May 02, 2007

PVGS80 Mini Digital Video Camcorder (courtesy, Panasonic)

Do you have a question of your own?

Well, most any compact video camera will “work,” so far as that goes. Sony’s DCR HC48 MiniDV camcorder ($500; sony.com) is compact (2.6 x 3 x 4.5 inches) and light (15 ounces) and has excellent video quality thanks in part to its superb Zeiss lens. Panasonic’s PVGS80 ($279; panasonic.com) offers similar dimensions and the same MiniDV tapes for recording, but without some of the bells and whistles of the Sony. Both offer image stabilization, which could come in quite handy on a bike.

The problem, it seems to me, is mounting it to your bike and getting any meaningful footage out of it. You can look around on the Internet and find examples of how people have rigged handlebar mounts, but you won’t find one commercially made (so far as I can tell). Then there’s the problem of video quality. For some reason I think you’re talking about a mountain bike, and even with front shocks and image stabilizing I don’t see anything coming out of this except hours of blurry tape.

As for carrying a camera in a small pack and pulling it out to record key stretches when your friends try them—well, of course, that would work just fine. And that’s mostly what you see on YouTube in all those taped cringe-inducing crash videos.

Or, re-think the solution. One possibility is the Digital Hero Camera ($140; goprocamera.com). It’s a compact 3-megapixel digital camera that straps to your wrist (or a handlebar). In that mode, it’s not too much bigger than a very fat watch. Then, to use it, you simply flip the camera up (it attaches to a hinged mount) and press the shutter button. It takes stills and fairly decent (but short) video. Are you going to want to shoot film while bouncing down the local singletrack? Well…probably not. But it’s a very handy thing to have, and it certainly eliminates the hassle of fishing a camera out of a pack.

The Gear Guy reports from 2007 Winter Outdoor Retailer, the bi-annual gearapalooza in Salt Lake City. Check out his top picks for gear to watch in 2007.

•	Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!
•	Give the gift of Outside Magazine!
•	Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.

RECENT QUESTIONS What set of walkie-talkies should I get for a three-month trip on Hawaii’s Big Island? Who makes the best three-season one-person condensation-free tent? What’s the best boot for a Denali summit? What’s the best altimeter for a winter ascent of Mount Rainier? What day pack should I use for winter adventures on the Gaspe Peninsula? Search the Gear Guy

GEAR GUY FEATURES Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy. Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let’s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it’s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear. The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.

MORE GEAR The Outside Gear Blog 2005 Buyer's Guide State of the Art: 2005 Bikes