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Another GoPro mounting question

supercow

supercow

Monkey
Feb 18, 2009
969
130
Ive noticed with a few helmet cam POV vids, that the rider was able to get his/her front wheel/arms into the shot a bit, without the camera pointing down too much.

Can anyone tell me how this is done as Ive noticed some people have the camera really far from the helmet and others closer.
 
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Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
463
238
I havent used my GoPro much as I hated the angle when it was mounted to the top of my helmet - view point was to much down on the trail due to camera being so high up. I ordered the chest mount but found I couldnt get the angle right, hell I couldnt even get much of the trail and ended up with mostly legs and bike. I figured the only way to get the angle right would be to have the camera upside down. I did a search and found firmware available to allow this. I tried it out and it was alot better but I noticed my camera was knocking something on drops/jumps, seems wierd that it would knock the handle bars or saddle but something was happening down there. I also noticed the camera was still too low down and there was still too much bike so I added some of the extra goodies that I have from all the mounting options and I was able to shoot with the camera the right way up and a little higher up and also tucked out the way - best chest mount so far. I have one of the longer joint bits on my helmet and I think this will help raise the camera a little too.
For the helmet I original didnt want to stick any of the bits on cause I was in the process of changing helmets but I noticed the angle of my new THE wouldnt allow any of the stick-ons to work. So I have dedicated my old Giro to be a filming helmet. I stuck one of the mounts to the side, inline with my eyes. I shoot with the camera upside down to keep it low. Actualy I am just back from the trails where I have been testing all the mounts and to get the angles right. I was tired of filming multiple runs and getting home to find the camer angles sucked. I highly recommend driving to a trail with a laptop and doing short runs going back to the car and checking the angle, make adjustments and hit the trail again. I really dont like single view point videos so I have the chest mount, helmet mount and bar clamp. I can use the bar clamp on a few places and with the helmet mount I can run the camera shooting forwards or backwards. One issue I just found is that every time you disconnect the camera housing you loose the angles. I plan to Dremel small lines on the mounts and camera housing so I can get the right angles everytime. I also invested in a clamp for the seatpost and it is a wicked view, really adds speed to the ride, like cheating.
I am starting to collect enough raw footage to play with editing. I just need to do some experiments with the different settings on the GoPro itself.
Another tip is to choose the days you film. I ride mostly in forests and comming out into open patches results in very over exposed seconds while the camera adjusts. I also ride late due to high humidity, and the footage isnt great when the light gets low. I think the best time for forest shooting will be mid day and overcast, to reduce sharp contrasts. Also dont shoot with the camera on the seatpost when the trail is wet. The housing will be covered in mud within 10 meters.
One more thing - if you have the chest mount and helmet mount you can choose which to use based on how tight the trail is. In Korea the trails are very narrow with trees very close - especially in the corners. I did one run this afternoon with the camera on the chestmount but I still had the helmet mounts on. Comming down the trail I connected the helmets mounts on some small trees. Fortunately the mounts just rotated but if the camera was on I am not sure it would have been so good. When I first had the camera and it was on the top I face planted on the side the camera mounts are now - again the results woudl not have been good for the camera. I believe the housing will take most of the abuse.:thumb:
 
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dirtboyracer

Chimp
Dec 10, 2006
35
0
I've had a lot of luck shooting 720p vertically, as in mounting the camera to the side of your helmet with just a sticky pad and nothing else. The only issue is that you have to use video editing software to rotate the video post-shooting.
 
ods

ods

Monkey
Feb 22, 2008
389
0
Port Angeles
Apparently enduro moto guys can't keep from hitting limbs at 60mph when the camera is mounted on their helmets so they came up with this. There is a special mount for it, but I have had good luck just using a sticky mount to the bottom of the visor and the shortest clip-mount that comes with the camera. Works great, it's just above your actual eyeline, you don't notice it if you're wearing goggles (I use a THE helmet), & you can't hit it on anything. Run in upside down mode to save on your editing. And yes, you can get a bit of the handlebars in the shot if you so choose.
 
jekyll991

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
0
Belfry, KY
I had mine stuck to the chin guard of my Kali helmet, it was the perfect shot, but it wasn't secure at all. Luckily it came off one time while I was taking the gopro off instead of on a track somewhere.

 
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Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
463
238
ODS - dont you get alot of vibration due to reduced stiffness of the visor?

Reviewing my tests yeterday I found the helmet mount to be alot more stable than the chest mount, better angle too.
 
ods

ods

Monkey
Feb 22, 2008
389
0
Port Angeles
Rhubarb said:
ODS - dont you get alot of vibration due to reduced stiffness of the visor?

Reviewing my tests yeterday I found the helmet mount to be alot more stable than the chest mount, better angle too.
Click to expand...
Your head is the most stable part of that whole chunk of moving mass. It is mounted back on the visor a few inches and the camera is basically wedged against the helmet above the goggles. I always use the little white rubber thingys they give you as well.
 
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