digital camcorder recommendations

[lawtonglenn]

Nicely Priced Alternative to GoPro and vHoldr:

Aiptek HD with Sunpack Wide Angle Lens $114 + $37 = $151 incl shipping

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Aiptek-1080P-Definition-Camcorder-Silver/dp/B0019BPTMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1272159020&sr =8-1[/ame]

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Sunpak-CAM-2110-MagMount-Wide-Angle-Conversion/dp/B00079REO4/ref=pd_sim_p_3[/ame]


The Aiptek HD (not the HD-GVS)

• records 1080p @ 30fps or 720p @ 60fps
• has fixed focus, so no hunting, no vibe issues
• has no optical zoom, so no vibe issues
• writes onto SDHC cards
• the only poss drawbacks are its upright shape and it records in HD-MOV files
• The HD-MOV files were not compatible with Pinnacle Studio 11, but they are ok with 12 or 14
• The HD-MOV files work perfectly with Quicktime

We have 3 of these, and they work well, and are cheap. If you are interested, I can
show you the mounting fixtures we made for the camera to roll bar mount, and the
wide angle lens mounting.

Best
Glenn

[rthiele]

Great information, Glenn. I see they also have an "action" model specifically for sports - with an electronic stabilizer. If that one works well, it should take out the vibrations, worth testing. Besides 16:9, HD and good auto white balance that is a key requirement for onboards for me and the reason why I used a simple tape camcorder so far. So far very few compact race cams those features.
Do they have a standard camera mount/screw for a tripod etc.?

[ribbie78]

Glenn- could you put some pics up of your setup? Also how strong is that magnet mount for the wide angle lens? I was wondering what else you added to it to reinforce if necessary...thx!