Best Position For A Video Camera | MTB General | Mountain Bike | Forums - BikeRadar

fishcake · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:19 pm

got a Veho Muvi camera and have been trying a few different positions - bars, helmet, camel bag strap but can seam to get the right position.

On the bars there's too much left/right movement
on the helmet Im worried about smacking it on a branch

anyone else use a video camera?

Got any suggestions

Cheers

yeehaamcgee · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:08 pm

I don't have a camera, but I like watching the videos, and as a viewer, I hate handlebar cams, they're just too shaky over slow or technical terrain.
I've seen some good shots mounted on the downtube, I think, which looked great.

But the best angle as a viewer I reckon is either headcam, or "chest" cam.

Most important thing of course, is to make sure that it's not pointing up at the sky, or down at the ground the whole time.

Mae'n enw i wedi ei grafu, hefo hoelan wedi rhydu, ar y lechan las
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ride_whenever · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:11 pm

Side of helmet means you won't smack it on stuff.

----------------------------------------------

456!
silly little bike

x-isle · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 1:12 pm

Best angle I've done (and hoping to do it again at Llandegla on Sunday) is on the top tube as seen here;

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/22888/

I think it's a great shot of the forks working and really shows the element of speed.

Also, as it's on the frame of a full-sus, it's probably the most stable part to mount it as the wheels are doing all the movement.

I find mounting it high up on a helmet reduces the element of speed because the things going past quickly are a long way away.

Craig Rogers
Orange 5
www.craigrogers.co.uk

rhyko7 · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:07 pm

i love the helmet cam mounted on helmet looking back at the rider behind Wink

Dont look at it-ride it! they are tools not f*cking ornaments
my bikes:
http://rhyssutton.pinkbike.com/album/MY-BIKES/
my riding:
http://www.youtube.com/user/rhyspect

yeehaamcgee · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:17 pm

x-isle · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:31 pm

Yeah, just a bit difficult. I originally tried that but my knee kept hitting the camera.

I also wanted to get the rear brake lever in shot so you can see the dabs on the brakes.

Craig Rogers
Orange 5
www.craigrogers.co.uk

yeehaamcgee · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:36 pm

.blitz · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:38 pm

fuzzyfreak · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:02 pm

OK, I have done a bit of research on this myself. I have a bullet cam which I have always mounted on my helmet. The only problem is this is not a wireless cam and needs to have the camera (recording device) and the battery pack running down my back into my backpack. It involves some tape and zip ties but works well so long as you test the angle before setting off.

I did the Peaks once and ended up with an hour of footage of looking at the ground and not being able to see the horizon, the horizon is very important - more important than the height. Unfortunately the cam moves when you move your head and if you get the angle wrong you can ruin the whole footage because when cycling or riding a motorbike, you tend to look down every so often - the advantage of course is that you record everything you see - things to the left and things to the right.

See here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiG16LcTghQ (forward to about 3:50)

Note: I have a problem with the cam getting white over time - I think this had something to do with sweat and moisture - it was fine indoors.

Just don't do what I did, gave the cam to my brother who went off, only for me to come hurtling down a trail, into a ford with 1 foot of water which threw me over the handlebars in a spectacular mid air spin - as my brother had the cam and was about 500 yards ahead, all you hear is him panting and a very distant cry!

I have also tried mounting a digital camera on the handlebars, this was my preferred option because I could see what it saw very easily and the angle is fixed straight ahead, on the horizon. Unfortunately I broke the camera due to the vibrations - it shook the optical unit and had to be replaced (luckily under warranty) - but not before getting this footage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OetRZpgyyI

The disadvantage as you can see is that a digital camera does not have a high enough frame rate to capture the speed and some (like mine) do not adjust to the changes in light - which is why you see white out occasionally when the trees cleared. Your cam on the other hand is a video recording device so you won't get this problem but if you are going to mount it on the handlebars, just make sure it can take the bumps!

Lastly, I have included the hand held option - again this was with my Canon Digital Camera as opposed to a video camera but I much prefer this for those on-bike and mate shots - however as you can plainly see, shooting and riding do not go together at all - however I found it made for a great "Predator" style effect and with the appropriate music worked well - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBsRVzUo65s

If anybody wants to add me on Facebook - I have more video on there.

I am hoping to one day buy the VHOLDR which I would hope can be mounted on the handlebars without the vibration problem above.

breezer · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:04 pm

Sure ive answered this question about 50 times but anyway, some videos from my testing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHAPty2WMt4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeD4BOL2U2s

fuzzyfreak · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:17 pm

Great stuff breezer, no handlebar or helmet footage though.

Where is that trail? Friston?

breezer · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:20 pm

Bar mount is a 100% no go unless you are going in a straight line else its all the place and just makes you sick watching. Here is a helmet mount one I did, the problem is you need to do your helmet up super tight to avoid any shaking ie this has a fair bit in but you can see when firmly mounted to the bike it was rock solid. The rear facing one which was Friston wasnt as solid as it was on a plastic saddle bag clip which moved a bit. Other problem with helmet mounting is aboslutely no sensation of speed unless you are following another rider

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpDVZwNCqFo

fuzzyfreak · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:27 pm

Yeh, see how you, as the viewer, want to look up at the horizon?

Mancunianfightingcat · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 3:41 pm

there's a few vids in my signature, most with the camera mounted under the downtube looking through the forks, there's also one one the swing arm looking back.
I've since modified the front mount so the forks don't intrude into shot as much. I'm also experimenting with mounting the camera on the shock mount looking forward so you can see the shock working and the trail ahead, but at themoment there's too much bike frame in shot too.

As has been said, bar mount is cr@p and I think helmet mount is poor too, your body's movement takes away too much of the sense of speed and change of direction/gradient. If you think about when your riding, your head stays pretty still, but the bike moves about beneath you a hell of a lot.

So, in conlusion, frame mounted is best!

Ants
2008 Orange 5 SE Chrome Grey
2009 Marin Rocky Ridge Pearly White
my youtube vids

x-isle · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 4:20 pm

fishcake · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 9:40 pm

After trying bar mounted and helmet mounted I agree frame mounted is the best option
Iam now going to have to come up with some kind of bracket / mount

will post some footage when I have some

Cheers

yeehaamcgee · **Posted** Fri Nov 6, 2009 11:27 am

I've just thought of a cunning plan. I have lugs for mounting a bottle-cage underneath my down tube (stupid place), which could be an ideal place to mount a camera - in summer obviously, the winter mud would just cover it in seconds.

Mae'n enw i wedi ei grafu, hefo hoelan wedi rhydu, ar y lechan las
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Northwind · **Posted** Fri Nov 6, 2009 2:16 pm

I wouldn't say bar mount is a no-no, it can give a really dramatic video with a good sense of speed and impact, quite dramatic. It's not a smooth or steady mount but then, that's the problem with helmet mounts, they're so smooth that it seems like you're floating. You do need to watch how you mount it- if you put it out on the bars you get a horrible left/right yawing effect, but if you mount it on the stem so that the lens is over the steerer, that's not a problem.

We still do it because we're forever chasing what we've already found

yeehaamcgee · **Posted** Fri Nov 6, 2009 9:31 pm

It's the rapid left-right-left-right that annoys the crap out of me on handlebar cams. Sticking it on a stem is not going to make that problem go away.

Mae'n enw i wedi ei grafu, hefo hoelan wedi rhydu, ar y lechan las
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