cheap autox cams?...

I have a head-rest post type camera mount that uses a threaded tripod post, and a 40gig SD mem card...

Can anyone recommend a cheap autocross cam to use with the above?

Thanks!

Kodak Z1015 is the one I am considering, the size of the card creates how much time you can record. 15X zoom around $200 new on eBay. It has the anti shake feature

I am no expert though the feedback on this unit seems pretty solid.

Oh, I thought you were looking for camshafts for auto cross.

I have the DXG 595 HD camcorder from WallyWorld - about $180. It takes nice video, records to sd cards and records in HD to look good on your flat screen plasma. I may have screwed up the autofocus on it recently in a 4' drop though so I can't say for sure that it will stand up to autocross use.

http://www.goprocamera.com/index.php?area=2&productid=2 from what I hear and see is about the best..

I am looking at hacking a CVS camcorder for $15 or so personally

The GoPro is pretty good, but there's a bit of a learning curve as you figure out how to use it. Picture quality is nowhere near as good as my old Canon DV camera, but the mounting options for the GoPro beat anything else this side of a Chase Cam. It comes with a few different setups, including a very versatile suction cup mount.

If you want the typical "over the shoulder" shot, there are better options. If you want a cone cam, or want to get an artsy shot of your right front wheel, or get a peek at your facial expressions - the GoPro is tough to beat. For a well-mounted in-car setup, I'd probably go with a DV camera. More money, but more better.

I have a Panasonic Lumix point and shoot digital camera which I've started to shoot in-car autocross vids with. It records video in 720p, has built-in image stabalization, and records in the .mov format which I can easily edit in Quicktime. I've been really impressed with the results - and it doubles as an excellent still image camera.

I have a cheap Aiptek camcorder camera and I added a Sunpak wide angle lens, works pretty well.

http://www.amazon.com/Aiptek-DV3100-3-1MP-Digital-Camcorder/dp/B00009W2GL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249919989&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/CAM-2100-MagMount-Wide-Angle-Conversion-Regular/dp/B0002OIYGQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1249920096&sr=8-3

The video quality isn't as good as the newer cameras and the mic sucks, but it worked fairly well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRkzPAz9aD4

I'm going to add an external mic and a remote start/stop button with perhaps another camera or two (they're cheap and I can use the extra footage to make some neat looking videos that help critique my driving or car setup)

The light weight means very little movement even when moving around on the course. The fixed focus takes a little to setup initially, but you don't need to change it once set or worry about it trying to auto-focus on things that come and go quickly.

Of course YouTube compresses the video further so it actually looks a little better than that. I edited it using Microsoft Movie Maker.

You know it's going to be a good autocross run when they're laughing BEFORE you start ...

nderwater wrote: I have a Panasonic Lumix point and shoot digital camera which I've started to shoot in-car autocross vids with. It records video in 720p, has built-in image stabalization, and records in the .mov format which I can easily edit in Quicktime. I've been really impressed with the results - and it doubles as an excellent still image camera.

+1

I have an older Panasonic DMC-FX1 on a panavise roll bar mount from soloperformance.com and it works EXCELLENT. The only draw back is wind noise with the top down/windows open...

It has very very very good image quality in movies and pictures!

slantvaliant wrote: You know it's going to be a good autocross run when they're laughing BEFORE you start ...

Yeah, that was an interesting one. They were supposed to have given me a re-run and when I lined up as the very last car of the day they stood around and chatting for about 20 minutes before they finally listened to me and let me go. I was a little pissed to say the least.

GoPro has made a leap. With the GoPro HD!

http://www.goprocamera.com/hdheropreview/

And at only $300, that's not a bad deal for a full HD camcorder built to deal with a rough environment!! I especially like the 720P 60fps, which should make for some great slow motion action. It's available for pre-order now, and is set to ship last week of October. Can't wait to get mine, and when I do I'll be sure to post up how it turned out.

Whatever you get, add a wide angle lens to it.

thebulletcam.com also looks like a neat option.

Per

Judging by their sample video, it sounds like the audio is fairly worthless on that bulletcam.

Most cheap cams have crappy sound.

Run a dedicated mic shielded from the wind, I think some have used directional or inductive mics to great effect.

If the camera doesn't readily accept an external mic, you can use a cheap audio recorder or modify the camera by soldering a connector to the camera.

I have been using the Oregon Scientific helmut cam. It was really cheap and its easy to mount in odd spots. We took the following video with the camera mounted to the air intake on the side of an AW-11 MR2 that I have been driving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3Psmpss5Pc

yes that was me spinning it 37 seconds into my first run.