V.I.O. POV.1 Video Camera

We got to test this point-of-view camera with wide-angle lens on our test ride during Touring Weekend 2008 in Virginia and West Virginia. It proved to be very easy to operate. The user simply has to slide in the included 1 GB SD card, attach the wearable camera head to the POV.1 recorder with the LVDS cable (included), and it's good to go.

To record, turn on the recorder and press rec. The viewfinder helps with setting up the camera. You can mount it almost anywhere – helmets, mirrors, handle bars, or wherever you want – although it may not stay there for long with the mounting system provided. For the price, we expected a stronger bond than the flimsy one offered by the sticky pad and cable ties that come with the two mounting plates. Neither the ties nor the pad held up against the headwind. But a few strips of duct tape fixed the problem in a jiffy.

The camera's wireless remote allows you to record/tag when the recorder is on, and we Velcro®-ed it around the handlebars for easy one-handed access. The next-generation wide-angle POV.1 imaging head gives users an incredible 110-degree field of view capturing area, nearly 30 degrees more than the standard head on the first generation POV.1.

Downloading the POV.1 videos onto our Mac for editing is uncomplicated, as is editing and sharing the results using the complete software package. Though not DVD quality, the images are suitable for TV or web-casting.

Key features and optical specs: sensitivity F2.0, effective focal length 2.97mm, records in loop or clip, 720 x 480, 720 x 400, 640 x 480, or 360 x 240 resolution, and frame rates of 30fps, 25fps, 24fps, or 15fps.

Check out a sample clip (2:30) at www.roadrunner.travel

POV.1 Video Camera
Price: $699.95
Wide angle imaging head: $149
www.vio-pov.com