Mounting HC7 inside vehicle? at DVinfo.net

Antonie Koen · January 17th, 2008, 01:28 PM

I apologize if this question has been asked before. I scanned the area dedicated to the HC camcorders and didn't see anything though.

I would like to hear from someone who has mounted a HC7 inside of a vehicle via a suction mount (to windscreen). I would like to know what kind of results I can expect from doing this? I would like to record the road and/or the driver of a vehicle for one of my upcoming projects.

As far as settings go, what should I consider?
1.)Stabilizer on or off?
2.)Filters?
3.)I heard someone mention on this forum that they had issues with Canon HV20 when mounting it inside of a vehicle. I think it had something to do with the auto slow shutter (or is it rolling shutter, not sure) but I am speaking under correction regarding this. If this is correct would it also apply to the HC7?

Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated

Andy Wilkinson · January 17th, 2008, 03:02 PM

Hi, may I suggest maybe try searching around in the Support Your Local Camera section as there are sub sections devoted to different kinds of mountings/supports, shooting from aeroplanes and choppers (and no doubt cars!) that might be of some help. Good luck!

Dave Blackhurst · January 17th, 2008, 03:18 PM

You may have to experiment a bit to see how the stabilizer deals with the motion - generally the HC7 stabilization is much better than that of the HV20.

rolling shutter (I agree with another poster that "sequential shutter" might be a better term). is an issue only with very violent up/down motion from what I've seen (ignoring the "tilt/leaning" issue, which probably won't be picked up by most. If you're off roading, it's probably a problem, otherwise, probably not that big a deal.

Don't know what filters would be needed, unless you are trying to shoot through glass with glare, in which case a polarizer makes sense to reduce glare.

Typically you will need a Wide Angle lens if you're shooting interiors, and a WA will help with smoothing out motion significantly. Just make sure your mount is able to handle the whole weight of the rig.

I tossed a CX7 on the dash of my car out of curiousity - didn't see any major RS or stability issues on a relatively smooth highway, handheld was an entirely different matter as it was hard to hold steady, A mount should absorb some of the vibration and tend to keep the cam in motion sync with the vehicle, so with some experimentation you should be OK!

Antonie Koen · January 18th, 2008, 11:23 AM

Thanks Andy and Dave.

I agree Dave, I need to experiment to get to where I want. I am just doing a bit of homework before I start splashing out the cash on the equipment.

Dave Blackhurst · January 18th, 2008, 11:43 AM

I happened to have a rubber sticky pad for my radar detector just sitting there on the dash, tha's how I tested, and with the WA I thought the video looked pretty decent (it was a nighttime shot no less...).

January 17th, 2008, 01:28 PM	#1
Antonie Koen Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: S.A. Posts: 112	Mounting HC7 inside vehicle? I apologize if this question has been asked before. I scanned the area dedicated to the HC camcorders and didn't see anything though. I would like to hear from someone who has mounted a HC7 inside of a vehicle via a suction mount (to windscreen). I would like to know what kind of results I can expect from doing this? I would like to record the road and/or the driver of a vehicle for one of my upcoming projects. As far as settings go, what should I consider? 1.)Stabilizer on or off? 2.)Filters? 3.)I heard someone mention on this forum that they had issues with Canon HV20 when mounting it inside of a vehicle. I think it had something to do with the auto slow shutter (or is it rolling shutter, not sure) but I am speaking under correction regarding this. If this is correct would it also apply to the HC7? Any help regarding this would be greatly appreciated

January 17th, 2008, 03:02 PM	#2
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Car shooting with a HC7 Hi, may I suggest maybe try searching around in the Support Your Local Camera section as there are sub sections devoted to different kinds of mountings/supports, shooting from aeroplanes and choppers (and no doubt cars!) that might be of some help. Good luck! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

January 17th, 2008, 03:18 PM	#3
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	You may have to experiment a bit to see how the stabilizer deals with the motion - generally the HC7 stabilization is much better than that of the HV20. rolling shutter (I agree with another poster that "sequential shutter" might be a better term). is an issue only with very violent up/down motion from what I've seen (ignoring the "tilt/leaning" issue, which probably won't be picked up by most. If you're off roading, it's probably a problem, otherwise, probably not that big a deal. Don't know what filters would be needed, unless you are trying to shoot through glass with glare, in which case a polarizer makes sense to reduce glare. Typically you will need a Wide Angle lens if you're shooting interiors, and a WA will help with smoothing out motion significantly. Just make sure your mount is able to handle the whole weight of the rig. I tossed a CX7 on the dash of my car out of curiousity - didn't see any major RS or stability issues on a relatively smooth highway, handheld was an entirely different matter as it was hard to hold steady, A mount should absorb some of the vibration and tend to keep the cam in motion sync with the vehicle, so with some experimentation you should be OK!

January 18th, 2008, 11:23 AM	#4
Antonie Koen Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: S.A. Posts: 112	Thanks Andy and Dave. I agree Dave, I need to experiment to get to where I want. I am just doing a bit of homework before I start splashing out the cash on the equipment.

January 18th, 2008, 11:43 AM	#5
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	I happened to have a rubber sticky pad for my radar detector just sitting there on the dash, tha's how I tested, and with the WA I thought the video looked pretty decent (it was a nighttime shot no less...).