# Video Camera Mount thingy



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

DonnaBlackson said:


> but i am running out of time, i leave sunday...


I don't see the problem. Today is Sunday. You could have it by Tuesday or Wed.


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## Gig103 (Sep 10, 2007)

I have taken the following from a post at Radardetector.net, since you need an account to view the page. All rights reserved the original poster and owner of the photos, which is not me. I also have not built this since I don't (yet) do in-car recording, but I've been considering that "Flip" camera and this mount.... Here goes.

Source

Parts:
1x 36" 1"x1" Aluminium square tube
1x 1"x1" Black square internal plastic caps (recommended; maroon pack in picture)
1x 1/4"-20 Wing nut coarse (optional; orange pack in picture)
1x 1/4"-20 x 1" round head slotted machine screws (green pack in picture)
OR
1x 1/4"x1" steel/zinc plated wing screw (optional, white pack in picture)
1x 1/4" Med. split lock washer (recommended; not in picture)
2x 1 1/4" U-bolts [similar to SKU#629595] (adjust as necessary based on headrest post diameter)
1x 5/16" Clear vinyl tube - just need 3"-4" of it (recommended; not in picture)
1x Sunpack Compact Ball head OR Slik Medium All-Metal Compact Head

Steps:
1. Mark headrest post locations on Al. tube (one post about 1.5" to 2" from one end)
2. Position the u-bolt ends equidistant from the post centerlines and mark where the holes need to be drilled
3. Drill 4 holes for the 2 u-bolts (hole size depends on u-bolt chosen)
4. Mark spot on Al. tube where you want the camera positioned (I did mount center of car but then cut distance back since the video was a bit jittery except on really smooth roads)
5. Drill 5/16" hole for the 1/4"-20x1" screw (note that these holes should be on the other sides than those for the u-bolts)
6. Cut vinyl tube into 1" sections, slit along the length of the pieces, and wrap them around the headrest posts
7. Cut Al. tube at desired length, and file the burrs/edges
8. Insert the plactic caps on the ends
9. Slip one of the lock washers on the 1/4"-20x1" screws and insert from the bottom into the Sunpack Compact ball head, tighten it to be firm
10. The part layout picture makes this step pretty self-explanatory.










However, for those who need it: position the Al. tube on headrest, insert the u-bolt ends from the other side, place the plate on Al. tube, insert a couple of lock washers on, thread on the nuts (I changed over to wing nuts because it's easier to tighten/loosen with bare hands to install/remove the headrest mount; I planned to make another mount for the SUV too and just move the compact ball head and camera over, but then I made another mount with the remaining Al. tube)
11. Re-tighten all nuts/screws and mount the camera
12. Adjust ball head angle as necessary and tighten

Here is the headrest mount on my Golf. The headrest posts are angled back, so the compact ball head is necessary. While driving, the passenger seat does shake unless there's a person sitting in it. Most of my driving/commuting is solo, so I mounted it on driver seat.










I had plenty of spare parts left over (except the compact ball head) to make another mount for the Pilot SUV. On the Pilot, the passenger seat is quite stable even without a person in it. Plus, the headrest cushions are too snug to get space for fingers to tighten a wing nut but hold the Al. tube very firmly in place (the headrests don't tilt/rise like most others). So the Pilot headrest mount is just 'rolled' into place. In the normal seating position, the camera doesn't need to be re-angled to horizontal so I mounted it directly on to the Al. tube for a even cheaper headrest mount.


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

gosh, looks like too much trouble to me really....!!


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

to get the thing by tues or wed means paying more shipping than what the item actually costs.....


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## adc (Apr 1, 2003)

JSpira said:


> I love the Flip HD. In fact, I just got my third Flip, the new Flip HD Ultra with larger screen.


How does the Flip handle low lighting conditions? I don't mean nighttime, just the average poorly lit room.

I bought an Aiptek GVS and it makes beautiful HD outdoors or in good lighting... not so much indoors.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

adc said:


> How does the Flip handle low lighting conditions? I don't mean nighttime, just the average poorly lit room.
> .


