We currently have been using a Contour VholdR. For xmas we got a 2011 Tachyon XC HD.
Operation seems easy enough, and we like the idea of waterproof, but have known it will kill some of the audio pick up.
So...
Any tricks on mounting it to a non smooth motorcycle helmet? I did make some mods to the Tachyon Helmet mount so it is almost the same as the VholdR Helmet mount (Velcro straps).
Also, since we don't plan to dive but still want it good enough for wet weather rides, any ideas for a weather proof external mic?
How about an audio recorder that is small, compact and weatherproof?
We have only shot test video, hope to have some stuff by next week.
I just got a Tachyon XC 2010 for Christmas and the video is pretty good, but yeah the audio sucks. I did notice however that if you unlatch the backing and use a rubber band to hold it closed leaving a small gap will provide significantly better audio recording. You just need to make sure you're not going to ride anywhere you may get dirt or water inside. I've been tinkering with how to fabricate a chest mount for this camera, since tachyon does not provide one. Heres a video I just made with my Tachyon XC
This is what I meant about rubber banding the backing.
I received a 2011 Tachyon XC HD camera for Christams. I wanted the cheaper XC model wihout the HD, but Tachyon has stopped making that model. They told me that it was because everyone now wants HD. Yeeps! Price was higher at $179 vs $139 bucks. I have not had my camera in use long enough to really evaluate it well, but here are a few things I have found so far: (not in any priority, but I'll highlight what bothered me the most, so far in my limited use of the camera.).
1. ***** The sound sucks and any touching of the camera body will immediately be noticed in the video clip. Even with the back door opened, the sound quality is still poor. I didn't think to rubber band the back door and the chronic clicking of the back latch assembly when my sidecar rig was in motion was very annoying in the sound to the clip. Tachyon rep and their website sort of blew off the sound problems by stating this is an action camera, so sound can be covered up by overdub of music audio clips. Bad move on their part, as GoPro and others, even flip, are of much better quality and this can lead to bad reviews for Tachyon in the future. There is a YouTube video clip of someone altering the body of the camera by drilling a small hole below the speaker. The camera inner parts are easy enough to remove and do this, but it would void any warranty and the water proofing of the camera body would not be intact after drilling the hole into the body. Still, a small bit of DAP to the hole when needing it to be fully waterproof again would be easy enough to do. One with skills could also put in a plug so that there could indeed be an external microphone added. I don't have the YouTube, but it is easy enough to look up Tachyon cameras and find it in the search there.
2. ***** The instruction manual is no longer in the pack when you receive it. It is online as a download. This was a problem for me, as my compuer was in the shop for repairs when I first got the camera. No telling what I could have mucked up in fiddling with the camera before I could really read the instruction manual. I was having trouble in getting the battery box to eject, due to me not knowing if I needed to push the red button downward or to the side. That isn't even discussed on the site. It may save them money in going paperless, but not everyone has easy access to a computer at all times.
3. ***** I didn't know if I really wanted to go with the top of the helmet mount or a side mount for my camera. I quickly used up the 1' section of 3M Dual Lock tape in attaching the mount to the top of my helmet. I don't like looking like a teletubby and later decided I liked the side mount better. I don't care for the goggle mount, but had used the last of the tape before I found what worked best for me. The price and quantity of the 3M Dual Lock tape is costly through Tachyon, so I did find that the 3M company does sell 10' trial bags for a better price. I'll be ordering through them to get more of the tape. http://www.shop3m.com/3m-dual-lock-r...xj8lmwwbn.html Tachyon only provides their replacement tape in 3' sections for $15.00 + shipping. This stuff is great, but I still add a fishline tie to the camera to ensure that if it ever did get popped off by accident, that I didn't lose the camera. Open the back door and put the fishline through there and then close the back door. Attach the line to somewhere on the helmet that will allow it to be secured. I lost a flip camera from a mount by not having it secured in the past. Cameras cost too much to lose and damage like this.
