DogCamSport HD Camera First Impressions

DogCamSport have just received a shipment of their new HD Cameras, and luckily I have one of them to test. Below I've put a few of my findings and my thoughts on the camera.

For full features, specification and what DogCamSport have to say about their camera, look at the link below:

http://www.dogcamsport.co.uk/minidvr-hd-bullet-camera.html

Also have a look around on their website as they stock not only GoPro's and Contour cameras but they have their own line of products including some high definition camera's for under £90 ranging up to this model recording in full 1080p for only £250, a price not only below the competition, but a product that is actually a better alternative for many people.


The HD Camera comes in good packaging that is robust enough to survive the trip to your door and although it doesn't come in the big plastic tower of GoPros or the plastic box of a Contour, what's inside more than makes up for it.


In the Box

In the box comes pretty much every mount and accessory you could ever possibly need, and if it isn't in the box then DogCamSport sell it at a reasonable price as an accessory!


So get ready for the list of things you can expect to find in the box (yes it's a long one).

-The HD Camera itself (waterproof)
-The MiniDVRHD recording unit and belt clip for the recording unit, with 3 hour capacity battery (splashproof)
-Remote to stop/start recording, the remote can be mounted on a wrist, handlebar, top tube etc.
-Waterproof pouch that could be use to house the recorder during use
-Well written manual covering everything from setup to adjusting exposure compensation and white balance
-One elastic magic mount
-One dashboard/flat surface mount (rotates 180 degree up and down and 360 degrees around)
-One curved helmet mount and elastic strap to mount the camera to your head or helmet
-One handlebar mount (rotates 360 around)
-One flat surface mount (rotates 360 around)
-Two spare 3M sticky velcro mounts for the magic mount
-Two spare 3M sticky velcro mounts for the remote control
-Two spare 3M sticky velcro mounts for the flat surface mount
-One spare 3M sticky velcro mount for dashboard/flat surface mount
-AV Out cable
-USB cable for charging and data transfer
-Wall charger (3 pin plug for UK)
-Cigarette lighter car charger

As you can see a lot more than your average helmet camera and all are made to a high standard which should stand up to the test of time.

Available separately are a number of accessories such as:

-Spare outer lens for the camera unit(especially useful if you scratch a lot of lenses, and under £10 as well so it's not an expensive fix to get your camera working as new)
-Suction Mount for only £15
-Spare batteries at under £15 each, each one lasting 3 hours with a 2.5 charge time
-Enhanced wired remote to connect to a cars charger so batter life no longer becomes an issue, and all for under £15
-High quality external microphone for the camera for under £15, ideal if you either want to talk to the camera, or just move it out of the way of wind noise.
-Spare mounting kit with all the mounts for under £15
-A HDMI cable for HD playback on HD Ready televisions for under £15
-A new imaging head should anything catastrophic happen for under £90

So with a great deal of mounts and accessories included in the box, and upgrades and spares available at a very reasonable cost from the website then it's clear to see in the out of the box value for money is head and shoulders above the competition which dont include anywhere near the level of accessories and mounts.

Features

Due to have a separate recording unit it means that there's a lot of easy to access and easy to adjust options, one criticism some people make of other cameras. However this separate recording unit does make the unit as a whole slightly more cumbersome as you have to find somewhere to stash the recording unit, especially problematic if you run downhill motocross style pants without pockets. However the sturdy belt clip goes some way to solving this I think it has to be up to the individual to decide whether or not they can live with the separate recording unit when considering the advantages of having one.


One major advantage of the separate units is that the camera itself is very light, all the recording is done externally, meaning you don't feel like there is a brick sat on your head as can happen somewhat with the competition. The all-in-one solutions tend to be relatively heavy and can somewhat effect riding for some people, particularly when not in a full face lid.
There is no such problem with this as the recording head as it is incredibly light.

So if you decide you can live the slightly cumbersome setup of having a separate recording unit, what are the advantages? Well the high quality screen has to be a starting point. This is available on the GoPro in the form of the BacPac add-on, but it costs just a penny under £90, which is a lot to pay on top of the premium the GoPro costs, also the quality of the BacPac screen simply isn't on par with this unit. The Contour does not as yet offer any such screen.