I would say for an average lighted room, not dim but average, it's decent.


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## Northcar (Sep 21, 2005)

beewang said:


> This is some of the video I shot....
> 
> http://picasaweb.google.com/yokobee/Day5BerlinHamburgFrankfurt#5126152858928844162
> 
> ...


Oregon Ducks -- Duck Tape. We should have ducked when we saw that one coming from Beewang.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

voltigeur said:


> That's plain KINKY! :rofl: And agree w/ the other poster, it's D U C *T*.


If you are using it to mount a camera, the correct spelling is Gaffer Tape. I wouldn't use (Gaffer, Duct, Duck) Tape on a brand new BMW. Could make a mess.


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## voltigeur (Jun 29, 2008)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> If you are using it to mount a camera, the correct spelling is Gaffer Tape. Could make a mess.


Not the correct spelling, the correct _term _- I agree w/ you, btw. Concert roadies also use gaffer's tape. Good quality gaffer's tape should not leave a residue.

I was more referring to the use of "duck" for "duct"


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## Hans Delbruck (Jun 9, 2002)

voltigeur said:


> I bought a Sticky Pod dash mount + a Canon VIXIA HD w/ 120GB + flash. Will be using that set-up in 2 weeks' time.


Well, how did it turn out? Let's see some videos! :bigpimp:

I have a semi-pro mount from Filmtools, they have a lot more options there now than when I bought mine.

http://www.filmtools.com/carmounts.html

but I get a TON of vibration on my HD Canon HV-20. It's a great camera but it doesn't like being mounted to a car. I think it is the camera's cmos sensor, not sure, more testing needed.

Here's a video I shot with the HV20 and filmtools mount stuck on the side of my Evo. I couldn't go more than 20mph without getting vibration, and it got worse the faster I went.






The Filmtools mount grips like crazy though. I have the one with 3 suction cups and you would have no problem getting external shots at high speed. It's up to the camera to make the pretty pictures though.

I just ordered the Panavise with a 3" extender to see if it works better with my HV20. It's cheap enough to give a try!

Of course, there is always this solution:


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## adc (Apr 1, 2003)

I got a chance to try out my Aiptek GVS HD with the CruiseCam headrest mount and it works just beautifully. Tried it on broken pavement etc. I was using a 0.5x wide angle adapter which allowed for the entire width of the windshield to be recorded (but sharpness drops on the sides).

The only problem was that anything not secured (lens cap, CruiseCam rubber protection boot, CruiseCam securing belts etc. even camera LCD screen) would bang against the mount and the sound would be reproduced in a magnified manner in the video recording.

I have this idea to prop the camera LCD screen almost closed (fully closed is no good because it turns the camera off) with a rubber nub/cap and double-sided tape. And remove the lens cap, of course.


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

I am not sure how to upload a video on here, it doesnt seem to work , can someone tell me how ( i do have some footage !


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

DonnaBlackson said:


> http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/images/editor/attach.gif











I think you have to upload to YouTube and then post link here.


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)




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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)




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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

Thanks!! i copied and pasted the link from youtube


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)




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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

During my ED trip, i took a detour to Poland ( after dropping car back off in munich )


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

firewall at work


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

DonnaBlackson said:


> During my ED trip, i took a detour to Poland ( after dropping car back off in munich )


I'm impressed--both by the cinematography and by the content. I noticed the "signage" at Aschwitz had a very different message from that at Buchenwald. (You could glimpse some of the latter in the press coverage of Obama's recent trip.) The sign at about 3:25 into your video acknowledges the Jews killed at Auschwitz came from a variety of countries or regions. The main memorial plaque at Buchenwald seems to consider them a separate group, fitting in alphabetically between Albanians and Czechoslovakians (using the German spelling with Tch..).


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## SergioCordoza (Mar 27, 2009)

Interesting..


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## DonnaBlackson (May 14, 2006)

Thx b-y..: Yes, at auschwtiz, they had the deportees counted by country. Most came from Hungary ( 400,000).


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