Video system for under $25

[Stan Clayton]

I just read about the MD80 video camera on Gizmag. Yep, under 25 bucks delivered for standard (640x480) video with sound.

Think I'm going to get me one.

Direct ebay link: MD80 video camera

[Paul LeCain]

I've seen a number of these cheap cameras lately.

I'm thinking of getting a couple so I can face one to the rear to identify the drivers who use the chrome horn to get by you.

[gtomlinson]

Amazing how affordable some of the "direct from China" products are. I always get a kick out of reading their eBay discriptions.

At those prices you could get a whole handful and tape them all over your car....then you could put together your own modern day "Frankenheimer-Grand Prix" film! The possibilities are endless.....

[rickb99]

Hmmm, Keep in mind your TV is operating at 60 frames per second. European TV operates at 50 frames per second and if you watch closely, you can see the flicker. 60 cycles was chosen for the USA frequency of electricity because it's about the lowest cycles per second that the eye cannot see in light bulbs. So a video recording at 25 frames per second it may be pretty choppy.

They say their sample video is 'crunched' for YouTube. Not sure what that means but they may have UP'd the frame rate to make it look better.

On the other hand, at $25 who wouldn't give it a shot.

Let us know how it works, Stan

[lmpdesigner]

FYI: Standard 35mm motion pictures are done at 24 frames per second-so 25 frames per second should be fine.

[Stan Clayton]

Turns out that the Gizmag article is a bit dated. The cameras shipping now are 30 fps (USA-spec NTSC standard TV) and 720x480.

[formulasuper]

It was just a matter of time. Guess there's no need for my Sony DCR anymore.

[J Leonard]

So what entrepreneur is going to start building a camera into formula car rear view mirror housings? Or maybe a camera into an aero shaped housing. How about that video cam ball point spy pen on Ebay....

[JHerscher]

Couldn't tell from the referenced ad, but in scanning down at the one for $0.96 (that's right, 96 cents!) I was reminded: don't forget you will likely also be responsible for duty. Not that it would amount to much duty even at 100%

John

[Stan Clayton]

John, I've purchased numerous items on ebay from China, Hong Kong, etc., and never been hit up for customs. YMMV, but I think the sellers put that disclaimer on there because other countries are more aggressive about collecting customs on small, personal purchases than is the US, and these little ebay sellers sell all over the world.

Don't forget that a memory card (MicroSD format) is NOT INCLUDED with these cameras, so that will be an added expense. The MD80 camera claims 40 minutes of video per gigabyte, so I'd recommend a 2gb card at a minimum. The camera accepts cards up to 8 gb. On ebay I see 2 gb MicroSD cards for $7 with shipping, and 8gb cards for $22 with world-wide shipping.

[i8av8]

Turns out that the Gizmag article is a bit dated. The cameras shipping now are 30 fps (USA-spec NTSC standard TV) and 720x480.

and for reference - most youtube vids are 30 fps. i have uploaded at 10 and 30 fps to youtube, and 30 is the highest i can upload at. it doesn't look too bad at all.

[formulasuper]

I just made an offer of $15.00 that was accepted by the seller & with the $7 shipping charge the total was $22.00. See ebay item number: 250561123244
Even if it's worthless on a race car I figure I'll get $22 worth of use out of it for other tricks!
Now if I could just find a good deal on a Hayabusa supercharger.

[Stan Clayton]

Scott, I paid a total of $20.45 for the one I purchased. I still need to buy a MicroSD card, but will probably do that today.

Direct ebay link to 8GB MicroSD cards

Direct ebay link to 2GB MicroSD cards

[Stan Clayton]

For US residents considering purchasing one of these cameras, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

The total cost equals the sum of four parts: price, shipping, sales tax and customs duty.

I have been buying computer memory/parts/accessories and DVDs from Chinese and Hong Kong ebay sellers for years and have never had to pay customs duty. BTW, I have also had 100% good buyer experiences with them. YMMV, but my impression is that occasional purchases of inexpensive items are more trouble than they're worth to customs, so they come straight through.

