Many of today’s action cameras promise to be able to withstand the shocks and high vibration levels faced in motor sports and action sports environments. But is this really the case?

The truth is that most standard action cameras provide adequate footage for club level racing but when used in intermediate and professional level race vehicles these systems just don’t hold up. Many of these lower quality camera systems can’t stand up to the increased vibration levels and greater rigidity of top-level motor sports vehicles.

So what key design features do this standard systems lack and what should be considered for the development of robust professional motor sports camera kits?

• Capture Resolution – With the development of high-definition video many modern camera systems boast that they incorporate full HD 1080 resolution recording. However, many of these systems are still using interlacing (1080i), which can cause the image to blur. Action Camera specialists know the important of using progressive sampling (1080P) to capture the best video and shots. The problem with interlaced video is that the video chipset renders an image in alternate lines. This video capture technology is now seen as somewhat limited with progressive sampling now at the forefront of video technology. Progressive sampling enables the chipset to capture each image (frame) independently, which allows for clearer freeze frames in video. The difference between interlacing and progressive sampling is very important when using a camera for action sports, as an in-car camera system or motor sports camera. The nature of the objects in shot moving at relatively high speeds means that progressive sampling gives much clearer image quality.
• Camera Fixing – Many action cameras and sports cameras on the market don’t enable the use of universal parts. These camera systems are developed to only use branded mounting options, which are unique and usable only with that particular brand of products. These are often expensive and many motor sports users resort to adapting the fixing kits to suit their particular vehicle/s. A good in-car camera for motor sports should in theory have an industry standard ¼ inch mounting like on traditional tripods and other digital cameras to enable compliance across the field. The best cameras on the market have this and it allows the user to mount their cameras on universal suction cup mounts, roll bar mounts and surface mounts on vehicles. The user is then able to select the mounting option they require and proceed with getting the camera into the car without ordering additional kit. Read the rest of this entry »