- Member DIN
- S410
Hio everybody!
I'm working on re-making my Mk VII helmet to improve the scaling of my suit and I figured this is a good chance to redo some of the electronics. I want to add a camera to my suit. As you all know, shenanigans can happen quite quickly at conventions and by the time you manage to get your phone out to capture the moment, the moment has gone. I've had a camera before, but never to my satisfaction. This post will be to discuss what I've tried as well as what I want to try next.
The GoPro-in-Chest Method
Previously, I've had a GoPro in the torso piece of my suit.
This had it's pros and cons:
Pros:
-could easily plug into large battery for all day battery
-large SD card for all day recording
-I could leave it recoding all day and go back afterwards to get the clips
Cons:
-bad audio quality
-low camera angle that was often obstructed
This hole got covered over when I added extra details for my deployment, but I wanted to still use a camera at cons. That brings us to the next thing I tried:
The Insta-GOS3 Magnetic Method
Recently I became in possession of an Insta GO S3, one of these little action cameras with the removable "action pod"
I put magnets in the Torso piece to allow it to stick on. This too had pros and cons:
Pros:
-Camera was completely out-of-sight when not in use
-Decent Video and Audio quality
-easy to access to start and stop recording
Cons:
-camera was more visible when in use
-battery lasts 45 mins tops
-limited to 128 BG storage with no interchangeable SD card
-Still has that low camera angle
-camera often fell off during rapid movement, a regular problem for me
-sometimes it would overheat
This has some improvements but some things got worse, so I need to think of something better.
What I Want
Obviously I need to take a different approach to the problem. Here are my goals:
-I want a higher camera angle, preferable attached to the helmet so it sees what I see
-I want to be able to continuously record all day. No battery or storage limitations.
-I do not want it to take away from the look of the helmet at all. I don't mind it being visible, but it can't look out of place.
-At least 1080p with acceptable indoor shooting capabilities
-Decent audio quality is a must. It doesn't have to sound like a symphony, but I really want to be able to hear the conversations I have with people.
Right now the direction I'm thinking of taking this is to put a camera inside of a camera attachment. There are a few attachments I could put a camera in:
CNM[5]/BNR/Fascinator - instead of those 4 squares, picture the square lens of a GoPro. The attachment might have to go on the left side of the helmet to accommodate the GoPro's lens position. I would probably push the attachment a tad closer to the helmet to allow the camera to stick into the helmet. I could maybe even squeeze a small boom mic in the other circle shape.
CNM/BNR/Typhon - Not technically compatible with the Mk VII, but I'm not going for accuracy in this scenario. I'll still have my current helmet if I really want to stay accurate. I could maybe use the GoPro, but I think in this case the Insta GoS3 would be better because it's smaller. I'd have to use it with a charging attachment to allow it to record for longer. The overheating and audio quality would be an issue though.
HUL-I/RS[2]/Venona - Again, I could potentially squeeze the gopro in there, but I don't think the symmetrical on-top-of-the-helmet look with be good with my usual cat ears.
Behind the Visor - I've experimented with this, but unfortunately the inside of the helmet is very tight on space and the visibility from behind the visor isn't acceptable.
Pinhole Camera - Perhaps I could get an endoscope or something and just put it in the brim of the visor. This would be really ideal, but unfortunately I wouldn't even know where to begin. These devices are more commonly used as "webcams" where they don't have onboard storage or batteries. I would have to build that system from scratch. I have a suspicion that the video quality of these devices isn't great when compared to a GoPro which would have a much bigger lens and sensor.
I need Your Ideas
Have any of you put a camera in your helmets? What are the Pros and Cons of your method?
Do you see an obvious problem with that first method I thought of using the GoPro and the CNM attachment? Do you have any thoughts on the other methods?
I'm working on re-making my Mk VII helmet to improve the scaling of my suit and I figured this is a good chance to redo some of the electronics. I want to add a camera to my suit. As you all know, shenanigans can happen quite quickly at conventions and by the time you manage to get your phone out to capture the moment, the moment has gone. I've had a camera before, but never to my satisfaction. This post will be to discuss what I've tried as well as what I want to try next.
The GoPro-in-Chest Method
Previously, I've had a GoPro in the torso piece of my suit.
This had it's pros and cons:
Pros:
-could easily plug into large battery for all day battery
-large SD card for all day recording
-I could leave it recoding all day and go back afterwards to get the clips
Cons:
-bad audio quality
-low camera angle that was often obstructed
This hole got covered over when I added extra details for my deployment, but I wanted to still use a camera at cons. That brings us to the next thing I tried:
The Insta-GOS3 Magnetic Method
Recently I became in possession of an Insta GO S3, one of these little action cameras with the removable "action pod"
I put magnets in the Torso piece to allow it to stick on. This too had pros and cons:
Pros:
-Camera was completely out-of-sight when not in use
-Decent Video and Audio quality
-easy to access to start and stop recording
Cons:
-camera was more visible when in use
-battery lasts 45 mins tops
-limited to 128 BG storage with no interchangeable SD card
-Still has that low camera angle
-camera often fell off during rapid movement, a regular problem for me
-sometimes it would overheat
This has some improvements but some things got worse, so I need to think of something better.
What I Want
Obviously I need to take a different approach to the problem. Here are my goals:
-I want a higher camera angle, preferable attached to the helmet so it sees what I see
-I want to be able to continuously record all day. No battery or storage limitations.
-I do not want it to take away from the look of the helmet at all. I don't mind it being visible, but it can't look out of place.
-At least 1080p with acceptable indoor shooting capabilities
-Decent audio quality is a must. It doesn't have to sound like a symphony, but I really want to be able to hear the conversations I have with people.
Right now the direction I'm thinking of taking this is to put a camera inside of a camera attachment. There are a few attachments I could put a camera in:
CNM[5]/BNR/Fascinator - instead of those 4 squares, picture the square lens of a GoPro. The attachment might have to go on the left side of the helmet to accommodate the GoPro's lens position. I would probably push the attachment a tad closer to the helmet to allow the camera to stick into the helmet. I could maybe even squeeze a small boom mic in the other circle shape.
CNM/BNR/Typhon - Not technically compatible with the Mk VII, but I'm not going for accuracy in this scenario. I'll still have my current helmet if I really want to stay accurate. I could maybe use the GoPro, but I think in this case the Insta GoS3 would be better because it's smaller. I'd have to use it with a charging attachment to allow it to record for longer. The overheating and audio quality would be an issue though.
HUL-I/RS[2]/Venona - Again, I could potentially squeeze the gopro in there, but I don't think the symmetrical on-top-of-the-helmet look with be good with my usual cat ears.
Behind the Visor - I've experimented with this, but unfortunately the inside of the helmet is very tight on space and the visibility from behind the visor isn't acceptable.
Pinhole Camera - Perhaps I could get an endoscope or something and just put it in the brim of the visor. This would be really ideal, but unfortunately I wouldn't even know where to begin. These devices are more commonly used as "webcams" where they don't have onboard storage or batteries. I would have to build that system from scratch. I have a suspicion that the video quality of these devices isn't great when compared to a GoPro which would have a much bigger lens and sensor.
I need Your Ideas
Have any of you put a camera in your helmets? What are the Pros and Cons of your method?
Do you see an obvious problem with that first method I thought of using the GoPro and the CNM attachment? Do you have any thoughts on the other methods?
