Cavechat.org

its a little top/front heavy right now but its managable. I wont be able to take any video with it until cave capers. I will post video then when I get them. Camera easily comes off if I need to remove it for clearance.

Nice camera. I checked one out at REI, but didn't have enough pocket money.

Looks a bit cumbersome, but at least it's not heavy. Watch out for low ceilings! Will that little headlamp provide enough illumination, or do you have something else too?

Have fun. Post your results/review.

I almost went with a Contour HD which is a little bit less cumbersome but this camera can go down to 180 feet underwater, which is great for my scuba diving.

This is only my second time caving, so I'm gonna have to play it by ear and see what kind of lighting will be best for the camera set up. If anyone has any suggestions on any extra lighting that i could bring that may help out Im all ears :)

Whatever lighting you end up using, you'll want it to be somewhere other than on the helmet right next to the camera for the best result. Having a light right next to the camera will send all the light that bounces off fog/mist/dust right back toward the lens. Hand held would work the best if you don't want to be ordering someone else's headlamp around while you film.

The other thread about video lighting that you commented in is a good, cheap route to go.

Alternately, you can buy some pretty cost effective Chinese made high-brightness flashlights from places like dealextreme.com. Going the route of a flashlight you'll want to look for a light that isn't tightly focused, or find some way to diffuse the light. LED's, while the most efficient and often the brightest, probably won't be quite as nice in terms of lighting quality as say halogen-based lights.

Hope this helps. Cool camera setup!

So I'm going to want to not have my headlamp on at all?

irhxcbcziuzxs wrote:So I'm going to want to not have my headlamp on at all?

Turning your light off is pretty normal for the reasons given earlier. Keep in mind that one advantage to cave photography is that you get to add all the light. There isn't any ambient/natural lighting at all. So flashing/painting a subject from an oblique angle provides rich shadows and depth to your picture.

For what it's worth, I slowly came to the same conclusion about helmet cams as some of our other forum members. Not to discourage you, but you might find your new toy has limited value mounted on your head for in-cave use.

In my experience caving helmet cam videos are usually shaky, bumpy, noisy, and provide the viewer with a kind of epileptic nausea-inducing tunnel vision. However having a fixed subject in the frame (like following your buddy through a crawl) can help with some of this. Or sticking one of those ungainly brackets to your helmet and aiming the camera back at your face while you rappel or climb etc. A wide angle lens works best for this. Otherwise shooting handheld with your helmet lamp and/or additional lighting might give you better results. Or at least a different option to try.

Experimenting with this stuff is all part of the fun.

I was thinking of getting one of these for underground use - even if it isn't mounted on my helmet. Would be interested in seeing any results that you get though!

The video quality is pretty good, but as Jansen said helmet mounted video in caves is definitely vomit inducing. I couldn't watch the whole video. And the tunnel vision of the single spot was bothersome. But for your first video not bad. Youll figure out what works best for you and your desired viewers.

When I shoot movies in cave with my Olympus Tough 8010 I have my Scurion wide beam on high and the spot at medium, this gives a good field of view, and the spot illuminates the subject better. And I get around the fog/dust problem since my camera is in my hand and the light is on my head. Took a little bit to get the hang of it, and im sure youll get it too.

What the camera on the helmet would be awesome for is things like big open air pits or something like Bridge Day. I bet youd make some killer videos there.

sounds like an issue of motion sickeness, i have that too with some things - I only got it when watching the video on my TV. Watching on youtube I didn't have a problem. I think it provides a unique perspective, but I'd definatley like to have better lighting next time.

Can I see some of the vids you have done?

irhxcbcziuzxs wrote:I almost went with a Contour HD which is a little bit less cumbersome but this camera can go down to 180 feet underwater, which is great for my scuba diving.

This is only my second time caving, so I'm gonna have to play it by ear and see what kind of lighting will be best for the camera set up. If anyone has any suggestions on any extra lighting that i could bring that may help out Im all ears :)

Golem Gear makes a housing for GoPros that is water tight to 500 feet.