4. ********** Tachyon does not recommend Windows for their movie maker video editing program. My Dell computer Inspiron uses Windows. The rep didn't recommend any editing program to use, instead. This is mentioned on the instruction manual, but also does not say what to use, instead. That is a serious flaw in service, in my opinion. I don't have the iMovie of a MAC, so I am currently looking at other programs to replace the Windows one. Know of any, then let me know. I am cheap, so I was looking for a freeby download and not expecting to have to pay extra for an editing program just to work this one camera on my computer. Tachyon needs to do right on this flaw and get it corrected or such.
5. I like the remote and will likely purchase another in the future, as a back up. The drawback is that you have to put it in front of, or just slightly to the side of the camera to make it work correctly. I didn't want any shots of my hand with the remote working in my films. No problem so far.
6. I have to adjust and look for the LED light in my mirror, as it is on the front of the camera. If the camera is in the teletubby location, I could see this being a problem at times, but nothing major. Buttons are intentionally hard to press down, but easy enough to train your fingers for what to look for in pushing them. The remote works well for this sort of thing.
7. I really like the paintball clear covers that come with the camera. I don't really need them, but I keep one on the camera, anyway.
8. The 3M company has black and clear Dual Lock tape at their website. Once properly stuck together, this tape is really secure. The key is to always ensure you did indeed stick it down properly. Shoe goo can always be used if you think the adherance side to your helmet may need some help, but I found that allowing the tape to remain in place, as per the manufacturer's instructions makes for a wonderful result. 72 hours and that tape is not going to come off.
9. I like the weight of this camera. Once you play about with it for any time, there are actually some really nice features there. I am not a scuba person, so the importance of being water tight just to dive or such is no problem for me. I may well do the conversion to improve the sound, once my warranty is out, but I don't know. This will work on a Tachyon Micro unit, as well, and they are only about $99 bucks or so. Very reasonable. I did take a piece of soft foam from some packing that I had. I believe it was for a speaker or microphone in the past, but not for sure. Radio Shack likely has some. I cut it to the side and outline of the back of the camera. I opened up the rear door and then put on this foam and used a rubberband to hold it in place. I thought it may help reduce any wind noise, but I was foiled when I used this, as I forgot to use a rubberband, as shown in your picture, to hold the back latch down securely. The residual clacking was like listening to a train going down some tracks. Clackity, clackity, clack. Haven't tried this idea since, but it was a way to allow in sound and still keep out any dust at the same time. I'll have to give it a shot again in the future.
This may sound like a bad review of the 2011 Tachyon XCHD camera, but it is not. All cameras have pros and cons to them. This is a very good unit. I have not had enough time in using it to become very familiar, but the above were just some things that I found from day one in opening up the box and then using the camera. At a later date I may be able to add or subtract from my inisital evaluations a bit, but this was just a quick review of what I found, liked and disliked for the moment.
I ride a motorcycle with a sidecar, mostly. My dogs are the only ones riding with me for the most part. The top teletubby mount didn't allow me to focus on them as I roade. I'll have to purchase the movable mount from Tachyon or look for a different placement. I shot some video on day one that was inside my house. The lighting was no the best quality on those videos. Not sure if it was the camera or something else at the time, such as my inexperience with the camera on day one. Never hold the camera and shoot video, as everything or every movement of your hand will be picked up and amplified by the microphone and it is very distracting. The doors to the rooms looked like they were filmed with a fisheye lense, as they were round and distorted in the video clips at times. Outside was overcast on the first day. My dogs sort of looked a bit cartoonish in the clips, but I am not sure if I was doing everything right in how I filmed things, as I had no instructions at that time. :-(
I did purchase an SD card reader at OfficeMax for about $14 bucks. This allows me to download the movies into my computer and not drain the batteries in the process. I'd recommend this to anyone, as the Lithium batteries are not cheap to replace.
