Switch from White Light to NVG Recording on the Go!
Customers were asking for an NVG recording solution with long battery life with a simple on-button experience. Of course those existed cheaply with RunCams for cheap, but never had that long of a runtime without the addition of a battery pack. Once you have a battery pack, you’d better be using a GoPro or DJI and getting better footage. Now you’ve added quite a bit of weight and bulk. Congrats at the awesome footage you are getting with the NVGRA.
However, there was still a capability gap where a small simple camera could have a long runtime. My eyes were peeled and along came the RunCam Helmet Camera. What’s this? An articulating camera head! Nobody knows what you can do with that. I have no idea why RunCam made this camera, but this is what it clearly was meant for.
Record your daylight/white light footage. When you need to, put on your NVGs. When you are ready, grab your helmet camera head and turn it 90 degrees inward, clicking it into the NVGRA. When you’d like, freely transition between the two. Eight hours of recording with replaceable 18650 batteries. Haptic feedback lets you know it is recording. Wifi output for … retransmission in the near future? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So keep checking back between here and TOP instagram for news on this product. Field testers are trying out the prototypes now!
Camera Settings
To obtain usable footage from the RunCam Helmet Camera through NVGs, you need to change the two settings below. Start with stock settings.
- Change the exposure to -2.0
- Change to spot metering
Helmet Compatibility
ARC Rails
The RunCam Helmet Camera should ideally be mounted forward on your helmet near your temple. The HC Adapter kit has been shipping with a 1.5" extender for the ARC rail mount, which will mount well with most ARC rails. However, if your ARC rail stops above your ear, it may not allow the HC to be mounted foward enough to mate with the NVGRA. We are testing out an extra-long ARC adapter and will report back soon!
Picatinny Rails
The HC adapter kit has been shipping with a picatinny adapter for the HC. We’ll be releasing a Team Wendy 2.0 rail bit to prevent users from having to wait on TW to ship a $53 rail bit. Likewise, reach out if you have a rail mount you need produced for your helmet.
Other Mounts
As stated above, reach out if you need a solution to mounting the RunCam Helmet Camera (HC). We are open to designing and fabricating new solutions!
Prototype Feedback Request
In early February, test users got their hands on prototype variations of the Helmet Camera (HC) adapter. Below are key performance indicators (KPI) that are critical to the success of the HC adapter. If you are a tester, please reach out with your feedback to help the NVGRA-HC provide the best user experience!
KPI’s for the unit are:
- Can you mount the Helmet Camera in such a way to mate with the NVGRA’s HC adapter?
- To allow ARC rail usage, an extended ARC mount was designed to allow forward positioning.
- To allow picatinny rail usage, a picatinny rail mount was designed.
- Does the HC adapter allow transition between day and NVG recording?
- Does the HC adapter properly align to capture the nvg image?
- Does the NVGRA, HC adapter, & Helmet Camera fit your helmet when worn?
Thoughts:
- The transition between day & NVG recording should be seemless with minimal amount of learning by the operator.
- The optional use of the j-hook retention mechanism in combination with the magnetic locking mechanism adds steps to the camera adapter engagement, requiring some training on the operator’s part to learn to engage correctly.
- To not use the j-hook mechanism, one can install the HC adapter inverted, allowing the camera head to use only the magnetic lock.
- Using the j-hook mechanism allows the operator to pinch the j-hook to confirm proper seating without needing to look at the adapter.
- Precise positioning of the Helmet Camera is key to using the NVGRA-HC system.
- Adapter mounts have been designed to enable this.