A reader writes….
I recently fitted my phone (Samsung S4) to the footplate in my single, with a USB webcam connected via an OTG (On the go) cable mounted
Scullers Mirror for rowing and coxing
on the bows. The intention was to eliminate the requirement to look round, as I don’t find that as easy as I used to. (I know that one can use head mounted mirrors or yoga as possible solutions, but thought I’d give this a go. There are also wireless cameras available, which will connect to an Android phone, but those are relatively expensive)
I downloaded some software called Camerafi, which was terrible, because it was full of adverts which made it impossible to see the screen.
I then tried OTG View, which worked enough to prove the concept, but seemed unstable (it kept switching off, or taking multiple shots, filling up the memory) …I can keep the boat level so it wasn’t that type of stability I needed :-)).
Has anyone else tried this approach, and if so, what software was used?
My next experiment will be to try to get an iPad to work in the same way, as the phone picture was a bit on the small side.
Rowperfect replies
We would love to get a good Rowing Hack to solve this – one suggestion was a GoPro but the price of a new camera is pretty high. Second hand ones still run to £100 – £150 so it’s not cheap.
Over to you, dear readers… what suggestions can you give?
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Liteboat do a rear view mirror for their range of coastal boats but not sure about how suitable it would be for a river boat (www.liteboat.fr)
helpful, Edward!
Go pro works well but the wide angle view does not give you as clear a picture on the phone as a quick glance back. I have tested this with buoys and small obstacles and they don’t show up until the last moment. Same problem trying to see an ideal point on a curved river for head racing.
Giuseppe – thanks for your insights, appreciate it. Hopefully Chris will check back.
There is a product called Hindsight that’s designed for this. I haven’t tried it.
https://www.hyndsightvision.com/
Thanks Ed. We sell it here on the Rowperfect shop https://www.rowperfect.co.uk/product-category/hyndsight-vision/