GoPro Placement

Discussion in 'Video Cameras' started by Mikie, Sep 16, 2018.


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  1. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I rode with @mtnbikej , @Grego , Trail Slayer, and none other than @Tom the Bomb down in OC yesterday.
    I mounted my GoPro on my Bell helmet on top. I have never had good luck doing that...:mad:

    So the angle of the camera was good. Last time I videoed some trail, the camera was looking down in front of the wheel. But apparently the mount on the helmet had some slop in it and the camera was flopping up and down so none of the video was stable. I was really hoping to get some great video of whoever was dropping The Luge in front of me yesterday which happen to be Tom the Bomb. The video sucked AGAIN! :mad:. I think I’m giving up on the “on top of the helmet” mount. Thinking of going back to the “Chesty”.

    @scottay , you are using a Chesty right? Did you get a gimbal? Seems like your vids are pretty stable. Tips? Tricks?
     
  2. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    @Mikie - most will disagree, but I've found the best spot for the GoPro is actually clamped to your fork stanchion. Unless you actually use every bit of your travel, in which case that location would suck. :oops:

    An alternative is to hang it from your handlebars. :thumbsup:

    As long as it's clamped securely to a part of your bike, you won't have those issues.
     
  3. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I did try that on Golden Eagle one time. When I watched the video back I just about got motion sickness from the camera sweeping back and forth as I railed down the descent. Maybe I Mount it to the head tube, but I was concerned about the trail chatter transferring to the camera. Our bodies “gimbal” pretty good. Especially on the helmet but.....
    Best luck I have had is on the side of my helmet or mounted on my saddle pointing backwards...
     
  4. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Yep helmet mounts can be awesome or really suck and they never do justice for the trail features. It is easy to reach up and turn on your camera though. Only other mount I have is the stem cap mount. While I like the depth perception it gives by being able to see the bars & stem & front tire it bounces around too much when things get rowdy. Gotta day I think the best vids I’ve seen have come from the ghetto duct tape headtube mounts currently being patented by @hill^billy & @scottay.
     
  5. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I have the stem cap mount, as well as the metal GoPro handlebar mount. Both are stable and don’t move... the metal GoPro mount is around $60, which is a rip-off, but it works... And it comes with the inserts for different handlebar sizes.
     
  6. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Chest mount FTW!

    It's my understanding that there is a brand new GoPro model that has the stability of a Gimbal built into the unit!!!
     
    DangerDirtyD, Tom the Bomb and Mikie like this.
  7. hill^billy

    hill^billy iMTB Rockstah

    @Mikie> My personal preference is head tube, points with the bike, good height and puts you in the trail, seems to capture more of your speed, because of the height you can see everything flashing by better. As for jerkyness it seems to smooth it out just a little better. Much like the people won’t watch your vid if it has music in it I perfer some jerk, gives you more perspective on what sort of trail you are riding. Smooth it all out and make it look easy I guess? Buzz word, easy easy easy! BTW I don’t use duct tape.
     
    DangerDirtyD, Tom the Bomb and Mikie like this.
  8. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    I prefer helmet mount view, but you definitely have to have it on right, in the right spot, pointing the correct location, and the right viewing angle.
     
  9. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I have seen a lot of guys now mounting them under their visor. I like the idea as I get the goal of showing what you actually see. The GoPro's are so big and boxy that they would appear to obstruct your vision.
    For some reason, on top of the helmet just seems to present a video that seems so above the action. I like it when the camera is low and in the weeds but stable to show the terrain you are hitting.
     
  10. BonsaiNut

    BonsaiNut iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Troutman, NC
    Name:
    Greg P
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower CC XX1
    The issue with all GoPros is their wide angle lens. Chest and head mounts pull you back from the trail so much it is hard to capture perspective. As long as you have a front suspension, I find that I enjoy a handlebar or head tube mount because it gets you forward and down toward the trail. Otherwise you feel like you are getting a fish-eye view of the ride.

