Aldi HD Action Camera?

[Streethawk]

Mine was uploaded to Youtube too, so it would've had the same conversion. Maybe the others are blurred because they jump about more when helmet mounted. Mine was on the handlebars, hence the noise.

I'm going to try mine in daylight today, but before i got i'm going to test the various settings and see what works best in the back garden. Sooo many options...

 

[Streethawk]

Looking much nicer in daylight from my brief test

[video=youtube;ejDm7t1KdcU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejDm7t1KdcU&feature=share&list=UUKmcF3gDYyLZ_kAXXseUR4w&index=3[/video]

I'm going to test my Leonardi cassette adapter on the really huge hills later, so i'll film that and upload it.

 

[tillson]

Just seen this camera on Hot UK deals. I don't know if it is any good, but I'm sure someone here will know.

 

[Cyclezee]

Just seen this camera on Hot UK deals. I don't know if it is any good, but I'm sure someone here will know.

Nice find Tillson,

Looks like excellent value and I have just reserved one at Argos.
This means I will now have 2 action cameras The plan is to helmet mount the Sony and chest or handle bar mount the Hitachi.

There is a Youtube review here Hitachi HDSV01U demo and review - YouTube

 

[Cyclezee]

I know have both the Hitachi HDSV01U and Sony HDR-AS10.

Without having had a chance to try either yet, I have to say that the Hitachi seems a total bargain, far more accessories than the Sony, proper instruction manual and software provided in the box, although a comprehensive manual and software can be downloaded for the Sony.

Also the Hitachi takes standard SD cards rather than the Micro type of the Sony, so a little less fiddly in that respect.

Of course I have yet to see how they perform and I expect that the Sony will have the edge

 

[tillson]

I shall be interested to hear what you think of the Hitachi camera, it does seem like incredibly good value. But I must qualify this statement by making it clear that taking advice from me on matters relating to video production is like consulting with Harold Shipman over a health matter.

 

[Cyclezee]

I shall be interested to hear what you think of the Hitachi camera, it does seem like incredibly good value. But I must qualify this statement by making it clear that taking advice from me on matters relating to video production is like consulting with Harold Shipman over a health matter.

Whatever people think of Shipman, I understand he was quite good at pain management, alas, most of his victims didn't actually require a lethal doseage

Back to the Hitachi, so far I have only tried it indoors for a few minutes and so far I can confirm that it works. I may not get a chance to try it properly until the weekend.

One criticism that I do have is that unlike the Sony, it is not Mac OSX compatible so I will have to use the dreaded Windows.

Anyone buying the Hitachi needs to be careful with the flap/cover for the memory card and interfaces, it hinges open for about 5mm, then you need rotate it backwards from the top to disengage the 2 hooks at the front edge. The reason being, there is a short 'strap' that attaches the cover to the camera. It is fiddly until you get the hang of it.

 

[tillson]

Do you need to use the Hitachi software to interface with the camera? Can't you remove the memory card and use iMovie or some other mac software for your editing? I'm probably being too simplistic, but I know very little about video cameras.

 

[jackhandy]

I suspect it's the setup file, for the camera settings that's only windoze compatible.

 

[Blew it]

·txt ini files can be edited with TextEdit on Mac OS X systems.

 

[jackhandy]

Shows how much I know

 

[Cyclezee]

OK, regarding the Hitachi HDSV01U it seems to perform well apart from one issue that I will go into later. It uses avi format which can't be converted to MP4 with OSX unless you use a utility like HandBrake http://handbrake.fr/. This utility is also available for Windows and Ubuntu.

The issue I have is the delete function does not seem to work which means that I have to resort to removing the SD card and deleting via a computer. I have tried this with a couple of cards and the result has been the same. If anyone else has one of these, I would be interested to hear if they have the same problem.

At the moment, the the jury is out on the Hitachi purely because it is not OSX compatible although there are ways round this without resorting to Windows and the file deletion issue, on the other hand, I am very happy with the Sony HDR-AS10, it is Mac compatible and works perfectly, but is double the price of the Hitachi.