I know this is lengthy, so I'll just say there are nice features to owning this camera. There are certainly things that could use improvement, as well. Sound and video editor were the main negatives for me, so far. HD is nice, but I would have been just as satisfied for my needs with the original 2010 XC camera, instead. The price of the Micro and the original XC were in the right ballpark for me, and the XCHD is nice, but pricey. Hope this info helps. It is just my take on it, so feel free to disagree or to have a different opinion.
Not sure if this downloads ok for this board, but this was the video clip I mentioned for modifying the camera for better sound. Again, it would void a warranty and would make the camera not waterproof. If that is not an issue for you, then this may be a helpful mod to make to improve sound quality a bit. I really think Tachyon needs to address this sound issue in a better manner or GoPro, flip and others will hold a better market in the future. I know it is an action camera, but part of the action is always hearing the accompanying sounds, too. Motorcycleists love to hear the sounds of their bikes as they ride, and I am pretty sure cyclists love to hear the sound of nature and wheels peddling and such, as well.
Not sure if this downloads ok for this board, but this was the video clip I mentioned for modifying the camera for better sound. Again, it would void a warranty and would make the camera not waterproof. If that is not an issue for you, then this may be a helpful mod to make to improve sound quality a bit. I really think Tachyon needs to address this sound issue in a better manner or GoPro, flip and others will hold a better market in the future. I know it is an action camera, but part of the action is always hearing the accompanying sounds, too. Motorcycleists love to hear the sounds of their bikes as they ride, and I am pretty sure cyclists love to hear the sound of nature and wheels peddling and such, as well.
Yeah the sound on my unit sounds worse than most of the videos I've seen of the tachyon. There is a horribly loud hiss and loud popping. The video is great when married with some music, but sometimes you want to hear the original audio. I emailed back and forth with Tachyon and they replied same as they did with you saying since it was enclosed in a sealed case the sound would not be that clear, and they recommend just adding music to your videos. I told him my particular unit sounded much worse than normal, and I sent him a sample video. Again he replied saying it didn't sound much worse than what a Tachyon XC's audio normally sounds. I replied saying it appeared they didn't care about satisfying their customers and that if they didn't do something to fix my problem they would never get my business again. They replied with return info saying "We will gladly look at your defective camera" which almost sounded sarcastic to me. I'm still not sure whether I will ship it to them because I feel like they're just gonna send it right back saying the same thing. Like I said before the video is great, but the audio is disappointing enough to divert any future Helmet cam purchases towards different manufacturers i.e. (GoPro, Contour).
Yeah the sound on my unit sounds worse than most of the videos I've seen of the tachyon. There is a horribly loud hiss and loud popping. The video is great when married with some music, but sometimes you want to hear the original audio. I emailed back and forth with Tachyon and they replied same as they did with you saying since it was enclosed in a sealed case the sound would not be that clear, and they recommend just adding music to your videos. I told him my particular unit sounded much worse than normal, and I sent him a sample video. Again he replied saying it didn't sound much worse than what a Tachyon XC's audio normally sounds. I replied saying it appeared they didn't care about satisfying their customers and that if they didn't do something to fix my problem they would never get my business again. They replied with return info saying "We will gladly look at your defective camera" which almost sounded sarcastic to me. I'm still not sure whether I will ship it to them because I feel like they're just gonna send it right back saying the same thing. Like I said before the video is great, but the audio is disappointing enough to divert any future Helmet cam purchases towards different manufacturers i.e. (GoPro, Contour).
Here's my video using original audio.