    I also have a selfie stick, and I find I use the stick more than the mount - except during riding. On vacations to Yellowstone and Fiji, the stick allowed me to get great close-ups of wild-life, flowers, underwater, dolphins, hot springs, etc. Snorkeling and free-diving it was all about the stick :)

    Here's some gimbals... I have thought about it but I have never tried one.

    close.jpg
     
    mtnbikej and Mikie like this.
  11. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    What I got from Ben Goyette's experimenting is having a small piece of the front of the helmet and the handlebars viewable. Helps with the perspective. No perfect, but helps. And also not recording in wide, but I suddenly forgot the numbers (I'll look in a few). It shows more top to bottom and less on the sides. Also helps with perspective. It's never going to be as good as you want it to be.

    Now this is purely, 100% my personal opinion, but I don't like chest views. Even worse: gimbals. I hate gimbals! On the bars are okay with you can see the front wheel, but only okay. But again, personal opinion.
     
    mtnbikej and Mikie like this.
  12. littlewave

    littlewave Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Newport Beach
    Name:
    Brett
    Current Bike:
    GG Smash (Alu)
    Funny, I love the chest/gimbal view. Helmet is ok. Not as big a fan of on bars.

    Yeah Mikey try shooting in medium FOV instead of wide.
     
    mtnbikej and Mikie like this.
  13. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Bringing this thread back to life…
    I bought a new GoPro Black 10 and want to start recording my rides here in NWA.
    I have all kinds of mounts ( saddle, bars, steer stem, etc) but like the look of the chest mount the most because you get some hand, arm, and handle bar action to help give the chunk factor. I say this as the new generation of GoPro’s have the feature that really helps take the jitters but dumbs down the technical features of the trail.

    Did a couple test rides and each time the camera is pointed right in front of the bike losing that look ahead of what is coming up. Grrrr!:mad:

    @scottay and @redwoods vids cam out awesome when I was out there last time wearing it on the chest. @SnakeCharmer bar vids always are sweet as well! But I want to get that chest angle vid out here.

    Can you fellers walk me through best camera settings and the magic of setting up the correct camera angle on the chest mount to get the best vid?
     
    Faust29 and Obsidian like this.
  14. Lost Kiwi

    Lost Kiwi Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Portola Hills
    Name:
    Simon
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    For me the best chest mount angle is about 45 degrees laid back over the mount pointing up. I then run the camera upside down.
    GP Angle.jpg
    I use superview to get as wide as possible. Seem to end up with a good amount of arms, bars and trail ahead.

    I gave up mounting on the bike, to much noise comes through the mic.

    A lot of the youtubers say the closer you can mount your camera to your eyes the better perspective you will give. I want to try under the visor but current helmet doesn't have enough room. I don't want to mount on top of the helmet cos when I crash I have a tendency to use my head to break the fall and replacing go-pros all the time will find me even more out of favour with the financial controller than I currently am.
     
  15. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    This is very helpful, Mate! (See how I can jump culture on the dime? :p) Funny you should mention close to the eyes. I saw this as I surfed the net.
    It’s about the product not the “bike” he is on… ya’ll stay focused heeah!


    Previous to my post I tried two sessions attempting to adjust the angle of the camera. I set it up the same way you suggested. Upside down at what I thought was a 45 degree. I need to adjust the angle even more as I was just getting bars and right in front of the wheel. You neck hurts from mentally trying to Will the camera to lift up more while watching the results.

    Thought about make a little jig to pre-set the proper angle before the ride to stay consistent.
     
  16. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    @Mikie - dude, you will NEVER be a true Arkansanite if you can't spell "y'all." It's short for "you all." When addressing one individual it is the 2nd person singular; more than one it's "all y'all" and in 2nd person plural.

    Hope this helps!!! :facepalm::p:rolleyes:
     
    SnakeCharmer, Mikie, Rumpled and 2 others like this.
  17. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    It’s true. I have acquired zero Arkansan accent or grammatical sentence deterioration other than the existing English language abominations I already possess. And here I was excited about learning a foreign language. :oops:
     
  18. CBone

    CBone iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Antelope Valley
    Name:
    Tucker
    Current Bike:
    Intense Primer
    I heard you took up fishn’ @Mikie
    IMG_0606.png
     
    Runs with Scissors likes this.
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?