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Last year's ContourHD is available at Amazon for $138 with Prime shipping. http://www.amazon.com/Contour-1300-ContourHD-Camera/dp/B002QGSYZ4

the resident Luddite wonders aloud:

So if you had one of those solar backpack phone chargers, and a smarty phone with a camera that did internets, and data rates were not prohibitive, couldn't you just tape the smarty phone camera on and forward to the front of your helmet and go?

Seems to me we've solved all these problems before, in more complicated and capable devices, for the same price, so it should be cheaper than it is. But I'm the wrong kind of geek for this, and Stu doesn't have a video blog, so I figure I'm wrong.

Is it just that the porn/gaming industries haven't decided they need helmet cams? Is that why we don't have really good, cheap ones?

any other recommendations on the not so latest or greatest, but cheaper and good enough to document anything terrible that could happen on my commute?

ejwme, I believe you may have just revolutionized the porn industry.

How does this camera mont to your helmet.

There are a bunch of mounting options... the new one comes with the profile mount & rotating surface mount. I put in an order for one earlier today... hoping to have it by early next week. Then will start the Yinzer Jaggoff Drivers blog.

@ejwme - no reason you couldn't use a phone or any other small camera with video capability. Mounting/weatherproofing may be tricky though.

I've been using an ATC-2K and while the price was right ($80) it's a bit heavy on my helmet. When it's distracting like that, I'm tendant to not use it.

I've been thinking of getting something like the the Veho Movi. It's so light and small that I could just velcro it on the helmet and almost forget it's there. At least, while I'm riding. Hopefully I won't forget to turn it on.

Some video from the Contour. That's at 720p, 135º field of view. I'll test out the 1080p/111º setting tonight.

^ Hey that Negley Ave.

what time was this? fascinating route choice.

Around 9:30 am. Fascinating why?

I am getting one of these cameras in the next month perhaps.

A few things:

1) were you looking to see if there were bikes locked up outside of quiet storm and salt (the pk ripper in perticular)?

2) I like how you looked at petraglia auto service at 3800 liberty avenue Pittsburgh, pa 15201.

3) I know that the camera is mounted on your helmet, but you must be a fairly tall dude, cause I usually see the road from a lot lower.

4) WWLD? (what would Lyle do?) not roll stop signs. Just waiting for him to mention it.

5) my phone tried to change the word "mention" to "merkin". That has nothing to do with this topic.

I don't suppose that camera picks up much when it is really dark outside.. Guess it depends on your headlight maybe.

1. looking at salt window for the reflection of my serious guns as they flex up the hill. Quiet Storm was a glance... all the bikes are on the other side of the street usually.

2. keeping an eye out for my buddy who works there.

3. it's the wide angle lens distorting perspective a bit.

4. Idaho

5. quit jerkin my merkin

Dusk light from tonight. I think that the camera aperture is set when you turn it on. For dark, I'm going to cover the lens and test again. Note WTF driver sitting in reverse at Penn/Negley light. I left some space there as caution. Near Black St, there's an almost invisible ninja roadie probably coming back rom the oval. Looked back for a blinkie. Not happening.

I read the manual and I don't see any mention of setting the FOV - can you zoom it or is that just a consequence of the resolution you pick? I don't see that mentioned *anywhere*, which is kind of crappy of them, it just says 170 degrees.

Apparently there's some software you can use to adjust exposure, etc? Not so useful for on the fly changes (well, I guess if you haul a laptop around), but still cool.

I'm definitely mildly intrigued by now.

This seems like an interesting way to capture "incidents", but the contrast & resolution make the license plates hard to decipher. I'm wondering, too if anyone knows anything about how license plate numbers are distributed. If you can only remember half the plate, would it be better to remember the letter combo or the numerals?

If one were to use the footage in court, would you be able to submit only "x" seconds before, during, and after an incident? I would hate to see a judge dismiss something because 4 intersections earlier a cyclist ran a red light.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

It's fun to hitch a ride on someone else's route & I liked the camera quality. I was given a Go Pro camera last winter & now I'm gonna have to see if the plates show up any better on it.

I think the other side would get the complete footage.

But I doubt it would matter that you ran a red light 4 intersections previous, unless there's some question about whether you ran a red light during the incident in question too. Same reason that previous convictions aren't admissible.

But I'm not a lawyer, I just watch them on TV.

@Pseuda, given the standard format of the PA plate, it would probably make more sense to remember the first three letters. There are 17,576 combinations of the first three letters while there are only 10,000 combinations of the last four numbers. That combined with the color, make and model would get you pretty far.

@ Pseudacris - See http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/225/chapter4/chap4toc.html