If you read their return policy, I believe the customer is on the hook for the shipping to them, but they pay out on shipping back to the consumer. I may have that wrong, but it is on their website to verify. Although all of their YouTube videos are designed to be professionally done for sales, I suspect, they really don't highlight anything about sound. Since there are no real Tachyon customer message boards I have been able to locate, it is sort of an issue that the consumer does not know about until after thay have made a purchase. Not good, by any means. To me, the company should aggressively attack this issue and resolve it before others actually start reviewng and decide against the Tachyon and opt for other brands. The camera is made in China, so I am wondering if that is the root cause of not addressing this issue. The factory is in Lewisville, TX. I live close enough to visit the factory, but they never addressed my question about coming over to see their operation. Mind you, the rep was nice enough when I spoke via email to him, but I just don't think the sound issue or the video editing issue for the XP computers is really thought out well by them. I got the feeling it was sort of a diversion or "speak to something else so the customer forgets the original issue" approach in sales at the time. I am not overly impressed with that sort of thing.
I am not to the point of not likeing the camera, but I am to the point of saying the camera does have some cons attached to it from the get go. For me, that hole mod posted at YouTube is something I am enticed to at least do, but enticed does not mean I'll do it at this point; just considering my options.
What editing program are you using? Is your computer a Windows operated computer or a MAC product?
The snapping, popping, flutter sounds like a problem with the actual recorder of the camera. I also hear brakes squeeling in places, but also a heavy breathing pattern and an occassional tap where the camera body must have been touched in some manner to transfer that sound and resonate or amplify it. I don't think this flutter, popping or snapping is due to any editing, but is all camera recording problems on an internal basis. Like say, the sound is a definite issue on the Tachyon cameras. I was trying to give an unbiased review of what I had found from day one with my camera. I was no ttrying to be slanted or negative, but I have had other cameras that allowed me to at least have some sort of ability to determine for myself it this was a relaistic issue or just a concern or isolated issue. I am hoping to get some videos in the works before long, but have some other pressing matters that put this at a lower priority at the moment. I'll do more personal evaluation in trying to learn and decide more about the pros and cons in the future. If one really likes the quality of the picture, then maybe sound is indeed no real issue for them. Me, I can obtain a better sound quality on other brands that are of less price. I am hoping the pros outweigh the cons on this camera, as it was a pricy investment, even though a Christmas gift for me. I had done a lot of research on the camera, but most was slanted, as the input was from watching the videos on YouTube and such, which are mostly from the factory and not from users, at this point. I am sort of stuck with the camera at this point, so I want to make the most of it and hopefully the actual issues can be resolved in some manner. Good luck if you return the camera. I am hoping their service is top knotch, despite their sales department needing some better PR in dealing with actual issues that may impact their sales and reputation. Reputation is earned and word of mouth is something that can indeed impact sales. I am hoping they step up to the plate and address this issue in a positive manner. Hopefully you will experience good service if you choose to send them your camera to repair.
If you read their return policy, I believe the customer is on the hook for the shipping to them, but they pay out on shipping back to the consumer. I may have that wrong, but it is on their website to verify. Although all of their YouTube videos are designed to be professionally done for sales, I suspect, they really don't highlight anything about sound. Since there are no real Tachyon customer message boards I have been able to locate, it is sort of an issue that the consumer does not know about until after thay have made a purchase. Not good, by any means. To me, the company should aggressively attack this issue and resolve it before others actually start reviewng and decide against the Tachyon and opt for other brands. The camera is made in China, so I am wondering if that is the root cause of not addressing this issue. The factory is in Lewisville, TX. I live close enough to visit the factory, but they never addressed my question about coming over to see their operation. Mind you, the rep was nice enough when I spoke via email to him, but I just don't think the sound issue or the video editing issue for the XP computers is really thought out well by them. I got the feeling it was sort of a diversion or "speak to something else so the customer forgets the original issue" approach in sales at the time. I am not overly impressed with that sort of thing.
I am not to the point of not likeing the camera, but I am to the point of saying the camera does have some cons attached to it from the get go. For me, that hole mod posted at YouTube is something I am enticed to at least do, but enticed does not mean I'll do it at this point; just considering my options.
What editing program are you using? Is your computer a Windows operated computer or a MAC product?