That leaves price, shipping and sales tax, which is where you need to do your homework to avoid spending more than you need to. If you follow one of my MicroSD memory card links above, you will see that prices are all over the map. You need to look at what the seller is charging for shipping, and what, if any, sales taxes are applied. If the seller is in your state, you will be charged your state's sales tax (if any). To determine the sales tax, click on the "Shipping and payments" tab next to the item "Description" tab. Sellers HAVE to list sales tax there on ebay sales.

In my case, California charges 9.75% sales tax on mail order purchases, which is nearly $2 on an 8GB memory card, so I am very particular about which sellers I order from. It's like buying gas...I buy from the cheapest source I can find at the moment.

Have fun!

[cooleyjb]

Scott, I paid a total of $20.45 for the one I purchased. I still need to buy a MicroSD card, but will probably do that today.

Direct ebay link to 8GB MicroSD cards

Direct ebay link to 2GB MicroSD cards

For video recording try to get cards that have the number 4 or higher on them. It's on the top right of all the cards I have. Some of the Level 2 cards I have just seem to have a number of issues with the large amount of data coming into them.

[Steve Demeter]

Got mine from Hong Kong a couple of days ago.

Got an 8 gig card from radio shack for 25 bucks today.

Put it all together and even an electronics challenged person like me was able to make it work on the third try. And that was the first try after reading the directions thoroughly.

Seems to work well for 45 bucks.

Now to make it work in a race car.

[formulasuper]

Got mine from Hong Kong a couple of days ago.

Got an 8 gig card from radio shack for 25 bucks today.

Put it all together and even an electronics challenged person like me was able to make it work on the third try. And that was the first try after reading the directions thoroughly.

Seems to work well for 45 bucks.

Now to make it work in a race car.

Steve, Did you buy a MicroSD or MicroSDHC card?

[lawyerbob]

Got mine from Hong Kong a couple of days ago.

Got an 8 gig card from radio shack for 25 bucks today.

Put it all together and even an electronics challenged person like me was able to make it work on the third try. And that was the first try after reading the directions thoroughly.

Seems to work well for 45 bucks.

Now to make it work in a race car.

Cool - I just bought one off e-bay and expect it in few weeks - hope I can make it work too!

[Steve Demeter]

Bought a micro SDHC at radio shack.

Came with the adapter to make it fit a regular SD slot for $24.95

SanDisk brand

[formulasuper]

Bought a micro SDHC at radio shack.

Came with the adapter to make it fit a regular SD slot for $24.95

SanDisk brand

Thanks Steve, I just bought the MicroSDHC at RS myself & it works great. I attached the camera to the front of my Ford Van by duct taping one of the snap in brackets to the grill then took a drive around the subdivision. Looks great, good color, clarity & audio. Only problem is seeing the miniature indicator lights in the bright sunlight, but I was able to shade it good enough to see. Amazing what they can pack into a large peanut shell!

[Stan Clayton]

Mine arrived Thursday from Hong Kong, and I bought the same SanDisk MicroSDHC as others here. Charged it up for two hours, plugged in the memory card, pressed the power button and then the start button and it was recording video with sound. Point it at what you want video of and yer in bidness...

The biggest challenge for me is that it is so small and light weight that I have trouble controlling where it's pointed and holding it steady. I suspect that it will work better secured to a roll bar.

Search youtube for 'md80 video camera' for lots of diy vids.

Here's mine with its memory card.

[rmccown]

The real test is at 6500 rpm... Hoping for the best

[Stan Clayton]

I played around with my camera over the weekend, putting maybe 15-20 minutes of video on it, then decided this morning that I wanted to see how long it will record for. To do that I took the camera into the shop and set it up to video us doing a layup that I figured would take a hour and a half or so to complete. When we were done I noticed that the camera had turned itself off. The instructions say it will do that when the memory card is full or the battery is too low. The card was nowhere near full, so I figured the battery was down. Anyway, I plugged it into my computer to download what it recorded and to recharge it, which it does whenever the USB is connected.

