Capture those Kodak moments in a whole new way with Viosport.
Written: Nov 05 '05 (Updated Jan 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Micro-sized for easy mounting, scores of mount styles, video quality good for the asking price.
Cons: Lens can flare-out or go dim in direct sunlight, sound can be overcome by wind-noise.
The Bottom Line: As the budget camera in Viosport's lineup the Adventure-Cam-2 is great for sports junkies on a budget. Having your own action videos makes all those great times last forever!
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| openroad's Full Review: Viosport Adventure Cam 2 Kit |
Viosport Adventure-Cam II
Resolution: 380 TV Lines
Light Sensitivity: 1 Lux F 2.0
Weight: 80 g
H X V Pixels: 510 x 492
----- What's an adventure camera? -----
For those of us that love motocross, snowmobiling, car racing, or numerous outdoor sports or activities, it's always been hard to record our passions on video. You can always try to purchase or fabricate a mount for your video camera somewhere on your body or vehicle, but there is a decent chance you'll damage it eventually.
The Viosport company has brought a consumer level remote camera to the market that really opens up the possibilities. The Adventure Cam II kit is a ready-to-use package that lets you record just about anything and save the moment forever.
Standard AC2 Kit Includes:
* Adventure Cam II
* 5-ft 3.5mm A/V Cable
* 5-ft RCA A/V Cable
* 8-AA Battery Holder
* Universal Mount
----- How does it work? -----
The Adventure Cam II (AC2) is designed to hook up to any Digital Video (DV) video camera with a video in port. The AC2 has several different mounting kits available including helmet mount, goggle mount, suction cup mount, adhesive mount, stationary fixed mount, headstrap mount, clamp mount, flexible mount, and many more. Once mounted to your surface of choice you simply plug the Viosport into your video camera, plug the battery pack into your AC2, and start recording. The AC2 acts as the video feed for your DV camera and bypasses the built-in lens. Basically your DV camera is a big storage drive for the AC2 to write to. I use my Viosport AC2 with a Sony DCR-HC30 DV camera as the recording device. My footage consists almost completely of mountain bike racing of the cross-country and 24-hour racing variety. So far I've taken a few hard crashes with my AC2 mounted and running with no damage to the camera, although I can't say the same for myself. :(
If you're hiking, biking, running, or some other individual outdoor sport you'll need to carry a backpack to hold the DV camera. Make sure you have enough room to store the camera, AC2 battery pack, and the extra length of cable you'll have left over. The battery pack takes 8 AA batteries and lasts more than 4 hours, that much I know. I've never used it longer than that at one time.
----- How good does it look? -----
Playing back video captured with the AC2 you'll find it's not quite DV camera quality, but plenty clear to enjoy and see details without trouble. The sound quality varies greatly depending on the activity you're taping. If there is wind involved you'll definitely hear some wind roar from the built-in Viosport high-gain microphone. The AC2's lens is very sensitive to sunlight or bright lights in the evening, you'll want to try and keep the sun to your back or side. I've also noticed bright colors are slightly muted with the AC2 over a standard video camera.
----- Bottom line -----
I've used my AC2 for 5 or 6 endurance mountain bike races and I'm very happy with the results. I've also used my AC2 on my SUV to capture four-wheeling at its best. The results have always been fun to watch and give me a viewpoint I wouldn't have gotten from a bystander. The small downsides like lens sensitivity, sound quality, and camera attachment are worth the end result.
I'd recommend you pick up a these accessories that really make this camera more versatile.
LANC Remote $59: This remote allows you to control your DV Camera while it's stowed away. Functions include power on/off, record, stop, and pause. A green/red LED indicator light keeps you aware of camera status.
12V Rechargeable Battery Pack $69: Forget those AA batteries, this pack lasts longer, has 5 battery-level status LEDS, and allows you to turn on/off your AC2 without unplugging it.
Various mounts: Check Viosport's website for the mount that fits best for your sport of choice.
If you want a better image and have the funding check out Viosport's Adventure Cam 3 ($330). With almost double the lines of resolution, lens filters, wide angle and zoom lenses, and many other accessories, it's much more adaptable than the AC2.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment!
This review is part of sleeper54's Lean-n-mean IV Write-Off, take time to check it out and please participate!
Recommended:
Yes
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