I have Windows 7 on my Laptop, and I use Windows Live Movie Maker for my video editing.
Yeah, im gonna send it back and see what happens. I still feel like their just gonna send it back and say theirs nothing wrong with it, but what the hell doesn't hurt to try. If they do end up repairing my camera or sending me a replacement I will be a customer again, and I will recommend them to all my riding buddies. If I get my camera back with no resolution I'm still going to enjoy my camera without sound, but will look at a different manufacturer when I decide to go to HD.
Let me know what they do for you. I am certainly hoping they are good to their customer base. If sound is not really and issue, and one can overdub with music and be happy with that, then that issue is not all that important. If sound is really important, then it is an issue that can be a real deal breaker in purchasing the Tachyon instead of another like product, elsewhere.
I am actually happy with this camera so far, but I am seriously looking at that mod to the camera base for a future time when the warranty is gone (90 day warranty). I have downloaded some various editing tools and I will eventually get around to trying them out to see if they work any better than Windows does. Unfortunately for me, my computer had just been serviced for virus removal and such when I got the camera. The guys I used didn't seem to be very good, but I didn't find that out until I had already had them do the service. I have spent a good amount of time in just hunting for files and such, so no telling what they may have screwed up on my computer. That could be something that impacts the editing tool on my Windows video editor, but I don't know.
All and all, I am still happy with this camera at present. I plan to keep evaulating it further. I really wish they had still made the 2010 XC units and that I had not had to go to the 2011XCHD camera just yet. There are actually no message boards or discussion boards which have reviewed this year's XCHD model camera to weigh out the pros and cons prior to plinking down the significant amount of cash. I am still entetrtining the idea of also picking up a Micro unit to keep onhand, as well. I am not turned off by Tachyon at this point, but I do believe that if it were my company to run, then I'd listed to my customer base and react immediately to any perceived problems with a product I was selling. The sound issue is really something they should address in a more positive manner and not simply wave it off as excusing it because the camers is an action camera.
I have the Windows Movie Maker on my computer. I will have to look and see if it works well or not, but I also need to review the other video eiditor programs I have since downloaded. Just got to work it all into my schedule, so I'll likely post future reports if I find any other pros and cons to contend with. I am hoping to see more personal film clips posted on YouTube from folk who have used the 2011 XCHD cameras from Tachyon, and not just the Tachyon film clips they use to sell the products. The one that says the camera was used by the Navy Seals really sort of swung me towards this camera, but that was a video posted by Tachyon and not really an endorsment by the Seals.
Let me know what results you have with the company. I suspect there is indeed an internal problem with your unit, based on what I heard on your clip. Be interesting to see if I am correct or not.
One poblem I always hated on my old flip camera was that they continuously changed the online downloading program with upgrades. Once I had learned just how to deal with the program, they would automatically add new bells and jangles that I didn't want. I liked the original simplicity and not a bunch of new and improved quirks to contend with. I am hoping the Tachyon does not do that sort of thing and serves me well for quite some time.
We used our camera over New Years on some of our rides.
So far, these are some things that we have found.
As mentioned, on account of the unit being watertight to 100' it is sealed pretty tightly and does not pick up voice or lesser volume sounds.
The unit records in .MOV format. Many earlier units record in a .AVI format. When I spoke to Tachyon, the rep recommended a free conversion program called Aura. I downloaded it, but have not really used it yet.
In regards to the sound quality, I asked about the idea of running a digital voice recorder while filming. The rep said this could be done and have the sound placed in as if it were music.
We also have a VholdR, the camera prior to the Contour HD series. Not being waterproof was always a concern for us, as often we may get caught in the rain. The sound quality on the VholdR is decent at slow speeds or when not moving. Even while riding an xc trail at 15 mph, the wind noise is loud, at times sounding like a jet engine. So for us, we have two extremes of sound quality. Possibly the DVR will find the middle ground. In shopping I have found many DVR's around $25. Thinking this may be able to mount in a Camelback or frame mount with a foam cushion and some velcro straps.
