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Wearable cameras are gaining popularity among athletes and holiday-makersOn a skiing trip in Niseko, Japan, last month, Mr Wong Tien Hua wore a waterproof jacket and pants, goggles, a beanie and a new accessory - a tiny camera, measuring 1.迷你倉7cm by 1.5cm by 2.2cm, mounted on his helmet.He had bought the 73g GoPro wearable video and still camera for $400 in October last year for the trip to the Japanese winter resort with his anaesthesiologist wife, 44, and their two children, nine and 13.Says Mr Wong, 44, a doctor: "I usually take videos when we go on family trips but it is hard to do so when we are skiing. A hands-free camera is great."He shot three hours of footage, which he edited down to a five-minute video.His verdict? "The video quality is very good, although it cannot beat a DSLR. What is interesting is that there are so many different ways to mount it."Wearable cameras - small, compact digital devices which can be mounted on helmets and handlebars or strapped to wrists - have been in the news lately.Last week, investigators examined footage from a camera attached to Michael Schumacher's ski helmet to find out what happened in the minutes before the 45-year-old German race car legend's skiing accident in France last month.At last week's annual international Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, wearable gadgets such as cameras, smart watches and fitness trackers were all the rage. Electronics giant Panasonic revealed then that it would launch a new wearable camcorder later this year.The devices are gaining popularity in Singapore.A police spokesman told SundayLife! in an e-mail that the police force had been exploring the usefulness of body-worn cameras and had received positive feedback from trials done last year. It is currently evaluating using such cameras in day-to-day operations.Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily reported on Dec22 that a local motorcyclist had recorded footage of several recalcitrant drivers through a camera on his helmet.Companies which offer wearable cameras here include American digital imaging company GoPro, Japanese electronics company Sony, consumer electronic specialist Ion Worldwide and German camera manufacturer Rollei.Units cost between about $100 and $600. Accessories, from mounts to underwater cases, cost from about $15 to more than $100.StreamCast Asia, the sole authorised distributor in South-east Asia for GoPro, says demand for GoPro wearable cameras has doubled every year since 2010. It started selling them here in 2007.GoPro introduced its first wearable camera, a bulky 35mm film version housed in a polycarbonate case, about 6cm by 8cm, in 2004.Newer models are about one-third the size and cost between $329 and $580. GoPro Hero3 and Hero3+ are sold at more than 50 stores, including electronics chain Harvey Norman. This is up from 10 stores in 2011.Mr Melvin Pang, 37, head of field marketing for Sony South East Asia, says sales of the Sony Action Cam, which was launched last January, have gone up but declines to give figures.The current model, the Sony Action Cam HDR- AS30V, costs $449.Retailers have noticed a spike in demand for wearable cameras. Outdoor Travel Sports in Alexandra Retail Centre currently sells about 30 to 50 GoPro cameras every month, up from just two to five units a month in 2012.Song Brothers, a digital product retailer with outlets in Funan and Sim Lim Square, sells five brands of wearable cameras, including those by Rollei and electronics brand JVC. They range in price from $99 to $600.Its operations manager Connie Chong, 30, says demand for wearable cameras is booming. "We sell 80 to 100 units every month. Stocks move very fast."One reason for the increased demand could be that more Singaporeans are into extreme sports these days, says Mr Jon Chia, 34, owner of photography company Red Dot Photo. The company, which has outlets in Funan and Geylang Road, sells AEE and GoPro wearable cameras (between $399 and $580) and has seen demand double year on year.He adds: "People use them when they go on holiday, snorkelling or even a walk in the park."Some people even use wearable儲存倉cameras for road surveillance.Since last June, property agent Alvin Lim, 37, has attached a Sony Action Cam onto his helmet whenever he goes cycling once or twice a week.He bought the camera after he was involved in an accident with a taxi while cycling in February last year.The driver claimed that it was Mr Lim's fault, while he thought otherwise. "It is easier to solve disputes with evidence. I use an in-car camera, so it made sense to get one for cycling too," says Mr Lim.Mr Rajesh Sreenivasan, 44, a partner at law firm Rajah & Tann, says: "Recordings taken with in-car cameras are often used as evidence in insurance claims. The video clip may not be definitive and still has to be examined. The same applies to clips taken with wearable cameras."People have to be careful about what they do with the photos and videos taken with wearable cameras. Recordings can contain personal data such as identifiable faces and while there is no overarching privacy act in Singapore, we do have a personal data protection act which could pose legal concerns if recordings are used in a certain way."But wearable cameras are most commonly used to document exhilarating moments.Retiree George Wong, 58, uses one to capture footage of the scenery on trips abroad.On a 14-day cycling tour in Tibet last year, he fixed his GoPro Hero2 to the bicycle handlebars. He edited several hours of footage into a holiday video.He says: "I captured different stretches of roads. There are basically three colours in Tibet - brown, blue and green. There is the pristine sky, the pastures and the mountainous land."cherylw@sph.com.sgNo one noticed my camera-suspendersWearable camera manufacturers provide numerous methods to attach their devices to your body. But all the options leave me in a fix.Having borrowed a GoPro Hero3+ camera and chest mount from GoPro distributor StreamCast Asia, I tried to decide how best to wear it while jogging.The black chest mount looked like a pair of trouser suspenders with the camera in the middle ofit.I looped my arms through the straps and adjusted it until I was comfortable. But wait, do I perch the camera above, on or below my bosom? I decided to position it inches above my stomach.Next: read the instruction manual for a crash course on how to operate the gadget. I did sprints around the living room to experiment how to use it.My hands kept appearing in the frame as I swung them up and down. I made a mental note to minimise arm movements.I took the camera out for a jog around Toa Payoh Central. Hoping to camouflage the camera and mount, I wore the contraption over a black singlet.I set the camera to take a video and pictures simultaneously, and started to jog.I expected to be greeted with raised eyebrows, but passers-by barely glanced at the gadget on me. I ran through the HDB Hub and passed rows of shops in Toa Payoh Central. Heartland aunties and uncles gave me the occasional curious look.Surprisingly, the 73g camera did not feel heavy or cumbersome at all.On my way home, I weaved through a crowd of parents and children near a kindergarten. Their presence reminded me of the privacy issues that have been raised about wearable cameras.What would people say if they knew I was secretly capturing images of them? Luckily, no irate parent stopped me to demand that I delete my clips or to rip off my chest cam.After the jog, I reviewed the recorded video clip and images. Due to the jogging movement, the video rocked from side to side, as though it had been attached to a rickety sampan in a storm.To make things worse, the pavement filled up 80per cent of the frames as I had unconsciously leaned forward while jogging, angling the camera downwards.The fabric of the singlet constantly brushed against the camera, leading to an annoying rustling sound that grated on the ears while the video played. Viewing the 15-minute unedited sequence, I felt queasy.Still, I am not writing off such cameras yet. An uneventful jog was probably not the best way to capture interesting footage, but just think what I could do with such a camera on travels abroad.Cheryl Faith Wee迷你倉最平