The screen also means there's not hundreds of small pictures to try and learn what they mean, and every setting is spelt out clearly and precisely in a full screen menu which means no matter how much of a technophobe you are you can still adjust everything from exposure compensation (vital for snow sports) to white balance, or you can simply leave them in automatic. This on the fly adjustment of white balance and EV (exposure compensation) is going to be really useful for some people and gives it a step up above the competition.


It also means you can line up any shot perfectly, and most importantly, review and delete your clips as soon as you've recorded them, instead of having to wait until you get home to show your mates how big your crash really was!
Having said that the playback feature does not have any fast forward/rewind button making it long winded to reply the same crash over and over, however this doesn't take away from that fact that watching back your last run makes the push up seem much shorter!



It also offers a huge amount of resolutions and frame rates, 1080p in 25/30 fps and 720p in 25/30/50/60 fps, plenty to keep anyone going.

An external microphone port is also a bonus on this unit and it has manual sound adjustment for the internal and external microphone (the manual very clearly explains this and how to adjust for your sport). This external microphone is not available on the original GoPro or Contour HD, so for people who want wind-free sound or like to talk to their camera this is another serious advantage.

The unit also has a cable lock to lock the separate recorder head into the recorder unit, whilst this is a useful feature and nice to have in itself, its not something that is either an advantage/disadvantage to the all-in-one helmet camera solutions.

It also has a "Car Mode" which can be used for 'Black Box' recording however this probably isn't relevant to the majority of Pinkbike readers, it's a nice feature to have if you want your camera to do more than just film your rides out.

Another feature, how much it will be used or not is questionable, but in 720p mode there is actually a 16x digital zoom so if you see something cool in the distance you can zoom in and catch it on camera and not have it as a tiny speck in the wide angle lens. Something it has over the competition, whether or not useful to everyone depends on the intended purpose.

Something important to note is that if you're recording in full 1080p the field of vision isn't as wide as what it is in 720p which may push some people towards the GoPro if that super wide angle and crazy big resolutions is necessary.

Build Quality

This could be a pitfall of the DogCamSport HD Camera when compared to the competition. Whilst the camera head is fully waterproof and the recording unit is incredible robust with a multitude of rubber flaps and screen protector as standard, the recorder is not submersible as is the GoPro.
This is to say, whilst the build quality is right up there with that of the Contour, if you like to throw your camera out of planes, run it over with tractors or go swimming with it then this probably isn't the camera for you.


For general use however the recording unit has a waterproof pouch to put it in, meaning it won't be submersible, but it'll stand up to a fair amount of outdoor abuse, and the unit itself is actually splashproof without the pouch.

The build quality probably isn't quite as drop proof as the GoPro either which may concern some people but for 90% of riders needs it really is a tough little unit.

It also has a replaceable lens cap so if you happen to go skidding on your face and scratch the lens its only a £10 fix, and you've got a brand new lens, instead of shelling out on an expensive new case.

Image Quality

I have included a short edit from my last ride out at the bottom of this section, so ultimately you have to be the judge on the quality, as it is a very subjective part of the camera, and for many the most important part.

One massive advantage this camera has over the competition is it's low light performance and its ability to flick from extreme bright to extreme dark. On the video below the dark sections on the camera were sections which are completely pitch black through yellow tinted goggles, however the camera copes admirably. It also reacts to the changing light conditions very quickly which is something not all cameras are capable of.

With regards to the GoPro HD and Contour HD, both of similar price points, the image quality is most certainly comparable, and it is important to remember that Youtube takes a lot of the quality out of the stock footage (watch in 720p for best results), however it really is up to you to see for yourself and make a judgement.





Summary

A light, well made camera from a less well known company that has stellar image quality with a price that screams value for money when considering the competition and what you actually get in the box. Many people may not like the idea of having two separate units, but the benefits are clear, a bigger battery for long 3 hour life on each battery, a screen to watch the clip you just recorded as soon as you reach the bottom of the trail or on the lift back up, and easy to read menus with a selection of settings almost as large as the amount of accessories in the box.
Not to mention their second to none customer service to rival that of even the most established companies.