First, let me share with you the cheapest website to buy video cameras (just the camera, not a recorder) Dealextreme.com. This is also a great place to buy lasers. Did I mention the free shipping part?

Now that I have a camera, I need a <cheap> recorder with a video input. I looked at cowan and other MP3 devices with video in, but they are all over $300. Any other deals out there. I know they exist.

 

I've read a bunch of reviews and such... and really, if you want to go cheap... get the whole package with "GoPro" (just google that bad boy). Since you've already purchased your camara... I've done some research myself... and I've not found any solid state recorder in the sub $300 range. If there is one out there... it avoided me and my searches. Good luck and I'd like to hear what you find if you do find something!

 

Thanks for looking! I appreciate that.

I saw the GoPro and it seems like a good deal. Maybe I should have gone with that?!?

 

I first saw the GoPro thing at my local cycle gear... the price was pretty tempting, but I wasn't sure about the quality. After doing some research online, pretty much everyone has great things to say about it, especially for the money! They say that the lack of an LCD screen to view your still pictures kinda sucks (though it does have an old-fashioned view-finder), and it can take decent, though not amazing still shots.... but they all agree that it does an outstanding job of taking good video and it's fairly rugged with a TON of mounting options, and with the 2gig memory card, it'll record up to 59 minutes. Not to shabby for a complete package for under $200.

Personally, I'm going to order the Motorsport GoPro. Though I think they all use the same camara, supposedly they claim better sound tuning and shock absorbtion from that particular package setup. Mainly, I like the suction cup thing that comes with it (The most expensive at $179). The Helmet Pro is what they have at the local shop by me ($169). Great deal, same camara, with many similar hookups, but also straps to connect it to a helmet in many different locations. Then there's the Hero 3 GoPro... which basically just comes with a wristband, by far the cheapest at around $139. I know I'll be getting one (or two!) when money comes my way again. They look goofy, I think, but the reviews are great and I'd like a cheap way to capture some of my rides and stuff. (As a note, the sound is never great on the things... okay, not great)

Oh, and only advice, there are 3 "current" GoPro models... all the ones I listed above. (Hero 3, Helmet Hero, Motorsport Hero) But... there are 2 OLDER GoPro camara's out there... make sure you don't accidently get one of them! There's one with 32 megs of onboard memory, no mention of a memory card slot... and another that uses 35mm film. The easy was, also, to notice them is the cheaper price tag of around $80 or less. Just keep an eye out! Good luck!

 

MotoComm makes the whole package and the camera can be mounted anywhere including your helmet..
http://www.cyclegadgets.com/products...sp?Item=MC-DSR

 

Nice, but I am hoping to find something cheaper than that. Also, they want to charge $99 for a 1GB SD card. I think that might be an indication that they are marking up thier prices a little too much.