This is the coolest wireless onboard camera system we've run across in a long while. The Motorsports Hero color video camera from GoPro is amazingly small, self-contained, and takes fantastic video and still photos at a price most of us can afford. The Hero retails for just $179.99.
The Motorsports Hero is tiny....
The Motorsports Hero is tiny. It measures 1 inch thick, under 2-1/2 inches wide, and 1-1/2 inches tall. The polycarbonate water housing protects the camera and provides a secure base for all of the different mounting attachments.
We grabbed one specifically for trying to track down an oil leak under the hood of one of our trucks that only appeared when the truck was running. By mounting the camera under the hood, we were able to hit the road and find out that we had a high-pressure leak coming from our power-steering pump. Once we fixed the pump, we realized there were many other much cooler ways to utilize the camera. So far, we've used the various mounts that come with the camera to video the suspension on trucks we've jumped, and we've also mounted the Motorsports Hero to a tonneau cover facing backward to watch the traffic disperse behind a truck that was throwing sparks.
GoPro also offers optional accessories for the camera that make it even more useful. For another 40 bucks you can add a wide-angle lens. There's also more unique mounts that allow the camera to be mounted to the top or side of a racing helmet or on your wrist when you're bikin' or snowboardin'. And did we mention that the mounting case is waterproof to 100 feet? Check it out.
Part One: Camera Features...
Part One: Camera Features
1. Rechargeable batteries are recommended because the camera will waste a pair of standard alkaline AAAs in about 20 minutes.
2. The camera will record...
2. The camera will record almost an hour of video on a 2GB SD memory card with up to 4-megapixel clarity.
3. We went with an Energizer...
3. We went with an Energizer rechargeable nickel-metal hydride 900-mAh battery system. The cool thing here is that for 40 bucks we scored a charger that will recharge both AAA and AA batteries in 15 minutes from either a 12-volt DC cigarette lighter outlet or from household 110-volt AC current.
4. There are only two buttons...
4. There are only two buttons used to operate the camera. The one on the front turns it on and off and cycles through the different modes and setup options. On top of the camera is another button that activates the camera shutter and selects the different options. Note that the display reads upside down so that it's easier to operate the camera in the water housing.
(5a & 5b.) Once you've got...
(5a & 5b.) Once you've got the batteries and memory card loaded up, the camera just slides into the housing like so.
5b.
5c. The rubber gasket keeps...
5c. The rubber gasket keeps things nice and waterproof.