Taking Videos from inside the car??

[v15ben]

I trying to work out the best way to take video from inside the car while driving at speed (69mph, officer, honest!)

We have tried the passenger holding the camera but of course thats horribly jerky and difficult to do!

What is the best way to secure the camera in the car so that it does not move, but still gives a good view down the road?
I currently have a Sony Cybershot 3.2 camera and was wondering if there is an in-car holding device for that model in the shops.

Can anyone help out here? and does anyone have any in-car videos taken using this method??

Thanks!

[GreenV8S]

The best approach I've found is to mount the camera from the rollover bar just behind me, so you can see what the driver is doing as well as the view through the windscreen. If you don't have a rollover bar, you can get various camera mounts that clamp to a head rest or have a suction mount onto the windscreen.

[fergusd]

I have a hague camera clamp that clamps very securely onto my harness bar and gives a good view of the road and driver . . . works really well with a camera with image stabilisation as you can see in this vid . . .

www.f-d.org.uk/downloads/videos/dreadlap.mpg

Kinda depends on the car as to what your options are . . .

Fd

[GreenV8S]

fergusd said:

you can see in this vid . . . www.f-d.org.uk/downloads/videos/dreadlap.mpg

Nicely driven!

[rico]

You can get a mount but its all extra £££

All my VMax in-car videos have been made by holding the camcorder against my chest. So i hold it normally but bring the camcorder back into my body to hold it still.

Alternatively, hold it away from your body but with a lot of movement available in your arms to stop the swaying.

Tbh, the VMax footage is just of top speeds so its no bumpy roads nor chicanes etc.

[te51cle]

Manfrotto do a good suction mount, the 241V. There aren't a lot of places you can mount it on a Corvette due to the heavily curved glass but I used it at the beginning of the 17 MB video here on the 5th line down www.corvetteclips.co.uk/VideoClips.html however I switched to hand held for more drama at the end !

I'd recommend Speed Graphic for buying clamps, supports and tripod bits from. www.speedgraphic.co.uk/html/prodframe.html

[v15ben]

Admittedly its just a standard family hatch, so a windscreen suction clamp type thing sounds like the best bet, or a mate with brown trousers who is prepared to sit and hold the camera while I drive!

Might give it a try, has anyone else tried this with a standard digital camera and limited resources??!!

[te51cle]

Before I found exactly the right spot on the windscreen I did manage to wedge the camera in place on a head rest using a bit of bungee and a couple of old socks. It costs nothing to try that method out but you'll probably still find it a bit wobbly.

[rico]

t351cle,

i did that too! Lifted the headrest up enough to wedge the camcorder under, then tied the camera down to the head rest poles. Worked really well! Then just angle the back of the seat to the correct place and voila... great in-car vids.

Not much use if you are taking a passenger mind...

[te51cle]

Not a problem here, for some strange reason people only ever ride as a passenger with me once...

[GreenV8S]

Maybe something to do with the camera lodged in the back of their neck?

[parrot of doom]

May I suggest a magic arm?

www.camuser.co.uk/reviews/Accessories/Manfrotto/ManfrottoArmandClamp.php

Very widely used, and if its setup correctly it won't suffer from excessive vibration. If you can't live with the vibration, then you'll need to brace the camera in some way, or buy a smaller mount.

Be aware - mounts, including the magic arm, are often very heavy, and they must be very securely fixed before driving, unless you want a camcorder shaped hole in the back of your head!

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

Or try the above

>> Edited by parrot of doom on Friday 24th December 00:23

[v15ben]

rico said:

t351cle, i did that too! Lifted the headrest up enough to wedge the camcorder under, then tied the camera down to the head rest poles. Worked really well! Then just angle the back of the seat to the correct place and voila... great in-car vids. Not much use if you are taking a passenger mind...

Yep, I will give it a try just in normal driving tomorrow (yes I will be driving tomorrow!!)
What do you suggest I use to secure the camera to the seat below the headrest??