Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro Review
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Category: Electronics
Brand: Tachyon XC
Model: 2011 Tachyon XC Micro
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Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro Review
Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro Review by Wayne A. Schwegel (Cincinnati/Lawrenceburg)
I purchased TWO Tachyon XC HD video cameras -- apparently Amazon has quit selling the XC HD, but the housing design of the XC is nearly identical -- I just wanted the HD resolution.
All in all, the video is quite good (not 1080, but 720 in the HD XC) even in low light. I'm very pleased with the video resolution and color quality. There is some washout in extremely bright lighting conditions, but you get that with any video camera at this price that does not have compensatory controls or settings. THAT IS WHY I GAVE THE CAMERA FOUR STARS.
The audio quality, however, is an entirely different issue.
The camera, as is, has TERRIBLE audio pick-up. Let me repeat, the camera, out of the box, has terrible audio pick up !! If you stand directly in front of the camera and speak loudly (well above normal conversational tones) toward the camera at a distance no more than than 6 feet, the camera does pickup the voice, but it is very muffled. If you speak in normal tones, you may hear a voice, but you usually cannot make out what is being said.
This is because the microphone, about 3/32" diameter, is located INSIDE the camera housing about 3/4" from the front of the camera housing and on the BOTTOM of the camera unit. Why Tachyon has not addressed this problem, I can't figure out, as a small external waterproof mic is easy to incorporate into the design.
If you look at the bottom of the camera, you will see a small circle in the plastic just to the rear of the front (lens) of the camera -- the microphone located is just above this circle.
Now there is a possible solution to this problem if you are not concerned about making the camera NON-waterproof.
That is why I bought 2 (TWO) Tachyon XC HD cameras -- one for sound (not waterproof), one without sound (waterproof).
What, you ask? Let me explain, but first, WARNING ** WARNING ** WARNING !!!!!
Any mod you make to the camera WILL probably void the warranty, AND you must follow these instructions exactly.
***THIS MOD WILL RENDER THE CAMERA NON-WATERPROOF*** That is why I bought 2 cameras -- one waterproof and one not.
THERE IS A YOU TUBE VIDEO OF THIS MOD.
1.) First open the back of the camera.
2.) Remove the battery container and any video card.
3.) Remove the very tiny screw at the top of the back panel with a small jewler's phillips srewdriver. (DO NOT LOSE
THE SCREW!!!)
4.) Turn the camera upside down and pull the camera unit out of the housing CAREFULLY, as there is a a metal tab
that will fall off the camera (pay close attention to where it is located so you can put it back in place when
you re-insert the camera assembly into the housing). YOU MUST REMOVE THE CAMERA ASSEMBLY BEFORE YOU CONTINUE!!!
5.) Once you have removed the camera assembly, Locate the small circular indentation on the bottom of the camera
about 3/4" from the front and use the point of a very sharp knife, the point of a nail or an awl to make a small
hole in the center of that circle. That small hole will keep your drill bit from moving or "walking" when you
begin to drill your hole through the housing.
IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE YOURSELF CAPABLE OF DOING THIS MOD CAREFULLY, STOP NOW -- ONCE YOU DRILL THROUGH THE HOUSING, THERE IS NO GOING BACK AND THE CAMERA IS NO LONGER WATERPROOF!!!!!!!.
6.) Use a 1/4" drill bit in a hand or electric drill to drill A HOLE, VERY CAREFULLY, through the circular
indentation on the bottom of the camera HOUSING at the front -- DO THIS CAREFULLY AND REMOVE ALL PLASTIC
SHAVINGS.
7.) VERY CARFULLY, glue (use rubber cement) the center of a foam earbud cover over the hole you've just drilled
this will reduce wind noise). Make this cover about 1/16" larger than the hole on all sides. The rubber cement
will allow you to remove and replace this foam as is necessary. YOUR CAMERA IS NO LONGER WATER PROOF, BUT THE
SOUND DIFFERENCE IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! 200% BETTER!!!!
8.) Reverse the disassembly procedure to reinsert the camera unit back into the housing -- don't forget the screw!
SO YOU MUST DECIDE IF YOU WANT BETTER SOUND AND RENDER THE CAMERA NON-WATERPROOF OR KEEP THE CAMERA AS IS ANS GET USED TO THE POOR SOUND QUALITY. GOOD LUCK!
THERE IS A YOU TUBE VIDEO OF THIS MOD.
Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro Review by AZYogi
I got this as a birthday present for my father. He is an avid mountain bike rider and I was very excited about this gift. I bought it "new", but it was broken from the moment we opened the box. He tried it out and it would shut itself off every 30 seconds or so. Make sure you check the on/off switch.
However, when he returned it the company gave him an HD upgrade for free and really redeemed themselves. It works really well and he is like a kid filming himself all over the place. I've already gotten several videos of him riding out on the trails.
Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro Review by Barry Lochridge (Dillon, MT)
This camera is one of those "where have you been all my life" items! I purchased a Panasonic SDR-H85K Std-Def Camcorder with 78X Zoom & 80GB HDD at the same time. The camcorder video quality in comparison with this Tachyon XC Micro is not even in the same world! The Tachyon is by far the better picture. I would have thrown all digital video devices to the dogs if it had not been for the video quality that I got with this helmet cam. I even filmed in a swimming pool at speeds. The picture quality even in these situations with fairly low light was very good, and once again compared with the panasonic was a universe better. As many of the reviewers have noted, the greatest downfall of this helmet cam is the sound quality. With the back closed for dust, dirt, waterproofing, etc. you basically lose all sound and mostly have a silent video. This might actually be great for dubbing sound recorded on a separate device later in editing. Then with the back open, the sound is there and not terrible unless there is wind or the mic gain is exceeded, and then sound breaks down to static. Tachyon should would have an unbeatable system if they worked this out! Also, the mounting could be better, but then who is ever going to be happy when there are so many needs and a company can't meet them all. A more universal mount would be nice though. Now, with all that, I can't say how happy I am with this camera and especially for the price. The battery thing is a little expensive also, and one has to be careful not to inadvertently turn the camera on and run the batteries down. They are quite expensive, and only last a couple hours. Much less in the cold. A good lithium rechargeable would also be a great addition to this great system, but then one wonders how expensive that would end up in the long run! My conclusion. I don't think there is a better camera of this type out there. If it had a zoom, I wouldn't even try to replace the Panasonic I promptly returned, I would just use this for the family cam as well! You will not regret this for the price and it's purpose, and I'm thinking I may actually get another on and use it as a security camera!
More Reviews...
2011 Tachyon XC Micro Helmet Camera:: Technical Details
- Patented and Shock-Proof Design prevents loss of video
- High-dynamic sensor and 90-degree wide-angle lens
- 4-hour battery life with two Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA batteries (not included)
- Uses from 4 to 32GB MicroSDHC memory cards. Class 6 or higher required.
- One-button operation: Easy to use, worry-free operation
- Item Dimensions: 4 x 1 x 2 inches; 0 pounds
- Brand: Tachyon XC
- Model: 2011 Tachyon XC Micro
- Product Type: Electronics
Tachyon XC 2011 Tachyon XC Micro:
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