promotional or highlights video. I feel this level quality is ok for YouTube but not anything you would like to save your best meets to. It is an OK entry level helmet camera but comes nowhere near the adrenaline camera or even the vio scout.
If you just want a fun camera, get the atc2k, but I you want something to put on your plasma screen or once in a lifetime video, spend the extra bucks to get a solid model like the Splat cam.
You can check out the Oregon Scientific model at:
http://www2.oregonscientific.com/shop/product.asp?cid=7&scid=77&pid=709
Hope this review helps. Thanks y'all for the mounting and specs advice!
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I am currently testing a couple of helmet cameras (action camera) for picking up footage on our paintball battle meets.
One of them is an Adrenaline Systems paintball cam which I have heard plenty of positive stuff. Any advice i should follow to make sure the specs are good and it is worth keeping?
One of the cams has is CCD and the other a SD card unit. Any suggestions?
I will post what I find out after this week when I have had a chance to test them out. Any feedback will be appreciated.