Steve
I’ve been experimenting with 360 camera mounts for the truck lately. The Insta360 X4 has been the primary camera on the YouTube channel for a while and I’ve recently been trying the mag mount on the hood of the truck. That works well, but it uses a telescopic selfie stick, and the camera on the end of that thin metal tube does a great impression of a pendulum. With some RAM Mount parts I’ve cobbled together a 2ft and 4ft alternative. These are made with PVC pipe, in the case of the 2ft version using the RAM Mount pipe. It is slightly larger than 3/4” schedule 40 pipe size and has internal cross bracing. The 4ft version uses 3/4” schedule 40 PVC conduit and some adapters RAM Mounts sell. I’ll paint it if it works. :)

I don’t yet have any footage to show from these but will post some as and when I have it.

And yes that’s Junipero Serra peak gratuitously in the background. :)

#Insta360X4 #RamMounts #TruckLife #CameraRig #ActionCam
Feb 22 at 7:11pmWeb
Show threadDavid CroyleFeb 22
@steve That looks pretty sturdy. My experiments with a similar PVC mount for my GoPros weren't great. Definitely too flexy without internal support and just ok (but usable) with a dowel inside.
Show threadSteveFeb 22
@croyle I shot the South Coast Ridge Road with the regular Insta360 telescopic selfie stick thingy. It worked, and the footage is usable, and for a lot of it, great. However, if the undulations on the trail happened to randomly align in the wrong way, it was a pendulum, a thing on a spring. The 4ft PVC version is definitely more rigid than the selfie stick, but I have not put it on the truck yet to try it out. The 360 camera is great at stabilizing small vibrations, but for undulations where the perspective of the whole scene is changing, that is pretty much what you see in the stabilized footage. :) I am looking forward to testing this!
Show threadSteveFeb 22
@croyle I should add that the 3ft version is the same length as the selfie stick, and I have it mounted at the front of the hood, so it leads the truck by a foot or two. Makes for great, clear front-facing shots, and a 'drone' effect if you spin the view back toward the truck, the forced perspective works really well. Also, this 3/4" pipe (and the RAM Mount paraphernalia) disappear with the camera lens stitching. I was afraid they'd be too fat, but at least in some quick tests, it doesn't appear to be the case.
Show threadSteveMar 2
@croyle well the longer one was no use whatsoever! I used the shorter one which appeared much better. I’ve yet to review footage. 🤞🏻
Show threadDavid CroyleMar 2

@steve Interesting... I gave up on playing with the long (4 foot?) extension myself and just used the GoPro attached to the roof rack, which worked for most of what I wanted and was much simpler.

The long extension did get an interesting new view that I could edit into the mix, but these days I could also get those shots and more with my drone, if I was so inclined. Of course the drone requires more work and time though.

Show threadSteveMar 2
@croyle [edit: my response went into the alt text - not familiar with this new masto client yet] Update! The 2ft (really closer to 3ft) works great, stable footage on the 360 cam, and also bonus angles like this!
Show threadSteveMar 2
@croyle I can’t count the number of times I have charged the drone batteries and remote, but never got it out of its case on a trip just because of the sheer faff.
Show threadDavid CroyleMar 2

@steve Yeah I find that for me personally, I really have to prioritize getting good footage and staging things over just enjoying the trip, so I almost never do it. :)

I still enjoy my drone, but I haven't used it on a drive for years.