I have not done the camera thing yet, but seriously thinking it might be a good idea...
Suggestions on brands (not too complicated) lol
Not to hijack the thread but. . .
The first thing you need to ask yourself is where are you going to mount the camera?
1. On the bike
2. On your helmet
3. On your body.
4. Various locations
Second is how are you going to use it?
1. Video only for evidence
2. Video to share in ride reports
3. Personal record of rides
4. Or for each of the above
I use a GoPro Hero 2 Motorsports and a GoPro Hero 3 White Edition. I like the GoPro Hero 2, the 3 for on the road videos sucks due to the vibration/harmonic frequency between the camera and bike at highway speeds and if it hadn't been free I would be upset with it.
For your first camera I would suggest a Chinese knock off. They pretty well copy the name brands and until you really learn how you are going to use it you don't want to sink a lot of money into a name brand that might not suit your needs or desired results.
Helmet cams can really suck. If you are riding properly, your head should be on a swivel which is bad for trying to view the videos. Bike and body mounts limit views to the area they oriented to but they are pretty stable and make for the best video viewing. Each has it's trade offs.
The name brand cameras I like are GoPro and Contour. I also own a Oregon Scientific helmet cam but haven't used it in years.
Here is a short clip of a car not paying attention
GoPro Hero 2 helmet mount
GoPro Hero 2 ride report
GoPro Hero 2 photo mode