In-Car Camera's
The following users liked this post:
1LEThumper (03-02-2018)
03-02-2018, 12:38 PM
#3
Safety Car
I started off with a Contour and a separate data recorder. This was acceptable for showing your friends what the track liked like but wasn’t very useful as a learning tool. The biggest issues were: 1). It is a pain in the butt to deal with changing the batteries, 2) it was difficult to get the data aligned perfectly with the data. 3) couldn’t get accurate brake and throttle input.
Then I switched to a Smartycam system that included a Smartycam GP HD and a Piesta dash. This was a huge improvement! The data is automatically integrated and it includes accurate throttle and brake inputs, so you can see exactly when you are getting on / off the throttle and brakes. Also the camera is powered by the car so you don’t need to mess with batteries, and it turns itself on when you go out on the track and it turns itself off at the end of the session. It is also very helpful to have the analysis software to learn from.
Here is an example of the Smartycam video.
Charley
Then I switched to a Smartycam system that included a Smartycam GP HD and a Piesta dash. This was a huge improvement! The data is automatically integrated and it includes accurate throttle and brake inputs, so you can see exactly when you are getting on / off the throttle and brakes. Also the camera is powered by the car so you don’t need to mess with batteries, and it turns itself on when you go out on the track and it turns itself off at the end of the session. It is also very helpful to have the analysis software to learn from.
Here is an example of the Smartycam video.
Charley
Last edited by Charley Hoyt; 03-02-2018 at 12:41 PM.
03-02-2018, 01:01 PM
#4
Garmin made a Virb XE with auto racing bundle. They discontinued it, but I found that Summit Racing still has some. It plugs into the OBD2 port and records data along with video. Just bought one, it was $499--cheapest way to get data along with video. Don't delay if you want one, everyone else is sold out.
03-02-2018, 01:15 PM
#5
Depends on what you want it to do but since I haven't seen it mentioned yet- iPhone 6s running Harry's lap timer app.
Expensive for an app but really cheap for what it is and what it does. Automatically cuts the laps into separate vids with overlays by lap. Can be added on to with extra gopros, obd2, more accurate external GPS, etc. I never got into any of that stuff though. I just wanted track day videos to show my friends.
Expensive for an app but really cheap for what it is and what it does. Automatically cuts the laps into separate vids with overlays by lap. Can be added on to with extra gopros, obd2, more accurate external GPS, etc. I never got into any of that stuff though. I just wanted track day videos to show my friends.
The following users liked this post:
malexand123 (03-06-2018)
03-03-2018, 10:28 AM
#6
Drifting
I've done almost all of it from phone with lap timer, go pro hd/2/3 silver, ebay cheap camera, etc. Get a smarty cam:
It works everytime, charges off the car, powers done automatically, uses smaller file sizes and overlays data as it records. Expensive and worth it.
03-03-2018, 03:50 PM
#8
Burning Brakes
Datsun, be damned ...
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
03-03-2018, 04:37 PM
#9
Safety Car
Datsun, be damned ...
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
03-03-2018, 09:27 PM
#10
Burning Brakes
Saw, was concerned that it only looked like a windshield mount.
Already have a couple different options, including a VIRB 30 and 360 .... quality on both is nice, post-processing isn't too bad, but it's a disconnected system which relies on a BT OBD2 scanner, and relies on an interesting mount. I'm looking for something preferably that integrates with canbus, can mount more permanently, and [hopefully] relies on less post-processing. RaceKeeper, VBox, and SmartyCam seem to be closer to what I'm looking for .... but since it's not my thread ....
which ...
@1LEThumper, I'd highly recommend the Garmin VIRB line for track use and light datalogging. The hardware has worked very well for me once you find the right mounting location, OBD integration solves the problem of using a 2 part process to get track maps w/ relevant info, and the software is well sorted.
Already have a couple different options, including a VIRB 30 and 360 .... quality on both is nice, post-processing isn't too bad, but it's a disconnected system which relies on a BT OBD2 scanner, and relies on an interesting mount. I'm looking for something preferably that integrates with canbus, can mount more permanently, and [hopefully] relies on less post-processing. RaceKeeper, VBox, and SmartyCam seem to be closer to what I'm looking for .... but since it's not my thread ....
which ...
