Waterproof Video Action Camera Comes With Handlebar Mount

Beerslayer · 12-17-2006, 03:20 PM

Hello all, I am back after a hiatus spent working for a living. I am headed to Central America next week and will spend some time checking out the dual sport scene there. That is where I saw my first China bike.

I recently saw an ad for a action camera and fell in love. Made in China but the company, Oregon Scientific is based a few blocks from where I live.
http://www2.oregonscientific.com/sho...cid=77&pid=709

I bought one thinking I could use the included strap mount to strap it to the rear view mirror of the rental car and get some great road video. Tried it here at home and it didn't work well.

I went down to REI and bought a Garmin GPS sandbag mount [$30] and horked the detachable base from my Garmin GPS V. With the purchase of a $.07 10-32 x 1" countersunk screw from the hardware store on the way home, I was on my way.

I found a piece of cedar in the garage that I cut to size to bridge the gap between the ears of the GPS mount and the mounting plate that came with the camera. I drilled through the GPS Mount, wood block, and camera mount and through bolted them with the 10-32 screw. I then painted the whole affair black and hogged out part of the camera base so it would clear the nut on the screw. The bases were too thin to counter sink both ends of the screw.

It all snapped together beautifully. I decided to put the camera on the roof of the Yukon for a test drive rather than the dash, thinking I would get better video. I tested the stability of the mount at the first stop sign and decided it wasn't going to move. I then drove down to Staples and bought some DVDs, filming the trip.

The camera stayed in place going 45 MPH. The field of view is a bit narrow, but for a ruggedized battery powered action camera for $129 the quality was fantastic. The maximum frame rate is 30fps and maximum res is 640x480. With a 2 GB card that will get you one hour of video and the camera makes a new file when they get above a certain point. I never ran it more than 15 minutes at a time so I don't know about battery life or maximum file size.

For filming stuns or a ride, this thing is fantastic. I plan to try to get my hands on a bike while I am down there and try out the handle bar mount while enjoying some of the multitudes of double track there.

I will post the pic I have in the gallery, and try to get some more up before I leave.

John22j · 12-17-2006, 04:25 PM

I've used the original version of that camera (ATC-1000) for almost a year. I have made a permanent mount on an extra helmet that I wear when wanting to do video.

It's a decent camera for the money and it's intended purpose. I will say that on mine the sound breaks up some when it gets wind in it and the picture is "wavy" sometimes.

Also it will stop working every now and then -- have to reset it and start again... and you do sometimes lose whatever you were recording at the time. But you don't buy one of these for profesional quality, they are just fun recreation cameras.

I'm curious because when they announced the ATC-2k I thought about trying one out... just never did it and I'm still happy with the ATC-1000.
After you use it a few times let us know if any oppinions changed.

Jim · 04-09-2007, 11:25 PM

How is the quality of video with this? I've been looking into some sort of camera solution...

12-17-2006, 03:20 PM	#1
Beerslayer Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 188	Waterproof Video Action Camera Comes With Handlebar Mount Hello all, I am back after a hiatus spent working for a living. I am headed to Central America next week and will spend some time checking out the dual sport scene there. That is where I saw my first China bike. I recently saw an ad for a action camera and fell in love. Made in China but the company, Oregon Scientific is based a few blocks from where I live. http://www2.oregonscientific.com/sho...cid=77&pid=709 I bought one thinking I could use the included strap mount to strap it to the rear view mirror of the rental car and get some great road video. Tried it here at home and it didn't work well. I went down to REI and bought a Garmin GPS sandbag mount [$30] and horked the detachable base from my Garmin GPS V. With the purchase of a $.07 10-32 x 1" countersunk screw from the hardware store on the way home, I was on my way. I found a piece of cedar in the garage that I cut to size to bridge the gap between the ears of the GPS mount and the mounting plate that came with the camera. I drilled through the GPS Mount, wood block, and camera mount and through bolted them with the 10-32 screw. I then painted the whole affair black and hogged out part of the camera base so it would clear the nut on the screw. The bases were too thin to counter sink both ends of the screw. It all snapped together beautifully. I decided to put the camera on the roof of the Yukon for a test drive rather than the dash, thinking I would get better video. I tested the stability of the mount at the first stop sign and decided it wasn't going to move. I then drove down to Staples and bought some DVDs, filming the trip. The camera stayed in place going 45 MPH. The field of view is a bit narrow, but for a ruggedized battery powered action camera for $129 the quality was fantastic. The maximum frame rate is 30fps and maximum res is 640x480. With a 2 GB card that will get you one hour of video and the camera makes a new file when they get above a certain point. I never ran it more than 15 minutes at a time so I don't know about battery life or maximum file size. For filming stuns or a ride, this thing is fantastic. I plan to try to get my hands on a bike while I am down there and try out the handle bar mount while enjoying some of the multitudes of double track there. I will post the pic I have in the gallery, and try to get some more up before I leave.
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12-17-2006, 04:25 PM	#2
John22j Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 289	I've used the original version of that camera (ATC-1000) for almost a year. I have made a permanent mount on an extra helmet that I wear when wanting to do video. It's a decent camera for the money and it's intended purpose. I will say that on mine the sound breaks up some when it gets wind in it and the picture is "wavy" sometimes. Also it will stop working every now and then -- have to reset it and start again... and you do sometimes lose whatever you were recording at the time. But you don't buy one of these for profesional quality, they are just fun recreation cameras. I'm curious because when they announced the ATC-2k I thought about trying one out... just never did it and I'm still happy with the ATC-1000. After you use it a few times let us know if any oppinions changed. __________________ '20 RPS Magician 250 '06 Hensim (Tierra) DB150-2 '06 X-Treme 70cc pitbike '02 Kawasaki KX125
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04-09-2007, 11:25 PM	#3
Jim Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Abbotsford, BC, Canada Posts: 4,880	How is the quality of video with this? I've been looking into some sort of camera solution...
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