Underwater Video - Gun Mounted

[tbgsub]

my what big bars you all have for mounting your little digital cams.
i AM thinking that the large flat, or squared off bar causes almost as much drag as the camera housing.
recently I mounted a rail mount for a laser for fun, but Im now curious how I can mate it to my Nikon 5600 sub housing (decent 5.1MP camera with Video/audio capability). I am hoping to capture the over the bands shot since it is the area of most action.
my gun has a small area behind the shooting meck for the camera, I just need to make a small adapter plate with the right screw for the housing mount. the biggest trick is pulling it off without making anymore holes than the Omer Cobra comes stock. so i am thinking a clamping bracket to the base of the handle or something similar.
it is good to see so many great ideas here.

what about a small subsurface head camera = less drag, better wide angle possibilities. and perhaps less obtrusive?

[Jon]

My first attempt was to mount the camera right on the butt of my gun. Of course it was a bg hassle every time I had to load the bands and I soon decided on mounting it off to the side. since the bar is made of aluminum it is very light and doesn't cause as much drag as the housing itself. My new, much smaller, housing will make it much eaiser to drag around.

There used to be something called a "Sea eye" that was a small camera, tube shaped, that was attached to a larger video recorder. the bulk of it could be strapped to a tank or worn around the waist. It was a much larger unit than anything we're putting together now, but there were a few videos put togther from it. It would be a nice idea to have something small like that with a detachabe camera head. I think that I have seen something similat for mountain biking. the camera lens goes on the helmet and the recorder can be worn on the back or wait. I know of NO housings for them.

With my camera mounted the way it is I can zoom in to cut the bands out of my shot or zoom out to include them in the shot.
Jon

[jimdoe2you]

As I stated in post #14, I was selling my giant Ocean Images housing so I can grow up to be just like you guys . Well the housing sold, I did my research, and I looked high and low for the best deals I could find. Here is my outcome:

I decided to go with Canon's new G7 instead of the S80 due to a few advanced features that make it a real shining star for underwater filming. The Canon G7, Canon WP-DC11 underwater housing, Sandisk 2GB Ultra2 SD card, additional battery, and Pelican 1300 watertight case with foam all added up to only $753 which is less than what I budgeted for the S80 setup. The camera and housing were purchased from an authorized Canon dealer to insure valid warranties.

I also picked up a Riffe Euro gun because the reel attachment area is perfectly preset for mounting a bracket and camera. The bracket is my next project. I will post the finished setup as soon as I get it done.

Jim



[Edit: "Don't anyone tell Eric about this thread, ..............because I used my Liquivision F1 money on this camera setup. ]

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[Fondueset]

Nice! Look forward to your review of both camera and gun.

[tbgsub]

looks like the major trick is still being able to sight down the bolt for a good shot with a camera in your face! :P
maby a raised camera that sits on top of an H styled mount from the Butt of the gun, that allows easy loading, to allow an un interrupted view for the HUNT! I also think a camera mounted on the front or middle of the gun pointed at the diver sould be pretty cool for a few action shots in a VID. or how about a raised camera from a weight vest, or strap system, to show the body posture and angle of attack during a dive. even a floating camera at the float in wide angle mode would yield something interesting to look at.

the Video camera will need reasonably good resolution, and fairly excellent low light exposure using ambient lighting, and should be small. noot sure what models those would be though.