ChaseCam PDR100 with AutoRecord

[Shay]

Half the fun of open track days is getting to relive it through video. Anyone who has struggled with using their handheld video cam to capture a day at the track knows what a frustrating mess that can be. Getting it to mount well, not vibrate and then to be able to control it is a hassle that usually ends up with poor results.

That is why ChaseCam exists. They build a great line of dedicated solid state video recorders that are made specifically for use in a fast moving car. The systems are designed and set up for the job. Set up and use is a snap.

The new ChaseCam PDR100 with Auto Record is their most popular outfit. It has a remote mounted bullet camera unit with a variety of mounts. You can choose between a suction cup, helmet or roll-bar mount. A remote mounted recording unit uses a 4GB flash card for recording so there are no video quality issues caused by moving machinery and the hard motions of a track exercise. A standard 5' cable is included to hook them together.

Recording 520 lines in the standard set up, the PDR100 is easy to use out at the track. It automatically starts recording when it senses vehicle motion and automatically stops when the vehicle stops for a preset amount of time. The best thing is that the whole setup starts at a pretty reasonable $950. When you consider you can spend that or more for a standard hand cam that is hard to use for track shoots, it is not that bad.

The base 4GB card will record about 2 hours of video on standard quality and 1 hour on hi-quality. For an extra $100 you can upgrade to a 32GB card which will hold up to 16 hours of video.

Mor information: Solid State Digital Video Recording Systems and Cameras | ChaseCam

[360Rocket]

any chance of you making that the next monthly fnsweet supporter prize?

Love to have one.....

[Frank3]

Originally Posted by 360Rocket

any chance of you making that the next monthly
fnsweet supporter prize?

Love to have one.....

^^^ what he said ^^^

[GT/CSR]

Very Cool. I have been looking for in car systems, but that one is pretty sharp !!

[Stage3motorsports]

I have contacted these guys about being a dealer. I'll see if we can get you guys a deal. I know I want one for my car.

[pikapp]

How does this camera compare to the GoPro Motorsports ones? I'm close to pulling the trigger on a camera for the tracks and this one is.....interesting.

[Frank3]

Originally Posted by pikapp

How does this camera compare to the GoPro Motorsports ones? I'm close to pulling the trigger on a camera for the tracks and this one is.....interesting.

I have a GoPro and if you want hi-quality video and sound, I would look elsewhere. For the cost of the GoPro, it's not bad though. It has a wide angle lens which allows you to see a lot, but because of that, depth perception is not good. And in the racecar, the sound it not good. The sound just crackles most of the time. Keep in mind that the racecar can be louder inside than a street car and we have to run with the windows down. Both of these will add to the audio over volume distortion, for a lack of an definitive term...

Here is a video, your decide...

[pikapp]

Thanks Frank. Video wasn't bad, but the audio sure sucked. Anyway to clear up all the crackling or is that inherent to that brand? Where did you have the camera mounted?

[Reckless]

Similar to the FTP camera, 520 Lines. I record to a Archos DVR , has a nice wide screen so you can watch/ upload etc right from there.

The cam is mounted in the lower grill (99-04) the mic is in the engine compartment.

These give you a good idea of the stability of the camera, since the roads are not that great

Daytime - Maryland GTG



Nighttime - on the way home

[Frank3]

Originally Posted by pikapp

Thanks Frank. Video wasn't bad, but the audio sure sucked. Anyway to clear up all the crackling or is that inherent to that brand? Where did you have the camera mounted?

I had already removed some of the noise from the sound track. The GoPro comes in a water proof enclosure. It also has a hi and lo audio (mic) setting. On the low setting and in the sealed water proof enclosure, you can hardly hear anything, but no crackling. On the hi setting, not much sound but crackling can be heard. You can remove the seal in the enclosure so the sound can be heard better. On the low setting with the seal removed is probaby the best option and what I used in the video (if my memory serves me right). Still poor IMO.

In the video above, the camera is mounted to the inside of the windshield directly above the steering wheel. I sit rather low in the racecar and can easily see under the camera when it is located there. I prefer the camera further back in the car and to the side of my head so that I can see my hands on the steering wheel and on the shifter. The problem with this is with the GoPro you cannot make any adjustments to the light exposure. With the camera further back in the car and due to the wide angle lens, the exposure automatically adjusts to the inside of the car. Great for seeing inside the car but everything out the front of the car is so washed out you can very see the track or a car in front of you. This would probably be much better if the camera did not have such a wide angle lens and less of the dark interior influences the exposure.

Example...



Hope this helps.