Mountain biking , skydiving and police following are all somewhat coolheaded thing to witness firsthand , but my scaredy - cat ego is n’t potential to partake in anytime presently . Helmet camerasare the staring go - between for hoi polloi like me , who enjoy watching other people ’s high - thrills footage without the risk , as well as for hothead who desire to re - live their outdoorsy experiences viahigh - definitionimages and TV .
Today ’s helmet cams are summary , slick , lightweight and unremarkably waterproofed , but like all great modern engineering they started out much differently . In fact , helmet Cam River pioneer , good deal biker and video fancier Mark Schulze kicked off the practice in 1987 by bolting an sure-enough - school VHS camera to hisbike helmet . For those of you who were n’t around in the ' eighty , such cameras were big , bulky and likely headache - inducing when carry about on one ’s head . Those extra pounds were just the beginning , though , since wireless applied science was n’t on the dot available back then , either . Schulze really placed a VCR , connected by cables to the camera , in his backpack and schlepped that around as well . His vision was to create instructional mountain biking videos , but at some peak other company captivate onto his idea and used their considerable resources to design and produce helmet photographic camera with less bulk and high quality [ source : Mooney ] . Today , helmet cameras are widely develop by manufacturers such asGoPro , Sony and iON , among others , and are often consult to as " action cameras . "
Since then , people have dozens of uses for the camera beyond uttermost fun . Helmet photographic camera have been used by football game teams and fire-eater as learning tool , or by police policeman as insurance that their operation were done by the book . Surfers and skier get to capture beautiful footage of waves and plenty that would be impossible otherwise .
On the flip side , some hoi polloi insist that helmet River Cam dishonor privateness rights , peculiarly in pinch situations . A township in Pennsylvania banned firefighters from using them . " I do n’t want somebody come in my sign of the zodiac and motion-picture photography … my wife might be in her housecoat , " was the town commissioner ’s memorable quote [ beginning : Fire Rescue1 ] . Employers also indicate out that such video can increase financial obligation , as illustrated by icon of the aftermath of an Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco , which depicted a survivor incidentally being run over by a fire semi . She was kill instantly [ source : ARFF ] .
Despite the hesitations of some , many citizenry are equip their helmets with these coolheaded , lightweight video - form tools . Keep reading to find out who utilise them , why and how you could too .
Sports Uses for Helmet Cams
The first time I saw a helmet tv camera in action was at my son ’s T - ballock plot , atop the tremendous batting helmet of a 4 - year - old as he assault the bases for the first time ever . Although I ’m certain his parent had a regular camera wheeling in tandem , the helmet interpretation forever captured his teeny - tiny perspective on that most crucial of days .
Back in 1991 , World League of American Football signal caller Kerwin Bell was the first pro player to don a helmet camera during a plot , in effect lease the consultation in on the action as he called plays , scored touchdowns and bilk sacks [ source : Schmitz ] . critic and players stop up rejecting the use of the technology for geezerhood , citing the voltage for chicane ( have it away the other squad ’s drama ) and bulk of the machine itself . In 2015 , it appears that the tide is turning on this schoolhouse of persuasion , though , with sphere football game leagues employing live - action at law helmet cameras to thrill audiences [ source : Ecker ] . College football officials also plan to follow out the applied science , although more in an elbow grease to improve coaching , since it will reserve staff to see exactly what players do , shit play call easier [ source : Associated Press ] .
Most sports enthusiasts who use helmet cams are of the adrenaline rushing variety . They careen down mountains on ski or wheel , through the cloud with their parachutes and across highways on their hogs , capturing every daredevil secondly along the elbow room . Taking such footage is a elbow room to re - live the thrills and scene , share them with friend and family , and also an ideal method for capturing unique ikon of wildlife and other nerveless view without have to really stop and whip out an factual camera .
Of of course , some people savour entice fate , as in the showcase ofthis cyclistwho lean in and let a rattlesnake assail his helmet cam . For the phonograph record , we advise against that ( All together now : Shudder ) . Helmet cams also allow for people to seize behaviour that would be otherwise hard to fully discover , as with the face of a scuba diver who recorded his entire interaction with a curious , 12 - foot ( 4 - meter)great white-hot shark , which he had to pound with his fishgig several metre before he went along his spanking sharky way [ source : Algar ] .
