Video tips (moved)

anim8r · Aug 30, 2011

Hey RC, I don't really use cameras much nowadays. My last camera was stolen and I just never went back to it. Most of my work is all done in the computer now, but I can probably help you out.

Your camera should have come with 2 discs -- Quick Movie Magic & MotionDV Studio. One's for bringing the video into the pc & the other is for editing. If you don't have the software, no sweat. Windows XP (& newer versions) has Movie Maker already installed, & it really ain't too bad for free.

You got any cords that plug into your camera? They work in different ways, so let me know what you have & we'll go from there.

As far as mounting the camera goes, there are a lot of options out there. Mounting it directly on the bike will probably give you some shaky video. That can be softened with a nice camera mount & a camera that has good image stabilization.
Helmet cams are getting cheaper every month. They average around $25 for a cheap one, $50 for a useable one & $150 for a nice HD. I think there's even a 3D helmet cam available for under $400. Your body absorbs most of the bike's vibration, so you'd get smoother footage with a helmet vs a bike mount.

rustycase · Aug 31, 2011

Hey Anim8r !

This cam is a Panasonic PV-GS300 that uses mini DV tapes.

Yah, I know nuthin abt this videocam....
I just found the connector yesterday... some flavor of mini usb that plugs into the camera with the 3 RGB phono plugs on the other end and an S-vid connector. She watches the dog chase the ball on the TV...

I did find Movie Maker on the drive..., but no way to connect cam to the PC?

Sry, I don't even know the right questions to ask!

Is best to connect via firewire usb ?

I'll check the machines to see what's available on them.
Running xp, vista, and I think there's 7 on the machine I haven't even plugged in yet! I suppose I should use that one since it's probably the fastest of the lot.

Will I need to d/l the camera to the pc in real time? ...play the camera and have it tranfer while playing? isn't there some way to d/l the tape at hi-speed? Whew! this must be a loong process!

We need a Sticky at the head of this thread... How to 4 Dummies.

Best
rc

Nashville Kat · Aug 31, 2011

Too bad on the mini DV tapes- just a beat behind in tecnology-

Today it's cameras that record on Secure Digital- I got one at Big Lots for less than $20 or you can get them from China on ebay
The cheap ones don't have any zoom, but still take decent video and audio if not too picky-

or you can go up in price with zoom and high def-

Most come with a software disk and/or a chord that plus into USB, but the beauty is that most computers have SD slots too- just put the card in- and no special software needed- just save to video folders

delete unwanted vids and photos on the computer- some of the cheapo cameras don't even have a delete fuction themselves anymore

and the cards have gotten cheap- lots of storage for little money- I guess a lot of people are using them like film and never even clearing them except of bloopers

Windows Movie maker is under "Accessories" on the "all programs list at the corner Windows icon- for most people it will do a fine job of editing and titles and adding tracks and narration-

Lets get on it! Not enough vids here-

Got a few things I need to edit and post-

and am going to shoot a "Sound Pro Dampener" before and after video- haven't used them before and don't know what I'll get when I install them on the 66.

but the camera doesn't lie!- The Band On The Run

anim8r · Sep 1, 2011

Nashville Kat is right about the camera being a step behind. Starting in the late 90's, video technology changed so rapidly that you either had to be rich enough to keep up or choose a reliable system to stick with through the changes (that's how I got by). It really just settled down over the past few years & became standardized. (And cheap).

The cable you have is the one that needs a dongle and a special video card. There are female RCA to USB adapters that MIGHT help you get around it by allowing you to plug the camera to the cable you already have - then plug THAT cable to the adapter - then plug the adapter's USB end into the computer, but (BIG BUT) it might not work. I dunno....never actually tried that way myself.
Any input, NK?

So I'm seeing a few options.
A) You could try the USB/RCA adapter route. DOWNSIDE: no guarantee it'll work. Also, if it did work, you would have record it as the tape plays at normal speed.....there's no immediate transfer option.

B) You could find a retro computer nerd who can find & install the right video card on your old Windows XP computer. (these guys think anything older than 3 years is antique lol but they usually know their stuff). The card should be cheap (about the price of a new USB camera). DOWNSIDE: same as above, plus having to find & pay for the nerd & the hardware.

c) You could go with a new cheapo USB camera & plug it into your newest computer with no worries. DOWNSIDE: prices start around $20-$25.

If you want cheap, higher quality, & waaaay easier to use, I'd go with C. I think camera prices have just about hit rock bottom, & nobody is about to announce a new connection system that will make USB outdated.

I'm usually the last person to recommend buying anything new....heck, that's why I'm putting a motor on a bike.....but I'd only recommend choices A or B for a computer/video hobbyist or someone that digs puzzles. It can be fun, if you're into it.

rustycase · Sep 1, 2011

Great post NK !

Yah, I got pitched on old tech when I bought my GS300.
SD was pricey then, and the sales guy said the conversion process ran slow from the SD chips, as opposed to the dv tapes. Oh well.

I did ok for the time... next step up, that I really wanted, ranged from $900 to $1200... But we all saw what the next step up got for The Grizzly Man ! lol

Presentation Quality?

Let's have a shoot-out!
That way we can all see what the best bang for the buck is in our genre.

Will we need the zoom feature for MAB frame/helmet mount action shots?
Since we're on the low end of motorized personal transport, What sort of FailBlog camera mount will work best?

Which cheepo camera is delivering the best res for the buck, and which one reproduces audio the best???
Is a plug-in mic a necessary option, for this application?
(I like some of the soundtracks that YouTube ads stick on the vids, but someone did point out that they would rather hear the real-time sound of the MAB operating... opinions? )

I am using the Win MM sw... the real-time transfer from the camera is slaying me, and then the volume of all those 'panes', and the time it's gonna take to sort through the mess and get something edited !!!