The MD80 is supposed to record for 2 hours on a full battery, and recharging is a claimed 2 hours. Well, by comparing the start and stop time of the video I made this morning, I know it recorded for 1 hour 13 minutes, plus whatever I put on it over the weekend. Obviously, an hour and a half is plenty for any club race, but the battery may not really be able to go a full two hours, so I plan to charge it between all sessions while at the track.

Any of you other guys run it to failure yet?

[formulasuper]

Figured I'd test mine on my GSXR to see if the high rpm vibration or noise would screw it up. At first I duct taped it to my headlight using the supplied mounting bracket & the result was broken audio when the revs got high. I noticed the 2 piece mounting bracket has some free play between the 2 pieces which was allowing the camera to vibrate. So next I taped the bracket & camera both to the headlight so no movement was allowed & the camera worked flawlessly. Excellent color video & perfect audio at all speeds & rpms! I wonder how waterproof it is. Not very, I'd suspect since the slot for the card would not be sealed. Once I have good results on the Ralt I'll fab a waterproof plexiglass pod to mount it in for those SEDIV afternoon thundershowers.

[Stan Clayton]

That's very good news, Scott...thanks!

Can you upload the video to somewhere and post a link?

Thx! Stan

[BERG Racing]

just bought mine stayed tuned for test shots

[iamuwere]

For the above listed auction, using Buy It Now, $13 and $14 are denied. $15 is the bare minimum.

[race2fast]

This seems to be a classic... "if it is too good to be true..."
Ok I just purchased a couple of these puppies.

Will try and post some pictures when they get here... "slow boat" I'm thinking..

Let's go racing....

[gomez]

Any test videos in race cars yet?

[BERG Racing]

Got a E-mail yesterday that said it was in the mail. First test will be Sebring. If it can survive that I'm sold!

[RobLav]

How did I miss this thread! I just bought one too.

[J Leonard]

So the "HC" sd cards work in these cameras, or do they need the straight sd?

[formulasuper]

So the "HC" sd cards work in these cameras, or do they need the straight sd?

HC works.

[BERG Racing]

Got my camera yesterday and I am amazed by the size of this thing. Going to tape it to the mirror of the BMW on the way home this afternoon video up soon.

[jmw76]

Hi Guys,

I am new here.
I thought that this link might of interest.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Car-Key-DC-Mi...item27af3279c0

This has got to be the lowest cost solution at present.

I particularly like the form factor with the lens at one end and the tear drop shape. It should be easy to tape/cable tie onto just about any location.

I have placed an order for 2 units to try.

I have a GoPro and have found the results a little disapointing.
Sound breaks up with high ambient noise. Camera resets with electrical interferance/vibration. Image stability is not good with supplied mounting brackets due to vibration and wind loading.

Maybe this small cam will do the trick.

I will keep you posted.

Cheers

Peter.

[BERG Racing]

I saw those also. Seems to have the same specs as the other. They also offer a lighter look-a-lke model also. Vid quality is good but at 30 fps tends to look notchy.

[J Leonard]

With all of us buying these things they should give Stan a cut. Bought the md80 at $12.49 and car key cam at $6.49 plus $6 each shipping.

[problemchild]

I'm getting nervous. Ordered Feb 10 .... still not here.

[BERG Racing]

Mine took a while also, hang in there. Trying to edit video now using Roxio. its slow and not very easy. Anybody have any suggestions for better editor?

here's the first video

http://www.youtube.com/user/bergracer?feature=mhw4

[jmw76]

Hi Guys,

Some interesting experiences.
THat video looks like a good first attempt.
The vision is a bit jerky. I suspect that is a limitation of these cheap cameras.

Has anyone tried to use RaceChrono with their video.

Here is an attempt that I made with data from a simple GPS and my GoPro Hero cam.
Sound and general vibration are a problem with this setup.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...v=306886398446

The track is Philip Island, Victoria, Australia.

Sorry it's not a faster lap with more vehicles in sight.

Cheers

Peter.