Some extreme athletes take helmet cams to the next floor , using them as fundraising tools . Jump4Heros heighten funds for charities that supply support to armed forces . The team’sskydiversupload breathtaking videos to show would - be bestower the extraordinary lengths they go to in sustenance of these crusade [ beginning : Coldwell ] .
Other Uses for Helmet Cams
Three types of professionals seem to get first dibs on all the nerveless tech miniature before anyone else : the military machine , law of nature enforcement / emergency responders and Batman . The good news show for people using such a pecker in a work capacity is that it can charm everything on positive video recording . Unfortunately , that ’s also the bad news .
Why the wishy - washiness ? Well , helmet cams can take away any doubt border how an event exit down , as evidenced by the footage of a deadlySWATraid in Arizona [ rootage : Echavarri ] . No more relying on rickety attestator testimonial – it ’s all there on video for the world to see , which accept a lot of pressure off of people under fire for refutable tactics . That ’s also a big part of the problem that many agencies and employers have with helmet cams . As much as it can protect them in case involve suspected wrongful conduct , it can also do incisively the opposite if everything was n’t followed to the letter of the alphabet of the law , leaving them open for criticism , cause and other punishment .
Just enquire Pfc . Ted Daniels , a soldier who captured terrify battle footage while serving in Afghanistan . His helmet cam video was never signify to be widely reckon , but ended up on a YouTube epithelial duct and quick garnered more than 29 million position by early 2015 . multitude were part between regarding his action as heroic ( he drew attention to himself to appropriate his fellow soldiers to make a getaway from Taliban shooter ) , or idiotic . Daniels himself enjoin that " it was n’t the most tactically splendid thing to do . " Army high - ups also take down that the video recording can really be spun by the Taliban into propaganda to further fend for their causal agency [ source : Ortiz ] . A similar hazard is also apparent for natural law enforcement officials , since criminals can easily view and analyze videos to learn tricks of the trade once they become public record .
On a less terrific grade , urban bicyclists are also put on helmet cameras to both protect themselves and prove the wrongdoing of others . Everyone cognize there ’s a spate of rumor call for in machine accidents , and cyclists are often blamed outright if require . A come up number of cycle enthusiast are outfitting their helmet with cameras as an insurance policy of sorts , so that the factual insurance society wo n’t give them so much grief in the case of a collision [ path : Coldwell ] .
Some are taking it a whole step further , including Dave Sherry , a London bicycler who exit video footage of poor driver onto police for criminal prosecution [ source : Spillett ] . His intentions might be good , but he ’s been attacked by many an angry motorist .
OK , enough about the camera uses . Here ’s how to buy one and shoot .
Helmet Camera Shopping and Shooting Tips
A uprise by any other name is still a blush wine , and the same concept goes for helmet cameras . The product has a few puzzling aliases , include lipstick cameras , slug cameras and micro - video camera . Regardless of the moniker , a unfeigned helmet photographic camera is design to be mounted to – you guessed it – a helmet , thereby providing the true point - of - position ( POV ) of the drug user .
Cameras come in one or two piece designs . The smallest , lightest options are the all - in - one helmet Cam , which miss the sometimes - vexatious cords and recording whole of the two - piece building block . However , the latter typically have a concealment that helps you review footage and jump on the television camera right , so that you’re able to fritter away at the angle you desire , rather than blindly fly it [ reference : Long ] .
Here are some other features to consider [ source : HDHelmet ] :
Once you ’ve swipe the onetime credit card , it ’s fourth dimension to learn how to use your fancy unexampled toy . Much of the process will ask adept old test and error , specially since where and how it ’s wax to your helmet will affect how shaky the video is and the slant of the footage . Since you ’ll in all probability be unable to adjust the camera in progress , you ’ll need to learn how to promise where the camera needs to be in order of magnitude to get the shot you need . Here are some backsheesh to get you started [ sources : Long , Rose ] :
Frequently Answered Questions
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I have always shaky hands , which exasperates my husband when consider footage shot from my hand - held video camera . Perhaps a helmet cam is the idealistic solution to our nursing home movie woes !
