The Tony Hawk HelmetCam

Usually co-branding-to-the-extreme for a major skater results in some decks or shoes or shirts or some such nonsense, but oh no, not when you're Tony Hawk. When you're Tony Hawk it results in a series of video games and even a line of $100 head-mounted cameras, which function nicely in helping you remember the last 32MB worth of video (40 minutes, in this case) of your sesh before you ate it and had a fight with a curb that resulted in some serious unconsciousness. But before you get your dreams of glory churning, do realize that shot you took while grinding was only recorded at fifteen frames per second to save space—perhaps you should invest that $100 in an insurance plan, instead?

[Chase Bailey @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I really don't like where this whole helmet cam thing is going.. There's no real point in wearing it while your're skateboarding. It's just a retarded camera angle, a waste of money, and it has a tony hawk logo on it.. What's the point?

[Jeramy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

...do people actually look down at their board while skating to see what they're doing? i mean, what's the point of "dude, this is what i saw in front of me when i was landing that sweet gap." unless they're going for the whole first-person view. i guess.

[melloncollie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

A camcorder + Some duct tape = This.

[Maria G @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Skateboarding + pricey helmet-cams = ridiculous? I can see this on every teen boarder's christmas list and almost every single one being sent back to the manufacturer by January for repairs. This seems like a ridiculous idea, especially for the reason that you can't actually see the skill of the skater or the tricks they're doing. It seems like a better idea to just have your friends record sit back and record from a safe distance.

[Lenord @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

A couple years ago I was big into "extreme sports" and watched quite a few videos. There are some sports where helmet cams usually produce very boring footage (skateboarding, wakeboarding, etc...) and others where hemlet often produce very compelling footage, (skiing, mountain biking, etc...).
Helmet cams seem to produce interesting footage when the sport involves going over fantastical terrain. It's compelling to follow a skiier off a cliff, or a mountain biker to rip down some sort of crazy north shore business - but it's pretty boring to see a skateboarders view of the bottom of the rail he's sliding.
The best helemt cam footage I've seen is of one skiier following a few feet behind another skiier in the park. It's pretty magnificant to watch, though from personal experience, I can say that it's even more magnificant to follow one of your talented friends off table tops in the park and watch them do spectacular things in the air.

[jared @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I've been itching for a way to document motorcycle commuting hijinks without exposing (addition) expensive tech. If there's a way to pull video off this thing without Windows, I might buy one.

Pretty much all helmetcam audio is worthless, and there's an easy way to turn 15fps video into 30fps video. :)

[Google Nazi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

The CVS camcorder is alot better than this and it is 1/4 cheaper especially since you can mod it to work as your own personal digigam..

BUT COMMON! THIS THING BEATS WEARING THAT GIANT 40lb COWBOY HAT ANYDAY! (remember from simposons?)

[greenline @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

From the Article. . .

"To make sure the camera is shooting a rider's path rather than the sky, a laser beam points to what the lens is about to record, and then automatically shuts off once the camera starts running. "

Thats not going to cause any accidents in that split second before danger

[ada @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Pretty much all helmetcam audio is worthless, and there's an easy way to turn 15fps video into 30fps video. :)

[Russ @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Can anyone who has one of these things tell me how well it might adapt to waterproofing and working in the water? I am wonering about how well it would work for filming surfing, either pointing it without having to carry it around (strapped to a Gath helmet) or filming while on the waves.

[DaYve @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I'm either going to buy this camera, or - it's competition. Yes, there is a competitor, coming out on the market at exactly the same time! The specs on both look identical, 640x460, 32MB card expandable, similar size. I wonder which has better quality though. Oregon Scientific has just delivered their ATC 1000 Helmet Cam in stores, saw one today (in the box) and it looked pretty cool. I'd love to see how these two pair up against each other.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=51505531&pfp=BROWSE

[DaYve @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I'm either going to buy this camera, or - it's competition. Yes, there is a competitor, coming out on the market at exactly the same time! The specs on both look identical, 640x460, 32MB card expandable, similar size. I wonder which has better quality though. Oregon Scientific has just delivered their ATC 1000 Helmet Cam in stores, saw one today (in the box) and it looked pretty cool. I'd love to see how these two pair up against each other.

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=51505531&pfp=BROWSE

[seth @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

This looks perfect for dirt bike riding, how do you change from 15fps to 30fps? Also does the size and the read / write rate on the sd card make a difference?

[blenderanim @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

I'm very interested in this. The fine print gives it a 320x240 with the SD card and 640x480 when connected directly to a computer.
Tiger Direct has a $50 rebate to make the price $49.99. I agree about the comments for skateboarding videos, but I've seen some other reviews where it was used for dirt bikes with good results. I WANT TO SEE SOME VIDEOS FROM IT!!
I'd like to use it for some ice hockey videos. Either put it on a goalie or a player during some drills. Has anyone tried this for inline hockey?

[tito @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS,, ITS A HUNDRED BUCKS,,,,THAT IS IT,,SO WHO CARES IF TONYS NAME IS ON THERE, AND
WHO CARES ABOUT THE SERIOUS FILMER YOU NERDS!
F@&*^ REMMEBER HAVING FUN YOU JEALOUS FOOLS!
A LITTLE KID WOULD BE STOKED TO HAVE THAT, AND OLD DUDE CARVING AT A CONCRETE SKATE PARK WOULD HAVE A BLAST FOLLOWING HIS KID.......C'MON EJOY LIFE PEOPLE,,,A HUNDRED BUCKS! ITS GOOD!

[%jessy% @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

This F#$*ing thing suck monkey nuts. If you want to film what your eyes can already see then have at it. I have took it back and did something much more preductive with my money,(went to luch with the guys). BIG WAST OF MONEY!!!! lol lol lol

[MSG Mac @ Dec 30th 2005 5:53PM]

My friends and I are buying these like crazy to wear in Iraq. If a firefight starts it can do a few things like show who shot first, where from, and it can record simple interviews and daily life. We have so much junk on our helmets anyways that one more lump won't make a difference. It can easily belored green and if it breaks or gets lost, it's no big deal for the cost.