No MAB vid yet, I'm sorting through family pics of kids on go-karts, pets, babies, weddings, and the Las Vegas strip... all mixed together!
(and my MAB is tore apart!)

Any advice on alternative editing/processing software?

sry 8r... crossed post!
rc

anim8r · Sep 3, 2011

I wouldn't recommend trying to zoom while riding....might be a good feature for landscapes & stuff, though. Plug-in mics are good if you do a lot of narration. If you just want to hear the sound of the bike, the built-in mic should be fine.
If you want a mix of music & motor, you can add a second audio track to your video in a few different ways.

I personally use Adobe After Effects & Final Cut Pro for editing (depending on the job), but they're pretty pricey. There's one called Vegas that I'd recommend if you're looking to buy some editing sw. I used it for a while...it's got a lot of features, it's efficient & somewhat intuitive. Not sure of current prices on it, but it's always been a good value.

how did you hook into your pc?

rustycase · Sep 3, 2011

Hey 8R,

I might be learning a little from all this!

Tnx!

I got a usb cord at the thrift store for a buck... this GS300 vcam has some ports inside when the view finder/screen flips open. One says DV and is very small, and the other takes a usb mini. I found a cord that will fit it and has a standard usb on the other end which I can plug into the laptop.
So, I d/l'ded at run-time into winMM. maybe a G of drive space for every 5-10mins of video on the tape??? I'll run out of drive space quickly !

I guess the part I don't like is needing to do the d/l at real time. That must be among the downside factors of the DV tape??

...I've been reading up on the helpful advice you fellows have been giving me... Tnx! I guess what I'd like to do is figger how to interface from the PC to my television set for doing rough cuts on all the garbage that is taped inadvertently... then I can archive a smaller file to dvd and work with it later without filling up the drive on my pc. ...there's NO tera-byte drives in my near future! lol

I guess the on-board mic in the camera is ok, but I'm thinking ahead about wind buffeting when running, mounted on the MAB. Back when, I had seen a number of ultra-lite vids where the audio was messed up because the mic was not situated well.

I've got a Layla audio mixer/studio thingy around here, somewhere, but really didn't plan to do music mixing on tape for the MABs. ...Here a short while back someone's MAB video had a YouTube channel soundtrack pasted over it and I think it was SB who said he'd prefer to hear the HT engine, to see how it was REALLY running, than a Kool soundtrack... and I'd agree, for these purposes.
...Just want to mount the mic a bit further away from the motor noise and shield it a bit.

Today I'll search a bit for camera mounting techniques... I'd like to protect it from the occasional road shock, normal vibration, and of course, the possibility of a spill, like Happy took.
lol I ain't a young buck like him and a crash would be worse, and recovery a heck of a lot slower!! lol

Our little baby boy, Beavis, has a GoPro helmet cam, but I know he won't give it up for me to bolt to a bicycle! He knows the kind of stuff I get into!

Anyhow, no parts in the cards this month, so I should just put my engine back together so I can move on with this part of the project...

Best
rc

Nashville Kat · Sep 3, 2011

If you have connection probs with the cam- I haven't been reading this carefully- you can probably just get a USB capture link cord and software- about $30-

I've captured lots of my old VHS stuff and saved it to SD cards- DVDs take a long time to burn on computer-
It also saves audio or anything you can feed to RCA plugs

or you could copy to a DVD recorder in real time and use the disks on a computer drive

2door · May 26, 2012

Bumping this old thread. I found this> http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/Forums/

Very informative and helped me solve some problems when I first started doing the vids.

There are some very creative folks there to help and offer advice.
Tom

rustycase · May 27, 2012

Hey!

Thanks for bumping it back up, Tom!

I've been back at video considerations off and on for a week or so.
The garden is main focus right now.

Youtube has some interesting diy vids for videocam jibs.
They could be very useful, and not too difficult to build.

Today, a local store has a cheapo video camera on sale for under $20.
I had thought to get it, since such a thing will never be cheaper!

They are probably not so good, but I will probably destroy it on the motorized bicycle, anyway! Better not to destroy a good one while learning!
rc

rustycase · May 28, 2012

lol

I DID get it...
This thing is one of the cheapest plastic boxes I ever saw in my life!
a step up from a Cracker Jack prize! lol

It's a Jazz Z40.
It came with 2 patch cords, but no batry or memory.
So I haven't tried it yet for lack of AAA batries.
I also got the $8 8mb sd chip they had for sale.

I'll be really surprised if this lasts long on a bicycle!

What the heck, it's cheaper than going to the bar...
rc

2door · May 28, 2012

RC,
Don't mount it directly to the bike. The vibes will make the video too shaky and might destroy the camera. Make a sling and let it hang around your neck. Most if not all cameras have a tripod mount on the bottom with 1/4-20 threads. I made one from a 6" length of wood, some string and a short screw. It will soften the shaking while you ride and protect the camera from road shock and vibration. I use a safety string too in case something comes loose.

Tom

rustycase · May 28, 2012

LOL

Hey thanks for the advice, Tom!

I watched your vids... they are great! ...inspirational even !

Yah, that's what I would be... one big fat shock absorber for a $15 chinacamera! on a chinagirl! lol

But I can't do it the sensible way. Don't have it in me!

I been watching all the camera boom/crane/jib DIY videos on YouTube and I GOTTA try it out ! I got plenty of stock around here to build an aluminum jib.
...then I'm thinkin, (again lol), maybe I can use some of the old RC servos and radios I got around here for a remote pan/tilt head.

I better build something simple.
Then I'll at least have it to use instead of armchair-ing it to death!

...this is only a $15 camera I'm about to kill, anyway...
(I still don't even know if it works or not! Spent all day in the garden, so far.)

Best
rc

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