My coworker Gil loves snowmobiling. This past winter, I loaned him a cheap camcorder so he could shoot a little video as he hit 80 mph on his beloved New Hampshire snow. No problem. He used duct tape to affix the camcorder to his helmet (You've got to click on it. Honest.)!
Today, I have a better idea. (Gil, a man of few words, said "cool" when he saw what I was talking about.) Oregon Scientific has a new camcorder coming out, and the ATC5K is built to be brutalized. The company says it lets users play hard and record everything in all kinds of conditions--dirt, snow, rain, or shine.
The National Duct Tape Council will cry when they see; it's out of this picture. The ATC5K comes with multiple mounting attachments, allowing it to snowmobile from the handlebars with unobstructed vision. The ATC5K's field of view is 53°, though--not as wide as a typical person's vision.
I'm of a mixed mind here. A narrow field of view is better for conveying fast motion, but it also reacts more severely to any bumps or jostling. In other words, you can get nauseated just watching high-speed motion on a narrow field of view. On the other hand, a wider angle makes high-speed travel look a little too sedate.
The ATC5K will take still photos and video, storing them on a standard SD card. Think of its included remote control as an invitation to mount this camera someplace crazy! Video is 640-by-480-pixel AVI format at 30 fps. I like that configuration. It's the equivalent of standard-definition TV, and AVI is arguably the best format for high-quality video editing (certainly better for editing than any MPEG-formatted video).
The ATC5K will make its appearance in July at around $200, plus whatever it costs for an endless supply of double-A batteries, two at a time.
Tell me it's not just me: It's weird looking, right?
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August 27, 2008 6:08 PM
Looks like a cock with a cock ring on it...
...in blue.
October 5, 2008 9:11 PM
Bom dia meu nome é edison morro no brasil ando de moto gostaria de adiquir uma filmadora oregon atc5k se póssivel me informe o custo de importação para o estado de são paulo obrigado?