Tachyon OPS HD Helmet Camera

I bought this camera to capture footage on my scooter in Boston for my new youtube series, "Scootin' in Boston". This camera does what it's supposed to do and it does it pretty well! The only reason I am not giving it a full 5 stars is that it picks up a lot of wind noise, even with the rubber rain proof cover on. I thought it might help to dampen the noise but it really doesn't. If there was some way to reduce that (e.g. with a wind screen or something), I would say it's a perfect 5 stars. Also, the 720p, 30 fps resolution is good but at faster speeds, I think 60 fps would make the video look a lot smoother. However, that's just for riding applications. If you're going to play paintball or shoot with this thing, the 30 fps is great. The 4 hour battery life is another reason I chose this one over their micro helmet cam. If you get a 16 Gb card, the battery and storage should run out at about the same time. I also love the fact that it works well with my mac.If you'd like to see it in action, check out my youtube series. However, keep in mind that I had to process it to a smaller size for uploading to youtube, so the resolution is not clear in some of the earlier ones. I figured out how to keep the quality up in the later ones (by experimenting with different settings in Quicktime).Anyway, this is a great camera and I recommend it for anyone who would like to mount a tiny camera on top of their helmets while riding.

The media could not be loaded.  EDIT: I just watched the video that I posted and the quality on amazon is garbage. it even looks better on facebook. Compared to this my saved video on my PC if perfect. not sure where the problem is.This Is the first time I actually used the camera, I was fortunate that it was also a pretty good run for me. 1st game of the day and was a 3 on 3 match. I eliminated all 3 of the enemy players.The picture is better than I expected I was especially impressed at the quality of the picture when I was running. I move pretty quick and even when spinning around it didn't loose much quality. I uploaded this to FB and the picture isnt as good as it is when I watch it from my computer but I guess thats FB's fault not tachyons. I have a massive PNY 32gig card that is a class 10 I bought from best buy. I would recommend a high quality card that is a class 6 or 10 dont buy them online cuz there are so many bootlegs out there that say they are class 6 or 10 but are really class 2. spend at least $40 on a card and you will be fine.I ordered this camera from www.amazon.com but since amazon didn't have the Plastic Shell (impact armor) for sale I bought that from the tachyon website. Since I have prime shipping I got it on Friday and custom mounted it to my mask that night was ready to shoot video that Saturday morning. The Impact armor hadn't arrived and I was a little afraid that I would damage it that day but I did have the water resistant rubber shell(which comes with the camera)on it. I bet that the water resistant shell works as well as the impact armor does really, it has a fairly thick plastic lens cover on it and the rubber covers the whole camera. I didn't take a hit directly to it so I cant say for sure how well it would protect from a direct hit but I can say that it did a excellent job keeping the camera lens and all clean from the splattering paint that was covering me.I will upload a sample video and a picture of the camera on my mask.Here's the low downPros:Very small size (might be the smallest there is for HD)Light weightInexpensiveHas a time lapse still picture setting that is pretty coolComes with several mounts and rain proof coverTons of accessories availible (gun cam mounts, impact armor, chargers ect...)Uses micro SD cards. (I recommend a Class 10 sandisk or a PNY from a brick and mortar retail store) beware of bootlegs onlineEasy to use - turn on/off, upload ect.Rechargeable internal batteryBattery is said to last up to 4 hours on a chargeCan mount in many positionsBody is square so you can set it on something and have good level shot and it wont roll around.No cords coming off it unless you are charging the camera or uploading videoCons: (None really but I will try)The picture quality is not as good as some of the other HD cameras out there but considering that it is half the price that is reasonable.It would be nice if Tachyon would offer a lens cover that you could get to zoom the image. I only say this because when I shoot someone I can see it clearly and easily through my eyes but every thing looks far away in the video. ((Wide angle lens)this is typical of helmet cams)

Don't buy this if you want to use when moving. I used this camera horseback riding yesterday through the woods. Mounted to the side of my helmet, similar to as shown on box camera came in. Went from bright sunlight to deep shade and everything between. Video quality is very poor. Very poor. Brights are washed out as pure white. Darks are pure black. Everything between is not in focus. Focus improves and colors deepen IF you stand still, but even then, not very good. Response time of camera focus is slow and its ability to handle light and dark contrast and color in the same image is very poor. They must have developed this inside under controlled conditions. Frankly, a waste of money and I am going to return. I wouldn't be caught dead showing these videos to my family and friends as they would think I lost my mind.

Nifty little camera. It's pretty durable. Very lightweight, small, and affordable. Its transition from outdoor to indoor and vice-versa is decent. Catches audio surprisingly well. I've had the camera for only a few hours now and have ran into a few issues, not necessarily about the camera but more so about the mounts. The clip mount doesn't work well with goggles since attaching it to the strap allows the camera to shake and bounce a lot. The clip mount is very versatile, but is also cheap. It can be adjusted by loosening and tightening two screws, but because of the cheaply made mount, overtightening the screws and breaking and chipping the mount is VERY VERY easy to do. I was barely tightening the screws before part of the mount chipped off.Pros:- Lightweight- Small- Durable- Comes with multiple mounts for many uses- Affordable- VersatileCons:- Mounts are made pretty cheap- A lot of flickering in video- Only records in 720p and not in 1080p