Let's face it, point of view cameras are not cheap. Also action cameras, and first person cameras usually cost more than your already expensive smartphone. Well, what if we told you that you could take the smartphone that you utilize everyday, and turn it into a point of view camera. That's right, your smartphone already has an HD camera on it, doesn't it? Light bulb going off in your head yet? It sure did in ours! So we built a cheap point of view action camera that uses your own smartphone. Around here, we call it the Velocity Clip and it allows you to mount your phone to helmets, bikes, your chest, and even your head. This system costs about $40 as opposed to $200-300 you're going to need to fork out for a conventional action camera.
Cheap Point of View Camera Capabilities
Let's not get the word cheap mixed up with low quality. Think about all the capabilities your smartphone has that an ordinary point of view camera or GoPro® doesn't:
- Display screen - first of all, your smartphone has a display screen that allows you to preview and even view your video in real time. GoPro® cameras don't have this. You literally have to find a desktop computer to retrieve your videos which could take weeks if you're on a backpacking trip. What if you didn't get the money shot that you wanted? Forget it, you need a display screen!
- Internet connection - Extremely important feature for many reasons. Don't you want to upload your videos to Facebook, YouTube, and instagram so your friends can see your activities right away and not weeks later? You can even tag yourself at the locations using GPS. With an internet connection, you are able to live stream your feed to thousands of people using cool apps like U-Stream. An internet connection isn't a must, but it sure as heck is a huge plus.
- Applications - This is a no brainer. Taking advantage of all the cool applications on your phone will allow you to edit, add effects, and image stabilization to your videos. You are probably well aware that doing this with any other point of view camera is impossible.
- Customization - With your smartphone, you can choose to put whichever decorative or protective case you wish. Also you can attach wide angle or fish eye lenses to enhance the picture. If you try that with other POV cameras, you'll find that you're stuck with what comes out of the box.
- High Definition Dual Camera - Most smartphones are equipped with a front camera, and a rear camera so the user can take pictures of themselves while being able to see the preview instantly. This works great if you want to use a pole mount for the Velocity Clip, check out this snowboard video where this user utilizes the dual camera option:
Comparisons
So we can see that your smartphone can easily match up to the capabilities and even surpass that of expensive action cameras on the market. Let's take a look at the price of these cameras from a random Google search: $399.00, $299.00 $249.00, $199.00 and even some as low as $89.99. However, even the lower end and cheaper cameras still can't match up to the capabilities of your smartphone. Also, if you're trying to save money and buy a less expensive unit, you'll still be stuck with an extra piece of equipment. Whereas, if you chose to use your smartphone in the Velocity Clip for only $40, you don't need to carry around an extra piece of equipment. One last thing about the Velocity Clip is that if you decide you want to upgrade your smartphone, no worries because the clip is totally universal for all smartphones. So now you don't have to keep upgrading your systems to get the same or better results.
