PCA SDR

I am looking to buy a camera mount to mount my digital camcorder to the rollbar (hardness bar).

Which camera mount is the best solution?

Martin-

I use an I/O Port camera mount for mine. Try this link for info.

A lipstick cam is probably the best idea, but if you're going to get one like the I/O Port model, I have a used one I would sell you for $50. It fits bars 1-1/4" to 2" in diameter. If you're harness bar is only 1" diameter, it probably won't clamp on without some customizing.

TT

Tom,

Thank you for the info. I am interested to buy your camera mount.

Martin,

I would recommend that you protect the finish of your roll bar by using a piece of rubber or vinyl tubing between the mount and the bar. Home Depot sells some rubber couplings in the isle with their drain pipes that are almost a perfect fit for a roll bar/harness bar.

Bob

I would recommend that you protect the finish of your roll bar by using a piece of rubber or vinyl tubing between the mount and the bar.

This from a guy who polishes his car between run sessions

Dave Turner's has one that I will be taking a look at this weekend.

Tom: which lipstick camera do you use? How does it connect to your camera?

Not all cameras accept lipstick camera inputs, check you owners manual. But they connect through the A/V ports and usually record when there is an input on the A/V port and the camera is set to PLAYER and you hit the record button (Thanks Dan A for this info).

This works on one of my cameras and one camera ONLY accepts a digital signal, so be sure to check. I got a lipstick camera from Fry's for $29 ($19 with $10 rebate), whereas most other places had them for $199. Never could figure out the difference.

My understanding is that the image stabilization built-in to the camcorder may not work in conjunction with a lipstick camera or other external video source. The external video in connector on the camcorder is there specifically to allow dubbing from one vcr or camera to another and the designers do not expect an external camera to be connected to a camera.

Has anyone done this and seen that the i.s. is functioning on their camera? Please post the type of camera that you are using if so.

BTW, Martin, I did not want to pay $100 for a mount so I fabricated one of my own using an extra fire extinguiser mounting bracket, some large hose clamps and a three dimensionally adjustable camera mount meant to go on top of a tripod. It may shake a little bit more than the commercially available mounts but the recorded video quakity is acceptable camera to me and looks as good as the videos I have seen from other people. Best part, the whole thing cost $25-30.

MikeD wrote:Tom: which lipstick camera do you use? How does it connect to your camera?

I use an I/O Port mount myself, still, not a lipstick cam, but if I was going to get one, I would probably go with one of these from Randy Chase, a local SCCA autox guy. I would connect it to a cheap 12V VCR, not my video camera, which would be secured in a padded mount on the floor. I am a bit worried about the vibrations and shock loads I am subjecting my digital camera to during hard driving, especially in a car that is sprung stiffly. I have heard that it will eventually damage the tape transport mechanisms in most cameras. Hasn't happened to me yet, but I still worry. When I put it on my Formula Ford, there were some visible "glitches" in the filming when the car hit bumps or the engine revved at a certain resonance frequency.

The difference in remote camera heads is in lines of resolution and frame rate, as well as the angle width of the viewing field. I don't know what Jad got for $19, but I imagine it is one of the "webcam" type of heads for computers. They don't have high resolution or high frame rates.

Their are big advantages in a remote head as far as image stability and mounting location flexibility. Their light weight make the stabilization problems of a heavy camera go away, and many of the older cameras do not have built in image stabilization. I just haven't gotten so far into it that I need to improve my basic video camera setup. John Rogers has been doing the "remote head & VCR" thing for several years and could give some good info on this. I'm pretty sure he detailed it all in the old forums, but since they are goners, maybe he'll pipe up here with his info again.

TT

That would be nice if he did Tom as I am going out this weekend to get a camera. I've been looking at a Canon EURA 65. It's a bit expensive for what I want to do, but it's one of the only MiniDV ones I've been able to find with all the inputs I need. If anyone has a better suggestion, I'm open.

I think Jack Olsen uses the HelmetCamera.com setup. Which is where I want to go in the future myself. I like the idea of the recorder in a padded box low in the car (like you said). But I haven't been able to find an inexpensive digital recorder. So I'll probably end up getting a decent camcorder, using it as-is for an event or two and then getting a lipstick camera. But I'm real open to ideas.

What inputs do you need? My $250 Costco miniDV camera has digital and analog inputs and outputs, and records either along with IEEE and SVGA . I am planning on mounting it in a padded area low in the car and just having the lipstick camera up high. This was a Xmas present, so I have not tested it on a track yet, but it does record from the lipstick camera. Don't know about vibration suppression.

MikeD wrote:That would be nice if he did Tom as I am going out this weekend to get a camera.

I found this thread on the PP forums where John said he is using the Race cam setup now.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthre ... did=185925

See the Racecam site at:
http://www.racecam.com/

TT

After trying out a couple of settings with the camera mount it worked great.

Let the movie load for about 10sec it is about 11mb (Quicktime required)

http://homepage.mac.com/martinreinhardt/pca2005

Note: The crossing arm is a old open wheel habit and the track was fun, but too many turns for my car.

Kids - Don't try this at home!

Great shot! It's like I was running the whole course all over again.

OK, did anyone else notice the slalom cone alignment he had? Cone 2 was a complete gimme as it was 3-4 ft to the right making it a straight slalom. I want to protest that I bet Bill had the same situation, yeah, that must be worth 3 seconds.....