Video is being used more and more to record and analyse the performance of the crew while training or racing.
A traditional handheld camera is not always the best way of recording the action though because using one or more helmet cams might be a better fit.
Advantage 1 – Keeping your hands free
When you’re operating all the equipment necessary to sail safely and effectively, your hands are quite preoccupied with all the tasks at hand. By attempting to fumble around with a conventional handheld video camcorder while also managing all of these additional tasks, you increase the risk that you’ll accidentally mess up a critical task because you’re handling two things at the same time. Using a helmet camera, you can still capture all the video you want of your exploits onboard, without the need to operate the camera by hand. Securely fitted to your head, the camera can keep rolling even as you focus on other prioritized necessities.
Advantage 2 – Getting that first person perspective
When filming your sailing experiences using a typical handheld camcorder, what you’re really getting is a third person view of what’s happening onboard. By switching over to a helmet camera, you’re instead reorienting the viewpoint so that the resulting video captures your first person perspective of events, versus a more distant viewpoint. That way, when you go back to watch your captured video later, you can relive the actual experience of sailing from your own perspective, providing you with a clear recollection of what you actually saw that day (albeit with a viewpoint a few inches higher than where your actual eyes sit).
Advantage 3 – Safety first and foremost
The main reason that people end up using helmet cams during more exhaustive and extreme sporting activities is improved safety. Helmet cams will continue to record video no matter what’s happening, so the people using them can actually even forget they’re there. By doing so, one’s mind isn’t focused on doing whatever sailing task is necessary while also focusing on what angle to shoot, what zoom button to press, etc. Clear focus is essential. Besides, with computerized editing programs readily available now, you can always edit out footage you don’t like later on instead of worrying about turning off the camera during the actual recording.
