You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / MTB Gear / gopro mounting
gopro mounting
Just scored a new gopro3 for the birthday and am after opinions on best position to mount it. I am leaning towards bar mounted but on the underside as close as possible to the centre of the bar just in case I have an OTB. Does anyone have any suggestions, not too keen on helmet mounting
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Tags
get the optional chest mount.
bar mount tends to be rough. head mount can be wobbly.
seat post can look ok. a combination of shot grabs from lots of different positions is tops
IMO chest mount looks the best because you see the arms working and the movement of the bars but I usually find the footage too rough. Mind you last weekend the best footage I shot was chest and maybe that was because I had Moto armour underneath and it kept my chest and beer gut more stable (or maybe it was just that the straps were tighter - will have to test).
I've found helmet mounting consistently gives the most steady view - basically if your head is bouncing around then yr in trouble any way, but it may mean you may need to ride with your helmet tighter than normal, and the strap needs to be ROCK SOLID - NO MOVEMENT AT ALL.
Bars are ok, on open flowy sections you really get a feel for the lean of the bike, but you don't get any reference points from the bike or rider. IMO that kinda defeats the purpose.
As far as OTB is concerned it doesn't matter where you mount it you will probably grind it
I went OTB on the Thredbo downhill and was very grateful not to have it on my helmet - something would have broken. However the day after I noticed I had a massive grind mark just below the lens anyway, so that means at some point there was rock v chest.
Have a look at this video I shot two weeks ago, I blended a bunch of runs together. Mostly chest mount, bar mounted selfie, bar mounted front facing and a very very small amount of helmet. Its a good way to see how the different views work on the same trail with the same rider.
http://youtu.be/n3O6U-zcXSo
Bar mount can work well, but you need the CNC machined alloy K-Edge unit, the stock GoPro one is plastic and flexes, and eventually breaks. Use a lanyard for that eventuality.
Chest mount puts what's going on on the bike in context, where on bar mount it looks too easy.
http://youtu.be/QSe5EnyAUCk
One downside though is if you "chest" your saddle getting yoru bum back and down when rolling over obstacles or ducking under fallen trees, it bumps the camera flat and unless you remember you're stuck with great views of your top tube thereafter.
It's just a matter of remembering to tilt the camera back into position.
I mount my camera upside down and use the flip image setting on the camera. This allows you to tilt the camera forward in teh chest mount so that it aims the right way when you're leant forward in riding position.
Multiple positions make for more interesting vids, which I don't do often enough. No excuse, seeing i have more than one cam. Need a faster 'puter to speed up editing.
Also don't forget to think out of the box. POV is great but can get bit much. Mix up the angle son the bike, try a little tripod, tree, ground... to get off the bike and get more of a standard view to mix in.... Cable cams...
heres a few of mine all filmed on gopro showing some different angles and posibilities
http://youtu.be/J_olMNvCj9c
http://vimeo.com/35790982
One more thing to throw into the mix. Ive found wearing a pack makes for a VERY noisy ride when using the chest harness. The chest straps and water tube make an absolute RACKET on the video.
The misses won a go pro silver the other from some weaties box styled competition. It will be fun to much around with when I finally get home to Australia.
The best part about the digital age is there is no more film to worry about. Try out every position you can and see what works. There are a million options. I am keen to try the side if the front fork. I have seen some pretty sweet shots from there.
Don't forget to get the high speed memory card. One fatal thing I did and reluctantly bought another one from JB-Hifi which was $70 and found online to be not even half that.
And I found best position is the helmet position.
I dislike the bar mount as i get to much sway. A good steady mounting position is the head tube, but this can be very difficult depending on the frame. This position can catch the top of the front tyre and you can see how much your suspension is working.
I have also seen someone mount under the down tube shooting through the fork arch. Again this can be difficult depending on the tube size.
The different mounts are only like $20. Give a few positions a go on the same track then mix all the best bits of video together. Make for some pretty shots.
What do users think about the adhesive "surfboard" mounts?
Middle child is agitating for a GoPro for his birthday, and will want to use it on a surfski, skateboard, scooter, MTB, helmet, etc. I'm wary of a) relying on an adhesive patch to hold about $460 to the front of said ski, and b) the effectiveness of the waterproof enclosure when operated by a teenager in a submersible environment.....
Of course it's highly unlikely that Dad will want to 'borrow' the GoPro.......
One salesperson opined that the Black edition is too high quality to be edited with home video editing suites and that most (his words) users adjust resolution to what the Silver edition can provide. Is he speaking the truth? What software do the experienced videographers here use, and is Black just a camera too far?
Oh, and do the bundles really not include any memory?!!? aak more expense!
Sorry for the hijack Cambo...
My son's mate took his brand new GoPro out on his bodyboard, got dumped paddling out and lost the GoPro!
Make sure you tether the GoPro. I noticed in the Dive Shop the other day you can buy float attachments, that would sound like a good idea too!
Yes do not take it in the water without the floaty bright orange back and it tethered to something. I own the black, it is unreal. I chose the black so I'm future proofed. Its not easy to edit, but there are plenty of youtube vids that show you the quickest/easiest way to edit the high quality clips
I've found that the curved adhesive pad with the 3 way arm attached to the side of a full face helmet gives the nicest footage on an mtb. Not as jumpy as the chest mount but a similar perspective. Downside, you have to wear a full face haha. Chest mount is OK if it is nice and tight and locking pin is in place so there is no noise. I have also attached an adhesive pad on to the side of a skate helmet for surfing but haven't tried it yet. The mount on the front of the board gives an decent perspective but unless you are on something hollow and steep it looks like you are just flying across the surface of flat water. The GoPole Floaty handle is sweet too for filming others
please tell me where that is, it looks great. or is it a private track in which case dont worry
look up helmet helicopter mounts. Camera is mounted on a stick what spins around you as you ride. Very cool. Not really suited to heavy wooded single track riding though but fire trails are fine.
Trip to JB HIFI and I have both the chest and bar mount. Took it out yesterday with chest strap and the quality is wicked. Will try some different positions and put a mix together. Thanks for the advice guys
GPS enabled so that if it loses signal from the controller, it automatically returns to the point of launch
http://www.dji-innovations.com/products/phantom/...
Oh I want one, unfortuantley its US$679 not including P&H
I'll wait
Someone told me you were a bit of a propeller head, now you've just confirmed it
ROFL
Solid objects transmit sound faster and clearer than gas, so, it doesnt really matter where you mount your gopro, you will always get some noise. I have made a few videos on my Gopro2 and always try to remove most of the trail audio and replace with music. Here is one from Stromlo.
http://youtu.be/MpYrSxjrDgg