2010 Tachyon XC vs GoPro

[Peter_MA]

I'm in the market for a compact bike mountable camera like the GoPro Hero or Tachyon XC and I'm a little confused about the viewing angle. GoPro offers a 170 degree wide angle and a 54 degree standard lens. I'm wondering if the 170 is too extreme and will look too distorted. The Tachyon XC looks like a winner at 90 degrees and the fact that it uses AA vs. AAA batteries for a longer run time.

Anyone shed any light on a comparison? I've searched and read the posts here and a number of other motosports sites but haven't seen a whole lot of info in the Tachyon

Clicky for GoPro site

and go here for Tachyon

And no, I'm not interested in Tachyons "3D" offering.

Thanks in advance....

 

[djon]

Here is a comparison for Jan 09, so it's a little old. It has the Tachyon as FOV listed as 50° which is for the old one that has sold out best I can tell. Apparently all new ones will be 90°.

https://www.helmetcamreview.com/4camShootout.htm

HTH

 

[dustyrains]

I'm in the market for a compact bike mountable camera like the GoPro Hero or Tachyon XC and I'm a little confused about the viewing angle. GoPro offers a 170 degree wide angle and a 54 degree standard lens. I'm wondering if the 170 is too extreme and will look too distorted. The Tachyon XC looks like a winner at 90 degrees and the fact that it uses AA vs. AAA batteries for a longer run time.
Anyone shed any light on a comparison? I've searched and read the posts here and a number of other motosports sites but haven't seen a whole lot of info in the Tachyon

Clicky for GoPro site

and go here for Tachyon

And no, I'm not interested in Tachyons "3D" offering.

Thanks in advance....

You can see a lot of recent road footage in the central Oregon high desert I took with the Hero Wide at https://www.youtube.com/roadking82. Yes, there is some fish eye distortion at the sides of the frame. You might want to wait for GoPro's next offering, an HD model that will allow a 127 degree FOV at one of the settings. And, it has a lot of other improvements, such as being able power the camera from your bikes electrical system. These HERO cameras eat batteries, even the expensive disposable lithium ion AAA's. I missed some very good stuff because my batteries were dead and I didn't know it. Also, look here https://pointofviewcameras.com/vio-pov-1-5-megapack.html

 

[Peter_MA]

Thanks for the review link and the real world footage. The vids make me want to say f*&k work and jump on the bike.

I'm still torn and will have to sort it out. the 2010 Tachyon XC now has a 90degree FOV as well as a power pack to replace the battery pack that can be plugged into the wall or 12v which is huge. It includes a small battery that can power the camera stand-alone for 20 minutes. You could still pop in the AA's for true portability.

The GoPro HD also has an option for what appears to be a USB charger, both wall and 12v that charges the Lithium-Ion battery so you can also connect it direct.

The Tachyon is a lot cheaper, but I like the GoPro choice of mounts.

 

[wfooshee]

Keep in mind that an extremely wide field of view will increase the apparent distance of subjects in the picture. About the same result as taking airshow pictures with your cell phone: Big picture of the sky, with 10 or 12 gray pixels in the center that is your subject. In video you'd get a whole lot of edge action with the distortion curving in as the camera moves through the world. Really annoying, maybe even make you queasy to watch.