Clamp for Videocam

[Kyffin Lewis]

Hi everyone......I have been surfing the net looking for a videocam clamp that allows me to attach my pdx10 to the handle bar of my Mountain bike (cycle) to take clips of my down hill racing. I have seen a couple on the net in the UK but am not sure whether they will fit the purpose. I want to mount it on the handle bar of the bike so it has some degree of protection if I prang ( well at least better protection than if it was mounted on the frame to the back wheel) Anyone recommend a good dealer that ships to Australia or even better anyone know a retailer down under?

Regards

Kyffin

Oh and BTW...I think I now know the answer to my question previous on on tapeless recording. Its no it cant be done by the look of it. I tried recording without a tape via FCP and no luck. It messages that there is no tape in camcorder.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Can't help with your clamp question, but just a few other thoughts...

First, be sure to protect your camera lens with a UV filter, or something similar. I ruined a wide angle lens on my VX-2000 by mounting it outside my car without protection.

Regarding tapeless recording.... I don't know if you need to put a tape in the PDX-10 (I don't think so), but you can certainly record to your hard drive without rolling tape. Have a look at BTV Pro, it will do this in addition to turning your laptop into a monitor, vectorscope and time lapse recorder. It's inexpensive shareware, but the fully functional demo is free:

http://www.bensoftware.com/btvpro.html

[Duane Smith]

I've had great success mounting my camera to the roll cage of a Jeep with a Bogen/Manfrotto Superclamp and a stud mount ball head leveler. I don't know if that would work on a mountainbike handlebar, especially at high speed, but you might consider thinking about something similar.

Here's a web page with a bunch of similar clamping systems for vehicles (including the kind of clamp I've used) that you might be able to adapt to your bike.

http://www.b-hague.co.uk/Mounting%20Brackets.htm

You should be able to find most of those type of components from any reputable cam vendor. Heck, I'd be shocked if you couldn't find a Bogen/Manfrotto Superclamp down there in-stock at a camera shop.

Hope that helps! :-)

[Duane Smith]

Oh, and Boyd is correct....you MUST use a cheap UV filter to protect your lense! I haven't had anything hit the filter yet, but I fully expect it will happen someday.

[Carlos E. Martinez]

Originally Posted by Duane Smith

Oh, and Boyd is correct....you MUST use a cheap UV filter to protect your lense! I haven't had anything hit the filter yet, but I fully expect it will happen someday.

My guess is you didn't mean to say that the UV filter had to be cheap, but that it was cheaper to protect your lens with an UV than repairing it.

Just in case someone took your statement literally and put a cheap filter up front, which would be dreadful.

Carlos

[Stephen Finton]

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/cinemasupplies/ca484gr.html

[Duane Smith]

Carlos, you are correct. I didn't mean to imply the use of a cheap UV filter, but rather that the price of a UV filter is NOTHING compared to the camera lense itself.

Thanks for the clarification!

[Kyffin Lewis]

Thanks guys....info much appreciated


Kyffin

[Kyffin Lewis]

Hi all...........I just been looking again for video clamp for the bike and came across this....anyone had any experience with this "Cinesaddle" http://cinekinetic.com/invention/ The company is based in the USA but has an ex Aussie running it by the look of it. There is a video of a bike with a cinesaddle attached that maybe fits the bill rather than a hard clamp that make give too much shake. The shake from a inflexible fitting maybe too much?..... I have also heard that there is a clamp that can be Pumped with air to give a cushion effect. Anyone heard of that as well?


Kyffin

[Kyffin Lewis]

Oh....and BTW....took the forum advice to get a uv filter....feel a lot more protected now!