I am on a tight budget and was looking for a good way to mount a video camera in the car to get some footage while driving.

Thank you again,

Kevin

I like using the $14 steadycam seen here-- http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/steadycam/ --with a few modifications. Depending on the shot, using a single pipe (no T, just one vertical piece) around 6-8" can be quite effective, with a small weight.
Note that the steadycam will be STEADY, meaning no jitters, but may still sway some; that's entirely the fault/job of the camera operator.

Having the steadycam is nice because of the separation from the car itself; the steadycam's counterbalance system absorbs a lot of the motion, as do your elbows, then shoulders, and body/car seat, then it's finally attached to the car itself.

If you do want to attach directly to the car, which can give some very jittery results, depending on the car, the speed, the terrain, etc., I'd recommend something like the Cleat, here:
http://www.filmtools.com/cleatsuccamm.html
I've used it with success for filming background plates, though a lot of that was unusable due to jitter. Some post processing may be needed as well to really make it work.

Thank you for the links, Greatly appreciated. Gives me some ideas for sure!


Kevin

No problem.
By the way, I forgot to mention the reason for just using a single pipe for the steadycam in the car-- maneuverability. Having the full setup in a car, at least a smaller car, can just get in the way. A single pipe becomes a convenient one-hand-held unit.

Yeah, I drive a stick, so I need to figure out how to do it, but I am definitely going to build one of these steady cams, they are awesome! Actually maybe I will just outright buy one from the guy to support him. What an excellent idea.

Well, you'll want someone holding a camera, then.
I drive a stick, too. Seems a bit extreme to try to shoot yourself, regardless.
Perhaps the suction cup mount, if you must be alone in the car.

You could try one of these:
http://www.b-hague.co.uk/Mounting%20Brackets.htm

I use an old tripod for a still camera, and 3 or 4 shock cords. I mount the tripod in the front passenger seat well. After adjusting the proper height for the cam, I lock the tripod down with the shock cords to the bottom of the seat, and, to whatever is handy under the dash. It works like a charm. Mounting the cam the same way in the back seat, offers you an over the shoulder shot. The tighter the cords are, the better: the amount of vibration and shake is almost zero. I have placed small rubber "feet" that are used for furniture legs, under the tripod legs for additional absorbing of vibration and shake on back roads.

I have some beautiful Adirondack autumn fall foliage shots that were taken this way.

Hi Kevin. We actually have a sub-forum dedicated to this topic here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=124. You might want to browse through older posts for some more ideas. I've moved your thread there while leaving a temporary re-direct in the original forum.

I've shot over 40 hours of trip video from the car for my weekly TV show "Rapid Ralph Runs the Roads." After much experimentation, I've found the PERFECT car mount, a TRIPOD! My Bogen/Manfrotto tripod with 503HDV head mounts solidly in front of the back seats (and people can even still ride back there). It bonds nicely with the car's harmonics and offers all the security and other advantages of having your cam on a tripod (I use a Sony V1U). For an example in action, watch the first five minutes of

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1404985384742494325&hl=en

It's from another show I do. ... and see the attached pics of my setup.

--Ralph

the pics from the previous message in jpeg format.

and the intro to "Rapid Ralph Runs the Roads" which shows the mount in action:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ktjORIYlIJU

I just bought one of these - it's pretty good for the money. No trouble hanging the HV20 off it but I'm careful with with XH-A1

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Glue-pod-steadycam-stabilizer-for-JVC-GR-D320-GR-D34E_W0QQitemZ220169367725QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3325QQcmdZViewItem

I just bought one of these - it's pretty good for the money. No trouble hanging the HV20 off it but I'm careful with with XH-A1

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Glue-pod-steadycam-stabilizer-for-JVC-GR-D320-GR-D34E_W0QQitemZ220169367725QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3325QQcmdZViewItem
Paul...how does the HV20 video look while using one of these?

Thanks for all the info.

Kev

Paul...how does the HV20 video look while using one of these?

give me a week and I'll chuck some footage up - I haven't got the camera at the moment

I use my tripod, sit it in my truck's cupholder and get beautiful footage from it. Here is an example of that:

http://fortvir.net/gallery2/P3U_videos/Ian-T/THE+DRIVE+_POST_.wmv.html

Also, like Ralph I use my tripod with legs out in my car. Suprisingly this is very steady (I just have not tied it down like Ralph does).

Anyone know of a store in or near Sarasota FL where a car mount can be purchased?