Top-down DSLR cam mounting at DVinfo.net

Assaf Tal · October 9th, 2015, 08:03 AM

This is my first posting here, so first of all, hello everyone! And I hope I'm in the right sub-forum.

I'm looking for a mounting solution for my DSLR Canon T5i camera for filming me playing the piano top-down. I make piano tutorials for Youtube, and I've been doing it so far using my webcam and taping it to a microphone stand. The end result I'm after should look like this:

I'm not a professional videographer so I'm not very well versed in the solutions out there. All tripods I looked at are aimed at filming things horizontally. Those that offer a "top-down" approach do so by tilting the head, but this is very inconvenient since it means the object being filmed must be directly underneath the tripod; I obviously can't do that with the sort of positioning shown in the video above.

Your advice would be very welcome.

Zach Love · January 12th, 2016, 10:12 AM

One trick used in cooking shows is to have a large mirror at a 45 degree angle. Though you have to have a really nice sized mirror & a way to mount it.

If the DSLR is small enough & doesn't weigh too much, AND, it's in a locked down position (no movement), you could use some lighting equipment.

A C-Stand (or two) w/ the boom arm would work & then you could use a super clamp to attach the camera onto the arm.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/320208-REG/Matthews_B756040_Hollywood_Century_C_Stand.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546356-REG/Manfrotto_035RL_035RL_Super_Clamp_with.html

October 9th, 2015, 08:03 AM	#1
Assaf Tal Tourist Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Tel Aviv, Israel Posts: 1	Top-down DSLR cam mounting This is my first posting here, so first of all, hello everyone! And I hope I'm in the right sub-forum. I'm looking for a mounting solution for my DSLR Canon T5i camera for filming me playing the piano top-down. I make piano tutorials for Youtube, and I've been doing it so far using my webcam and taping it to a microphone stand. The end result I'm after should look like this: Learn to Play: Fast Piano Runs (Fills) - YouTube I'm not a professional videographer so I'm not very well versed in the solutions out there. All tripods I looked at are aimed at filming things horizontally. Those that offer a "top-down" approach do so by tilting the head, but this is very inconvenient since it means the object being filmed must be directly underneath the tripod; I obviously can't do that with the sort of positioning shown in the video above. Your advice would be very welcome.

January 12th, 2016, 10:12 AM	#2
Zach Love Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 944	Re: Top-down DSLR cam mounting One trick used in cooking shows is to have a large mirror at a 45 degree angle. Though you have to have a really nice sized mirror & a way to mount it. If the DSLR is small enough & doesn't weigh too much, AND, it's in a locked down position (no movement), you could use some lighting equipment. A C-Stand (or two) w/ the boom arm would work & then you could use a super clamp to attach the camera onto the arm. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/320208-REG/Matthews_B756040_Hollywood_Century_C_Stand.html http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546356-REG/Manfrotto_035RL_035RL_Super_Clamp_with.html __________________ Nothing says you're a serious video maker like S-VHS