@1LEThumper, I'd highly recommend the Garmin VIRB line for track use and light datalogging. The hardware has worked very well for me once you find the right mounting location, OBD integration solves the problem of using a 2 part process to get track maps w/ relevant info, and the software is well sorted.
03-03-2018, 09:51 PM
#11
Drifting
03-03-2018, 09:56 PM
#12
Drifting
Datsun, be damned ...
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
There's a 50/50 chance the strobe on that Locost / formula / Atom looking thing would make me want to pull over and have my license / registration out.
@crimlwC6 have you had any quality concerns from the SmartyCam's 720p vs VBox or similar 1080p? Attached vid looks great.
03-03-2018, 11:29 PM
#13
Last couple of generations of GoPro do NOT have spot metering (technically yes, but it goes away every time you restarts the camera, and you have to manual do it, which is impossible with camera mounted behind you). without spot metering, everything outside the car is white washed......
03-04-2018, 02:38 AM
#14
Burning Brakes
The SmartyCam doesn't have the eye candy of some of the newer GoPros but the lense is higher quality so the action looks, correctly, closer vs the fishbowl effect that GoPro still has imo, although I stopped paying attention to GoPro after the GoPro 4. The quality is topnotch and great customer service. The translation from Italian on the instructions ain't the best but no concerns about quality of construction. I have no experience with VBox.
Helps a ton, thanks!
03-05-2018, 09:20 AM
#15
Advanced
Thread Starter
I started off with a Contour and a separate data recorder. This was acceptable for showing your friends what the track liked like but wasn’t very useful as a learning tool. The biggest issues were: 1). It is a pain in the butt to deal with changing the batteries, 2) it was difficult to get the data aligned perfectly with the data. 3) couldn’t get accurate brake and throttle input.
Then I switched to a Smartycam system that included a Smartycam GP HD and a Piesta dash. This was a huge improvement! The data is automatically integrated and it includes accurate throttle and brake inputs, so you can see exactly when you are getting on / off the throttle and brakes. Also the camera is powered by the car so you don’t need to mess with batteries, and it turns itself on when you go out on the track and it turns itself off at the end of the session. It is also very helpful to have the analysis software to learn from.
Here is an example of the Smartycam video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QPg-HLDIBHg
Charley
Then I switched to a Smartycam system that included a Smartycam GP HD and a Piesta dash. This was a huge improvement! The data is automatically integrated and it includes accurate throttle and brake inputs, so you can see exactly when you are getting on / off the throttle and brakes. Also the camera is powered by the car so you don’t need to mess with batteries, and it turns itself on when you go out on the track and it turns itself off at the end of the session. It is also very helpful to have the analysis software to learn from.
Here is an example of the Smartycam video.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QPg-HLDIBHg
Charley
Do you have to upload a track map in them for the GPS to record the start/stop line? Or just do it on your first warm up for a new track and it knows the rest from there?
03-05-2018, 10:17 AM
#16
Drifting
My recollection is that you can do it both ways. It comes preloaded with a bunch of tracks. IIRC I deleted all the tracks that weren't in North America. If the track you are at is preloaded, you are all set. Otherwise you either have to do start/stop, upload GPS or use the AIM program post video to input a start/finish. So I think there are 4 options:
1. Pre-loaded
2. Input start/finish with camera
3. Upload GPS prior to video
4. Input start/finish with AIM software post video.
1. Pre-loaded
2. Input start/finish with camera
3. Upload GPS prior to video
4. Input start/finish with AIM software post video.
03-05-2018, 07:14 PM
#17
Drifting
03-05-2018, 07:28 PM
#18
Safety Car
As someone else mentioned, you can do it either way. But it is much easier to preload all of the tracks that you go to. That way you don’t have to worry about anything. The camera starts and stops by itself and you don’t need to mess with the batteries.
Charley
03-06-2018, 05:23 AM
#19
Sr.Random input generator
After years of using GoPro cams, I've finally switched to a camera with optical image stabilization: Sony FDR-X3000. All the vibrations are now GONE! If you look carefully, pretty much any serious YouTube channel has switched to cameras like these a long time ago. Considering it can also be had for a little bit cheaper than GoPro, it's no brainer. I'd highly recommend it.
Video shot with GoPro Hero3 Black
Test video shot with Sony FDR-X3000. No more vibrations.
Last edited by X25; 03-06-2018 at 05:24 AM.