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newsLight-weight wearable head action camera
Now that there is a working video editor in EasyOS, I am interested in creating videos while hiking. Post about the Pitivi video editor:
https://bkhome.org/news/202201/pitivi-runs-great-very-easy-to-use.html
There are lots of wearable action cameras, but my particular interest is a hands-free setup. Even more particular, head-mounted, so the camera looks wherever I look.
There are lots of solutions for this, most of them very cumbersome, with head straps. However, there are a couple that mount at eye-height, such as the Ordro EP7:
https://ordro.online/products/camcoder-ep7
The camera, without the frame, weighs 55 grams. As many have
reported, the head-band is a tight fit and may be uncomfortable.
Audio right into the ear is too loud.
Also, it seems that video quality is not the best, colours a bit washed out. A lot of reviewers on YouTube reckon it is great. Here is a comparison video, comparing with a Go Pro camera:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sS0IGDL474
...the colour-range of the EP7 might look OK to many, but for my eyes it doesn't come up to the Go Pro standard. Go Pro is the reference, the highest quality product, also very expensive.
I really do like the concept of a camera mounted at eye-level, that follows wherever you look. Recently, I hunted around on the Internet and found this:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cleep-pro-the-smallest-4k-wearable-camera#/
...only 35 grams, and it will do 1080p @ 60fps which is what I want. The price is probably plus postage.
There have been similar sunglasses-mounting video cameras in the past, no longer available. But, this set me off on a train of thought ...cameras that mount on drones.
Yes, there are video cameras that mount on drones, designed to be extremely light-weight. I found several of them online, and eventually ordered this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001158333805.html
I found from the manufacturer's site that it is a f2.8 lens. All of these action cameras are fixed-focus, so it is a tradeoff -- a larger aperture will give better low-light performance, but reduced depth-of-focus. There is another brand, Mobius, that has a f1.5 lens. But what sold me on the Firefly Q6 is the image stabilization, and from videos on YouTube the colour-range looks good.
The vendor offers lens angle of 120 or 90 degrees -- I went for
90 degrees. That is a punt, it might turn out that a wider field
of view would be better while hiking.
The Firefly Q6 weighs just 42 grams, and I have this idea, maybe
a weird idea, of creating a frame to attach it to the sunglasses.
There is no wi-fi, so no way of seeing the video in real-time,
but that should just be a matter of getting experience with using
it on the glasses frame. Actually, there is some kind of wired
interface that comes with it, that can apparently connect to a
monitor.
The Firefly Q6 is relatively inexpensive, so reckon that I can indulge in what will be a very interesting experiment, to see if practical to use while hiking, mounted on the sunglasses frame. Failing that, maybe mounted on shoulder strap or hat. here is a video of the Q6:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgXAL0ygyNk
...shows how good the gyro image stabilization is while walking.
EDIT:
I have ordered another one, stocked here in Australia, only
AU$44.96 (about US$32) including GST and postage (with "EMETE10"
discount voucher):
...120 degree lens, and chose yellow.
I would like to compare usefulness of the 90° versus 120° lens. Also, I watched a video of a guy pulling one apart, very interesting -- I have an electronic engineering background, this getting into the internals appeals.
These Q6 units have two sockets, a mini-USB and a micro-HDMI -- the latter means that I should be able to view the video on my TV and set it up to look as required, before taking it out on a hike.
EDIT 2022-02-05:
The price was too good to be true. Emete has refunded my
AU$44.96 and on their website the price is now listed as
AU$129.95. Pathetic.
Tags: tech