9 replies to this topic

[Danny Steyn]

Hi All

here is the last three laps of Race 2 at the January 2011 Spec MIata National at Homestead. This time around I get it right and time the finish slingshot perfectly. I end up with the win by 84/1000ths of a second. Chip gets 2ndplace, Andrew gets 3rd and Alex Bolanos finsihes a close 4th

Many thanks to Mike Rossini for the great engine, Tom and Tim at OPM for the great support and to Traqmate for the great data package.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKt4Ixnqwt0

[wheel]

Nicely done.

wheel

[William Bonsell]

Always enjoy watching your amazing car control skill Danny, but man you got to do something about all that wind noise. What camera set up are you using? I get zero wind noise with my GoPro HD, but then I'm not going as fast as you!!

[Tony]

Very well timed. Good job.

[Danny Steyn]

Always enjoy watching your amazing car control skill Danny, but man you got to do something about all that wind noise. What camera set up are you using? I get zero wind noise with my GoPro HD, but then I'm not going as fast as you!!

Thanks or the props Will.

Regards the camera I use the Sony HXR-MC1 - friggin amazing camera - large CMOS chip, fulll 1080i.The GoPro footage cannot compare to this camera, (had several over the years). The color tone and saturation from the CMOS chip is absolutely stunning. The data bandwidth is a full 16Mbps (1920 x 1080, 60i) at full resolution. Unfortunately compressing it for the web kills all the quality!

And yes you are right - I need to kill the wind noise - will work on that next race. Only way will be with some sort of windsock as the camera does not have MIC input for a remote mic. Hope to get it right next time.

[wheel]

Danny,
That is a very good camera, at $3K vs a couple of hundred for the gopro, no comparison in quality. You might try a bit of foam over the mic. It should stop the wind, without killing the audio.
wheel

[Danny Steyn]

Danny,
That is a very good camera, at $3K vs a couple of hundred for the gopro, no comparison in quality. You might try a bit of foam over the mic. It should stop the wind, without killing the audio.
wheel

Wheel

Actually prices have dropped significantly - now only $1,900, which means a new version is on the horizon!! Yeah at 5X price of GoPro its tough to justify, but when you see the image quality its a no brainer. Also the ability to easily synch to data, remotely zoom, have immediate image feedback of what you are seeing, all those things make it a little easier to stomach. But most importantly, like the GoPro, the light weight of the headunit means that the dreaded vibrations of the older Sony HDR-CX??? cameras is gone, as are the continual repairs to the tripod mounting plate (it would always get ruined the minute you had a shunt and then the camera would be susceptible to vibration.

Will try the foam windsock next outing.

Danny

[William Bonsell]

Thanks or the props Will.

Regards the camera I use the Sony HXR-MC1 - friggin amazing camera - large CMOS chip, fulll 1080i.The GoPro footage cannot compare to this camera, (had several over the years). The color tone and saturation from the CMOS chip is absolutely stunning. The data bandwidth is a full 16Mbps (1920 x 1080, 60i) at full resolution. Unfortunately compressing it for the web kills all the quality!

And yes you are right - I need to kill the wind noise - will work on that next race. Only way will be with some sort of windsock as the camera does not have MIC input for a remote mic. Hope to get it right next time.

Hey Danny....
Check my video just below yours (91 SM at Pacific Raceways).....you may have not used a Wide HD GoPro before ($299).....1080i....and I think pretty amazing video for the price. Most web compression negates overall picture quality, but viewing it on my HD Sony tv is stunning and doesn't look too bad over on vimeo. And the wind noise is just not there. At the end of the long straight, speed is only about 115....I could not be more pleased with the camera and with a big 32 SD card, it holds an amazing amount of footage. Battery life is about 2 1/2 hours fully charged. Did run out on me once.....but hey, I love watching video...I watch as much as I can find......"keep posting my friend".....

Bill

[Danny Steyn]

Hey Danny....
Check my video just below yours (91 SM at Pacific Raceways).....you may have not used a Wide HD GoPro before ($299).....1080i....and I think pretty amazing video for the price. Most web compression negates overall picture quality, but viewing it on my HD Sony tv is stunning and doesn't look too bad over on vimeo. And the wind noise is just not there. At the end of the long straight, speed is only about 115....I could not be more pleased with the camera and with a big 32 SD card, it holds an amazing amount of footage. Battery life is about 2 1/2 hours fully charged. Did run out on me once.....but hey, I love watching video...I watch as much as I can find......"keep posting my friend".....

Bill

Hey Bill - I have several of the GoPro Wide HD cameras. At the current price they are almost disposable cameras and if you need any POV sequences where you might lose a camera, they are a no-brainer. Used them on Kitesurfing foils, on windsudrfing and yachting masts,and recently on SUP paddleboards. Even used them mounted outside the car racing on ice in Sweden.

GoPro quotes a 15MBps data rate from their CMOS chip but it is not even remotely close to the image quality of the Sony HXR-MC1 camera. Make no mistake the GoPro is still a stunningly good picture, especially when compared to the typical bullet cam setup most use with their data systems, but when you are in the business of recording pixels for a living (and storing them, which is a whole other story) then you pay attention to color gamut, skin tone and the like.

What the GoPro does well, when it is housed in its plastic case, is completely shield any windnoise. I used them to create some offroad enduro bike sequences for a video I produced, and there is no wind noise at all. Personally I think they have completely nailed the market with their pricing, but the camera still needs a better menu display so that you really know what you are getting when you are making setup changes to recoding qaulity etc.

Danny

[William Bonsell]

Hey Bill - I have several of the GoPro Wide HD cameras. At the current price they are almost disposable cameras and if you need any POV sequences where you might lose a camera, they are a no-brainer. Used them on Kitesurfing foils, on windsudrfing and yachting masts,and recently on SUP paddleboards. Even used them mounted outside the car racing on ice in Sweden.

GoPro quotes a 15MBps data rate from their CMOS chip but it is not even remotely close to the image quality of the Sony HXR-MC1 camera. Make no mistake the GoPro is still a stunningly good picture, especially when compared to the typical bullet cam setup most use with their data systems, but when you are in the business of recording pixels for a living (and storing them, which is a whole other story) then you pay attention to color gamut, skin tone and the like.

What the GoPro does well, when it is housed in its plastic case, is completely shield any windnoise. I used them to create some offroad enduro bike sequences for a video I produced, and there is no wind noise at all. Personally I think they have completely nailed the market with their pricing, but the camera still needs a better menu display so that you really know what you are getting when you are making setup changes to recoding qaulity etc.

Danny

Definitely see your point Danny....did not know the extent of your video needs. I definitely think for the average guy out there wanting to record track time (absent data system connectivity) hard to beat the HD GoPro......they now offer a window viewer which can be helpful, but would like to see the menu options a bit more easily adjusted. I have watched a lot of your video and the wet track stuff is unbelievable. And up here in the northwest...well let's just say, some of us don't have the stomach for much "racing in the rain".

Bill