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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Isolating a video camera from vibration
Michael Stevens, Photographer, Assistant
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Glendale | AZ | USA | Posted: 5:16 PM on 06.14.11 |
->> At a recent triathalon I mounted a videocamera on a big tower behind the finish line. It happened to be the only thing to mount it on high enough but it was also serving as the stand for the big PA speakers. It was attached using a SuperClamp and small ballhead.
After reviewing the video I'm told it's unusable. I have yet to see the video but I'm told it's jumbled and pixelated, like when your digital cable goes on the fritz, but mostly shaky.
I need to find some way to isolate the camera from these vibrations for the next race. Usually, we have several places to choose from for mounting but I don't believe this will be the last time this could occur.
I thought using a Magic Arm instead of just a SuperClamp might HELP to isolate it but that's far from perfect, too.
Any ideas? Googling turned up plenty on Image Stabilization but not much else that I could find.
Thanks,
Mike |
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Guy Rhodes, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 5:57 PM on 06.14.11 |
->> Is it pixellation (like maybe dirty record heads in the camera), or is it CMOS "jello shutter" roll where the image appears to wiggle horizontally? Once you've eliminated dirty record heads from a tape-based camera as the culprit, here's some suggestions:
Your best bet to solve the issue, obviously, is to steer clear of the PA stacks.
If you must rig off the PA tower, maybe you can rig your camera off of a short pipe hung from the tower with a few pieces of rope / bungee cords? The soft points of the rope should help isolate your rig from the vibration. You can use more than two points in different directions to stop it from swinging in the breeze.
Anther idea is to use a magic arm with 2 superclamps and use the jaws of one of the the clamps to grip onto the camera (rather than using a magic arm with a 1/4" camera plate). In the jaws of the clamp that you'll wedge the camera into, stick some rubber pads / stiff foam to act as a cushion.
Can you use the PA stacks to your advantage? Can you nestle the camera into a shot bag sitting atop one of the speaker cabinets, perhaps placing a soft towel between the camera and the bag?
I've never had this issue, so I can't say for sure that these ideas will work - just helping you brainstorm. |
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Michael Stevens, Photographer, Assistant
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Glendale | AZ | USA | Posted: 6:50 PM on 06.14.11 |
->> I'd thought about using some rubber or something between the clamp/magic arm and clamp/camera. The ropes/bungees is a unique thought on it. I'm not sure how easy that would be to implement. Have to give it some more thought.
Seems to me that anything that will isolate the camera from vibrations will allow the camera to move around and that's not ideal either.
Hmmm... |
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Robert Scheer, Photographer
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Indianapolis | IN | USA | Posted: 5:39 PM on 06.15.11 |
| ->> Michael, I'd go lots of foam padding as well, at all of your contact points for some basic damping. What kind of camera have you been using? |
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Michael Stevens, Photographer, Assistant
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Glendale | AZ | USA | Posted: 6:44 PM on 06.16.11 |
| ->> It's a Canon Vixia but I don't know what model. The company owns quite a few and I doubt it's top of the line... |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 8:11 PM on 06.16.11 |
->> "Jumbled and pixelated" sounds like RF interference -- not physical instability. Was this some sort of broadcasting tower?
It would help to see a sample.
--Mark |
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Michael Stevens, Photographer, Assistant
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Glendale | AZ | USA | Posted: 2:25 AM on 06.25.11 |
| ->> No broadcasting, Mark. I finally saw a clip of it and it certainly seemed to be vibrating from the speakers on top of the tower. I didn't seem any of the pixelation that was mentioned but I only saw about a 10 second clip. |
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Louis Brems, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Moline | IL | United States | Posted: 8:52 AM on 06.25.11 |
| ->> You guys could look into buying a Gyro Stabilizer. |
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