From what I have found posted about other cameras is that the more waterproof, the lower the sound quality.
The card reader tip is a good one. From experience with the VholdR, I initially would do the downloads via the camera, which would also charge the battery. I found though that the downloads were beyond slow. So now even with the VholdR, I have used the card reader for years.
Truth be told, I'm not disappointed with the camera. So far my dealing with customer support were very good.
Other things mentioned, the distortion, is as I understand it related to the lens angle. The xchd has a 120 degree angle, our VholdR is 90, and the GoPro is much wider.
In regards to the editing in XP, the rep and I talked about this a bit. He mentioned that most folks do not have XP on computers with a lot of video memory or ram and this causes problems. He did mention that an XP machine with ample memory should be able to work for editing. Have not tried it yet but will.
Here are just a few ideas to reduce wind noise, should you ever decide to drill a hole in the bottom of the camera body. The ear buds would mean you would not be able to place on one of the clear plastic paint ball caps that comes with the Tachyon XCHD camera, unless you actually put on the clear plastic cover and drilled the hole into both the camera base and the cover itself. The ear bud could then be applied directly onto the clear cover instead of the camera. These were just some of the video clips at YouTube, and there may even be additional ideas there to experiment with, as well. The redneck video is zanny in content, but may work on a cheapie fix for some other cameras.
I am interested in the XP with ample memory idea. Let me know what you find in that. I have a program called Any Video Converter, which was a freeby download, and can change the format to avi or such. The Aura program may be helpful, but I have not downloaded that one. The digital voice recorder is an idea, but sort of sad to have to get the extra stuff to defeat the sound issue, instead of something done by the factory, instead. (if the camera was a real cheapie product, I could understand the company not being more involved, but the XCHD is not in that grade of camera, in my opinion).
Thanks for the info. Some of the info from YouTube clips may relate more to other makes of cameras than the Tachyon, but are just for ideas that are simplistic enough for anyone to do at home to reduce wind noise. I believe I could likely take a small 1" piece of dual stick tape, remove the adhesive cover on one side by only about 1/4", and then stick the tape to the very front of the camera so that it hangs down and just in front of the hole that was drilled out. This would act as a buffer to the microphone and would be easily removed at any time. Have not tried such, as I have not yet decided to drill any hole or not in the camera base. (Hope my explanation of this dual tape idea for a wind buffer maked sense).
The rep only told me that Windows was a 10 year old operating system, so that didn't really explain much as to why it was not recommended by Tachyon as a video editor.
I too am impressed with the basics of this camera, so far. I am hoping that everyone has a good experience with the service department there, as I hope I would too if I ever need to use them for any reason. Like say, I have not used my camera enough to give a real informed review of everything and all climate conditions during its use. Glad to see some other reports besides mine, as it all adds to the overall view of the camera and the pros and cons with it.
Well, I have had my camera since Christmas, now. Unfortuantely, I have had multiple problems with the quality of the video obtained by it, and certain glitches that the camera seems prone to have. At this point, I'll likely retire this camera to the back of my closet and let it remain there until the springtime. The video pictures are very, very dark and my old flip camera, which does not have any camera stabilization to it, is still better quality than what I have experienced with the XCHD model by Tachyon, to date. If you have and use Windows XP, this is not a good investment for you, I believe. Here are just some of the isuses that I have encountered (Remember, I am only addressing the new 2011 XCHD model and not the Micro or even the 2010 XC models):
1. Sound absolutely sucks big time, even with the modification of a hole drilled into the camera case. An added microphone jack and an outside microphone is likely the only real option as a permenant fix. The company knows this and sort of poo poos the sound as something that an action camera is not expected to have. Total BS and a bad PR decision on their part in my opinion. :-(
2. I added Scotch double stick tape and then some foam to the outside of the camera. This was done to see if it helped to reduce the noise transfer that is common with the case body of the Tachyon camera. I can't say that it helped much, and the component material the camera body is made of is likely the actual culprit. Noise distortion and outside transfer of noise makes this action camera rate as less than wonderful. Even adding the foam meant you had to change it in order to swap out to the side or goggle mount for the camera, as he foam would interfere with the mount slots.
