I have been thinking to get a POV (Point Of View) camera for my bike. While browsing on the net I found several posts indicating various DIY solutions for a camera mount for bikes. I decided to give ot a try just before spending money on a “professional” solution.
The KIT
The kit (big laughs) comprises of a taillight ring (not shown gere but it is a standard Cateye ring), a screw and a butterfly. The cost was very low… so low that i cannot remember.
I used my normal camera which is a Lumix DMC – FZ8 and it was mounted on the handlebar of my full suspension mountain bike which is a Yeti 575.
The Output
I shot several videos and I will post the most representative examples of the output of this project.
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The first example displays the outcome of riding on the road.
The second example displays the outcome of riding gravel and dirt.
The third example displays the outcome of riding a lakeside singletrack.
As you see the output is poor and there are two annoying features in all shots.
- The mount on the handlebar is not ideal. As I adjust the course of the bike while riding, the shot moves along . We should have in mind also that this bike has a short stem (50mm) which increases the steering input to the shot.
- A lot of vibration is transfered to the shot, due to the fact that the cameras contact poit is a long screw, which does not absorbes any of the riding vibration
So, I am calling this experiment / project a failure. Stay tunes as I will present the specs and examples of all POV cameras during my selection process. Abiento!
Video γκραν γκινιόλ!!
Τρόμαξα, ανησύχησα και ζαλίστηκα…
Good information -I actually am looking to make myself a handlebar-mounted camera this weekend. And the best part is that I actually am also starting with a taillight ring!
Cheers
Try using a small / thin camera. This will reduce (I suspect…) the vibration. My camera is power zoom and it has a big lens coming out of the body. Good Luch and come back to share your results if you may.
I did it! Actually I have the same setup you do, but I am looking to do very short videos/stills, so I’m not so worried about the vibration.
My camera is pretty small, it’s an older Kodak Easyshare, and you’re right that does help with stability. I ended up installing two mounts which will stay on permanently, one on the handlebar and one fork, sideways, where it’s closer to the ground and part of the tire is visible on every shot. You know, for the dramatic effect.
It’s been rainy here, but as soon as I get out again I’ll put some pics up on my blog.
[…] and it was oh-so easy. I thought it would be pretty easy, and gathered my materials; then I found this blog, and realized I wasn’t as original as I thought. So what is it? It’s a handlebar […]
[…] test of my camera mount. Only took it around the yard a couple of times. As Path_Rider pointed out, it’s quite shaky, but I think it will serve my purposes. More, better videos to […]
[…] test of my camera mount. Only took it around the yard a couple of times. As Path_Rider pointed out, it’s quite shaky, but I think it will serve my purposes. More, better videos to […]
[…] and it was oh-so easy. I thought it would be pretty easy, and gathered my materials; then I found this blog, and realized I wasn’t as original as I thought. So what is it? It’s a handlebar […]
Nice work! great blog
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