Balcony Adjustable Camera Mount

[NickVon]

Our Theatre space is used for a vide variety of activities. We have a little High End Consumer camera that we use to recorde weekly lectures for a class so they can be podcast. We also on occasion use the camera for Wide angel of the entire theatre, and/or a more focus shot of the Projector screen/ whole stage/ or just podium.

As of now. The camera has a flimsy plastic mount that is not "adjustable focus" friendly. It design implies aiming a camera tighting the mount joint and never touching it again. our balcony level is (the control booth) with a flat floor and a lighting positions of two rails at knee and chest hight. The current mount is below the floor level of the balcony on the wall facing the stage (with the adjusting screw on the under side.)

I'm been trying to google search for a camera mount that can be attached to either, our standard sized electric's pip, or the wall, but has a more standard "tripod" adjustment/tightening functionality.

Any one have such a thing? thoughts on unbuilding a tripod and adding a c/clamp to it? A Motorized remote controled mount is probaly outa price range and a little overkill, unless "one fell of the back of a truck somewhere cheap". Thank you for any input.

 

[derekleffew]

I'm not certain, but I believe this

tripods, heads, monopods, light stands, camera supports, lighting supports, professional tripod 400 - GEARED HEAD

can attach to this

tripods, heads, monopods, light stands, camera supports, lighting supports, professional tripod Product List

See also

Super Mafer 486 - The Tube Clamp Camera Mount

As with everything overhead, be sure to use a safety cable as a secondary means of attachment.

 

[Fred]

Beaten to it -
Above mount (2nd picture + manfroto ball head) is exactly what I have. Attaches to everything from a standard pipe to a convenient 2x4/edge of plywood.

The head is the same thing as would attach to a tripod - above the entry level they tend to come as sepperate parts. I found mine at a local camera specialty shop (with the added convenience to playing with different configuations to find the one I liked).

Just be sure your head is set up for a video camera-slightly different than a still foot (the thing that attaches to the camera). Most are universal, but some may not be).

 

[NickVon]

Yikes that "ball head" is pricey. I guess my brain pricing on video/camera equipment is WAY off I'll gona browse around that manfrotto site maybe another ball head will better fit my budget and needs. After all the camera is not refocused that often just looking for something much easier then yanking a ladder out and usinga scredriver and crescent wrench to tighting the current one from the under side.

 

[Footer]

Keep in mind the more the camera weighs the more the head will cost. Most professional heads are made for 15-20lb cameras. If you have a 5lb prosumer camera, you can get a cheaper head.

 

[NickVon]

Yes Footer,

I've found this
Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 482 Micro Ball Head | 482 | B&H

and it's a Cannon FS22 with a beachteck XLR mic input box mounted on it.

not a huge camera

This is the camera
Canon | FS22 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder | 3419B001 | B&H Photo

 

[SHARYNF]

If you search on Ebay Camera Ball Head you will see a number of under 50 dollar ball heads that should work. What I did for a number of remote controllable cameras is to have a l shaped bracket made up that the ball head is attached to on the long side of the L and then a clamp is attached on the short side. With the Ball head it is easily adjustable and works great.

Sharyn

 

[BillESC]

I'd suggest a different direction, change the camera, not the mount.

The Sony EVI-D70 is a fully robotic camera with an amazing zoom capability, pan/tilt, auto focus and works down to 1 lux of light.

 

[SHARYNF]

Interesting Bill mentions the EVI D70.. what I mount on these l brackets are the Canon VC50. It has a 26x optical zoom etc

Canon VC-C50i Pan/Tilt/Zoom Camera

Sharyn

 

[NickJones]

You can get robotic camera heads for under $100.
IR Motorised Pan/Tilt Camera Mount
Wired Motorised Pan/Tilt Camera Head

An 'el cheapo tripod will cost you under $50 put if you want smooth panning it must be a fluid head. However if you have another camera you can cut to when it's moving, your cheapy one will do fine.

Nick

 

[NickVon]

Some intresting ideas here.

In the short run i'm restricted to what the Media Center on campus is willing install, hence the Cannon FS22

Recordings for shows is archival purposes only

Regarding the podcasts, it's basicly just recording a person at a podium and a projector screen.

Some good thoughts in here though for future consideration. I couldn't tell from the features of the EV1 D70, but i'm guessing video captures has to be PC side since i doesn't appear to have a internal HD capacity/or DV tape. So it is at it's simplist a very cool camera, not a video recorder.

thank you for all the feedback

 

[BillESC]

You're correct, it is a camera only.

 

[Studio]

cut the head of a cheap tripod and using bolts connect it to a c-clamp of directly to one of the poles.

 

[gafftaper]

In order to mount my camera. I got a cheap mini tripod and removed the mounting mechanism from the legs. Attached that to a piece of 1x6... which i trimmed the width of a bit. Added some 1x4 sides to make a little trough with the camera in the middle. Bolted the sides into a spare Source Four yoke (thus the need for trimming the 1x6 earlier). Add C-clamp. Nice and sturdy.

 

[museav]

Some good thoughts in here though for future consideration. I couldn't tell from the features of the EV1 D70, but i'm guessing video captures has to be PC side since i doesn't appear to have a internal HD capacity/or DV tape. So it is at it's simplist a very cool camera, not a video recorder.

Well, you did title the thread "Balcony Adjustable Camera Mount" and not "Balcony Adjustable Camcorder Mount", so that infers that local recording is not required. Simply an example of where the terminology used has some specific connotation that can lead people to interpret it in a particular manner. And recording from an EVI or VC-C type camera doesn't have to be on the "PC side", it could be to any of a number of recording devices or media.

From experience, when considering any 'robotic' cameras, carefully consider the application. If you will be moving the camera while it is live you may find the lower cost robotic heads or cameras unacceptable, their movement is often not smooth enough or may not have finite enough control. Similarly, if you want to make large camera movements quickly some of the lower cost units may not handle that as well. And with stand alone robotic pan/tilt heads you may have to address remote zoom and/or focus separately. In situations where the camera will be operated while live you may need to look at much more expensive 'broadcast quality' robotics. Packaged units like the Sony EVI and BRC units typically fall somewhere between those two extremes, with some of the higher end units actually being quite good.

Another consideration with packaged camcorders or camera and pan/tilt units is the optics. What kind of shots can you get from the camera location with the integrated lens? Many of the lower cost packaged camera and pan/tilt assemblies are really intended for videoconferencing applications and thus have a fairly wide angle lens, limiting how tight a shot you can get when the camera is some distance from the subject. And many camcorders get the published zoom range through a combination of optical and digital zoom, the latter reducing the resolution and thus often better avoided.