body cameras

While the best body cameras have certainly become more commonplace among law enforcement, there are plenty of good options available for the civilian market as well. Many states and cities have laws allowing body camera footage to be admissible in court, which has made them popular among anyone who may need to document their version of events. Body cameras can also be used for generic recording and live streaming.  

There are many reasons why a person would need a body camera. Whether it is for work or for personal reasons, buying a body camera shouldn’t be a headache. There are a lot of options out there and a lot of research that goes into picking the right body camera for your needs. If you are in the market for a new body camera then this buyer’s guide will help.

Wind noise

The biggest problem with body cam audio is the wind. Wind creates very low frequency vibration in the mic diaphragm, so that the mic is essentially sending a DC current into the preamps. This not only makes a lot of sub bass, hence the rumble, but also overloads the preamps, hence the distortion.

Some people are more tolerant and argue that a bit of wind noise can give a sense of weather and atmosphere. But if wind is blocking out a dialogue recorded with your body cam, you have big trouble. You need a very powerful audio enhancer to isolate sounds. There are some options to prevent overpowering wind noise. The best solution would be of course to avoid wind noise but it’s not always doable. 

You can try to position yourself, so that the mic is not facing the wind, while you are recording a dialogue. Try appropriate wind protection and shield your microphone in the wind, while of course you don’t want to block the camera view. Foam windshields are not much good for outdoors unless there’s very little wind around. You need wind filter stickers for your body cam’s microphone.