After my Sphere camera quit – yes, it was only briefly resurrected – I needed something with portable battery power or multiple cameras. I was looking for a solution that would give me up to 5 hours of camera power so that I could do my walking videos in one day. First goal was to get another camera like my original Muvi knock off. I decided not to make the upgrade to HD at this time because almost all of the small “spy” type cameras that handle HD seem to have a fisheye lens. While I liked that about the Sphere, it had removable lenses. I can’t have a wide angle when I’m trying to cut out cars and people that I encounter during my city walks. So I’ve committed to another Muvi knock off. Amazon had it cataloged as the exact model that I already had. That was wrong. This has buttons, not switches. It is plastic, not metal and it seems to have a higher resolution. The image appears to match fairly well so I’m least concerned about the resolution.
The battery power for my first camera seems to last anywhere from 45-60 minutes. Another camera with the same duration is not going to get me my 4-5 hours. While my Brick o’ Power would work, I need this to be light something I can carry for the whole walk. I decided on an AA battery cylinder that has a USB out. The name brand seemed like the way to go and I was super excited to try it, but then I found a kit on Amazon; a portable HD camera by HDE with a cheap battery cylinder. I was game for testing both. I can carry several batteries and the spare camera in my pocket.
My test was on Dayton. The battery power worked great if only the new camera wasn’t so easy to bump on. I only captured one hour of footage before I ran into problems and in an attempt to salvage my project I even tried the HD camera. The problem with the HD camera is that it does not have a clip to fasten it to my armband. This meant that I was carrying it in my palm and couldn’t attach it to my leg or my forearm. I plan to build a bag for it that will thread through my armband. That footage is even a bust because it was impossible to tell if it was recording. You have to hold down the record button and make the light flash and that is the only way that you know that it is recording. I ended up going to a coffee shop to charge my cameras, but Dayton was basically a bust.
The second test was in Allentown. I made sure that all cameras were charged and powered off. I even double checked the new camera to make sure it didn’t get bumped. Everything was a success both cameras lasted long enough and the battery did its job charging the camera I used first. I was able to shoot the whole town in one day. I was also able to recreate this same result in Youngstown, despite being caught in the rain. I think I have my solution for making these pieces happen as quickly as possible.