 

[Blew it]

Why convert to MP4, the Mac in the local E-bike shop plays AVI files without problems. Have you formatted the SD card?

 

[Cyclezee]

Why convert to MP4, the Mac in the local E-bike shop plays AVI files without problems. Have you formatted the SD card?

Hi Blew it,

My reason for converting is that my operating system, OSX Mavericks, does not support avi although you can view avi with older versions of QuickTime player for the Mac. The cards have been formatted and Hitachi works perfectly well on Windows, but I try to avoid Windows whenever possible, the only Windows program I use is Sage.

 

[peerjay56]

OK, regarding the Hitachi HDSV01U it seems to perform well apart from one issue that I will go into later. It uses avi format which can't be converted to MP4 with OSX unless you use a utility like HandBrake http://handbrake.fr/. This utility is also available for Windows and Ubuntu.

The issue I have is the delete function does not seem to work which means that I have to resort to removing the SD card and deleting via a computer. I have tried this with a couple of cards and the result has been the same. If anyone else has one of these, I would be interested to hear if they have the same problem.

At the moment, the the jury is out on the Hitachi purely because it is not OSX compatible although there are ways round this without resorting to Windows and the file deletion issue, on the other hand, I am very happy with the Sony HDR-AS10, it is Mac compatible and works perfectly, but is double the price of the Hitachi.

Hi John,
I've decided to opt for the Hitachi too. Somewhat unreasonably, Mrs Claus has decided I can't have it before Xmas Day As soon as I've played with it I'll try the delete function and get back to you. Not being an officianado of fruit I don't share your reservations

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi John,
I've decided to opt for the Hitachi too. Somewhat unreasonably, Mrs Claus has decided I can't have it before Xmas Day As soon as I've played with it I'll try the delete function and get back to you. Not being an officianado of fruit I don't share your reservations

Hi Phil,

I don't think that you will be disappointed, the performance is good and it's easy to use.

I have no idea how it would compare to a GoPro which seems to be the benchmark, but it is less than a 3rd of the price of the cheapest GoPro.

Of course, if you are not entirely happy you can take it back to Santa on Boxing Day, but I would give it a bit longer than that.

Yes, I am partial to fruit and have been know to eat it on occasion. Going back a number of years I used to have an Apricot PC

 

[Cyclezee]

OK, here is my first upload to YouTube, please be gentle, I'm a video virgin

I used the Sony HDR-AS10 and iMovie to edit the length and upload.........yes it was even longer than this originally.........first mistake.

The camera was mounted on a cycle helmet in it's waterproof case using the parts supplied.

MAH00027 - YouTube

The uploaded quality on YouTube is poor compared to the original 1080i recording, something I need to practice. There is quite a bit of wind noise, but it was quite blustery and glare from the winter sun was a problem.

As you will see towards the end, the inside of the case around the lens started to fog quite badly, a known fault with the this camera's waterproof case. Technoman's solution to this was to drill some holes in the waterproof case, the obvious downside of this is that the case is no longer waterproof, so I looking at alternative solutions. One thought is an 'O' around the lens casing to seal that will fit against front cover of the case and isolate it from the rest of the camera.

 

[Blew it]

Anti fogging inserts for waterproof housings Here

 

[Croxden]

MAH00027 - YouTube

The uploaded quality on YouTube is poor compared to the original 1080i recording, something I need to practice. There is quite a bit of wind noise, but it was quite blustery and glare from the winter sun was a problem.

As you will see towards the end, the inside of the case around the lens started to fog quite badly, a known fault with the this camera's waterproof case. Technoman's solution to this was to drill some holes in the waterproof case, the obvious downside of this is that the case is no longer waterproof, so I looking at alternative solutions. One thought is an 'O' around the lens casing to seal that will fit against front cover of the case and isolate it from the rest of the camera.

Anyone managed to see it yet? Or do I blame Windows.

 

[Cyclezee]

Anyone managed to see it yet? Or do I blame Windows.

Maybe I didn't make clear Croxden, this is is the link: MAH00027 - YouTube