3. ***** I don't care what the company rep says to anyone to negate this issue, most people do have Windows and they should have worked on making sure their rproduct worked well with that system, too. The use of this camera with Windows XP is a real problem. The darkness of the video is something Tachyon can't provide a resolution to, which makes me wonder how much doctoring up of their own promotion videos happened in order to make them appear as good as they are filmed, I have been told that the darkness of the video is from the camera not adjusting properly to the light source, and that a secondary light source is likely the only answer. Even in bright sunlight, much of the video is very, very dark. The rep suggested using a higher class 10 video card, but I am not sure that is the correct answer in the least. I purchased and used their own suggested class 6 SDHC cards. All of my other cameras beat this costly Tachyon model hands down in quality of video and sound. At this point, I am still trying to talk myself out of not recommending it to anyone as a good helmet cam or video camera. I am not quite there though, as I still have some other things I will try out, first. It is indeed frustrating at this point.
4. The rep is nice and tries to be helpful, but I am just not so sure Tachyon support can resolve issues very well.
5. ***** The online download site is not very good in explaining or answering all questions. It is also poor as to printing off the pdf file. I used a brand new ink cartridge in printing off the pages of the pdf. It sucked my ink cartridge dry in one setting. The rep says they are woring on this. The menu is not fully explained, nor is the settings for Superior on the new XCHD camera. The superior mode is seat at the factory, but not mentioned in the PDF owner's manual. The menue is basically only used to shift from camera mode to video mode on this new model of Tachyon cameras, but is not explained in manual. I'd like a paper instruction manual, but that is just not going to happen. This is poor in my opinion, as to support for this camera.
6. I really like the remote control function, but would like it better if the LED light were on the side or rear of the camera. I have to keep stretching my neck in front of the camera in order to see if I actually turned the camera off or on with the remote. The remote works well to the front of the camera, but becomes far less functional when trying to use it from the side or rear. Still, I really like having it on hand as an option.
I really expected this helmet cam to work well, right out of the box. At this point, my frustrations with it are enough that I am going to put it aside for a while and use my other cameras, instead. So far, I have found more cons than positives about this camera. Most are of a tech nature and not really about the mounting or the weight or such. It would be nice to see future Tachyon cameras made with the lense on the side and not the front, in order to make the camera thinner. A microphone jack would be nice on the camera, too.
7. The watertight seal can be made again by plugging the modified hole with a small cork or even a small rubber stopper, should you have done the drilling of the camera body. A piece of speaker foam or even an ear bud can cover this hole to ensure wind noise is limited if the mod is done. I also drilled a hole into one of the supplied clear lense paint ball covers. Sound absolutely sucks to this camera, regardless. This is an issue that Tachyon should take to heart in improving their camera in the future.
8. Finally, there was a significant amount of money spent on the purchase of this camera. The expectations were great, but so far the results have not met the expectations. I still want to be able to recommend this camera to others in the future, but based on my experiences so far, I am not able to do that, at present. I am still working to resolve the issues I have, but I find it frustrating to have to contend with such, right out of the box. I sincerely hope I can find some solutions and enjoy this camera to the fullest. At present I am just wondering it the GoPro would have been the better route to have gone, instead. Every camera had pros and cons to them, so maybe I can find a solution and begin to see more pros than cons on the new Tachyon XCHD helmet cam. I sure hope so.
If they attach, here are some pics. I made a couple of homemade DIY mounts for the camera. The boom mount works well and is able to be extended. Not sure it would work on a mountain bike though.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by coupe1942
