Charles Elms Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I ride solo and like to take pictures while I'm moving. This involves: 1. Wait for little traffic. 2. Set throttle lock. 3. Grab camera from camera bag attached to rear of tank bag. 4. Turn on camera, general point and shoot. and reverse the above steps. I've been pleased with the results, but not the process. I am thinking of mounting my camera, Cannon Powershot A610, on an RCU type shelf so all I have to do is turn it on and press the shutter button. This can be done with left hand. My question: Anyone done this? Any problems? What about shooting through the windshield? Anyone seen a mount that attaches to the side of the windshield so the camera can swivel out to take a picture. I don't want to leave the camera in the slipstream because of bug spatter on the lens. Any other ideas or solutions to my problem? Link to comment
94aero Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 If you are on a 1100RT the shelf will bounce! The whole front moves while riding when you create a lever. Link to comment
W8NONU Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I have been using my video camera on my shelf with good results. I bought a screw to fit into the bottom of the camera (same as a tripod) and drilled a hole in the dash shelf. I also got a nut to put on the screw under the shelf to ensure the camera is held tight in place. I forced nickel into the slot of the screw head to have something to grab onto and tighten everything up without having to use a screwdriver. I am able to mount the camera behind the screen where it is protected and opearate it easily with either hand. I built my own shelf and made a brace across the underside of the shelf to make it sturdier and have very little vibration in the camera. The results have been very good. Keep the windshield clean and you cannot tell it was shot through it. Link to comment
beemerFROG Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I have been using my video camera on my shelf with good results. I bought a screw to fit into the bottom of the camera (same as a tripod) and drilled a hole in the dash shelf. I also got a nut to put on the screw under the shelf to ensure the camera is held tight in place. I forced nickel into the slot of the screw head to have something to grab onto and tighten everything up without having to use a screwdriver. I am able to mount the camera behind the screen where it is protected and opearate it easily with either hand. I built my own shelf and made a brace across the underside of the shelf to make it sturdier and have very little vibration in the camera. The results have been very good. Keep the windshield clean and you cannot tell it was shot through it. Just a thought here: If you use a long bolt from the camera mount plate to the shelf with a spring slipped over it, compress it some so that it holds everything vertical, you would have a built in shock to soak up some of the jitter. If one bolt isn't enough, have two bolts done the same way to a plate say 3" long, and attach the camera screw to that. Sorry it's hard to explain in words, hope you understand my jibberish! Link to comment
W8NONU Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 I understand what you mean. The problem is not in the camera mount as such. It is in the shelf mounts allowing the shelf to vibrate or bounce a little. When I am on a rough section of road I have used one of my daughters elastic hair bands to pull the slack out of the shelf mounts by attaching the band to the shelf and to the RT's dash. This pulls it just taught enough to stop the bounce. I have had pretty good success with this set-up. My next purchase will be a helmet cam so I can mount the cam anywhere I want allowing great perspective from low mounting on a twisty road. I have been protective of the camera, but the helmet cam is more durable. Link to comment
beemerFROG Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Sounds great with a helmet cam. Last summer I made a three point mount that placed my video camera behind my left foot, about as far back and at the same height as the hub(The bags were off). The shot was pretty cool! The view was down close to the road with my foot shifting, the front wheel spinning, and the road roller-coasting up and down. My only complaint is that my JVC does not have hook-up for an additional microphone. I had hoped that placing it near the exhaust would give me some good sound, and it did ok, but the wind noise was a bother. What can I expect, at 200mph+ there is going to be some wind noise! Link to comment
W8NONU Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Quote: "What can I expect, at 200mph+ there is going to be some wind noise"! Oh, you must have been on a slow road! Link to comment
Ben_Ricci Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Manfrotto makes a great variety of mounting gear for cameras. You can mount your camera almost anywhere you want with a little imagination. I used a tripod column and cantilevered the camera off the luggage rack on my ST for a little experimentation. I didn't like the results and I didn't like the distraction of trying to grab photos while I was moving. Here’s an example using a 15mm fisheye: Link to comment
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