Tripod/Head for dual video cameras
 

Okay, I am looking for a specialty tripod. I am a local H. S. football coach and would like to get/put together a tripod that can hold two video cameras, the smaller consumer ones. It would be nice to have remote control ability to zoom on one of the cameras, as the other one is going to have a set at a wider angle then the other to get a wide angle view of the field, while the other would be tighter and follow the play.

The only set ups I have seen include two cameras, which I don't need, as I have enough of those. And I just can't seem to find just the tripod set up.

Any assistance you all could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Chuck

Hi Chuck............
 

Your wish is my command!

http://www.b-hague.co.uk/Tripods%20L...0Manfrotto.htm

I'll save you a bit of $ with a DIY rig I used to to a test compro. It involved a Stroboframe Quick-Flip bracket, a small Bogen ball-head and an L-bracket I had laying around. DIY to the rescue. You can mount the 2nd camera almost anywhere on the bracket, but I wanted the lenses to be as close as possible (while still accessing all the buttons of each camera. Therefore, the 2nd mini-ball head was necessary. Otherwise, you can plop one camera on top of the bracket using a 1/4 screw.

Wow... I am impressed. I have been searching the net for quite a while and have yet to find a commercial solution to my problem... Thanks Chris for that link to Hague Camera Supports.

Oren, I like that DIY solution you have come up with. I have copied the picture and I am going to hit the camera stores this week and see if I can make your solution work for the two cameras I am going to use for taping our football games.

Thanks you guys for the direction and info!!!

Chuck

Chris, this seems to be a good solution, but what if you don't have a bowl mounted tripod?

Also, I don't know if my Bogen 501 HDV heads can mount in a bowl assembly.

Actually I ran across this on B&H from Bogen.
The only question would be is if it's long enough to give enough clearance for 2 FX1's.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ssory_Arm.html

Michael, After looking at the picture of this it appears you can mount the bar on a bowl or a column. Can't rally see the bottom but I would guess the bar has the proper threaded hole to mount on a column like the 3246 legs have. Yes the 501 head will work with a bowl. My 515 legs have a 501 on a bowl. The head(s) will mount to anything that has a 3/8" stud.

Don

Thanks for the reply Don.
I actually went ahead and picked up the Bogen double mount.
For starters it's cheaper and easier to get (as I'm in the states) than the Hauge one, but also gives me 2 additional side mounting point for accessories or cameras if I like.

I have a shoot coming up in August that I can use this for, where I am shooting alone and need to run 3 cameras. So I was thinking about running (center) one camera wide, and one camera medium. Then I can run the front camera for closeups and cutaways.

Michael - do you know if there is enough space between the (top) connectors to mount an XLH1 and an XHG1?

I cant see how the side mounts could be used with a camera - wouldn't you need a 90 degree adapter?


Just wondering - do you really need tripod heads mounted on the arm? Given that both cams will typically be focused on the same subject couldn't you mount the arm on a tripod head and then have the cams more or less static on the arm?


I'd be very interested to hear how you get on with the unit.

Peter I don't have the mount yet but should sometime this week.

I am going to be mounting 2 Sony FX1's. So if these fit then there might be enough room to mount 2 XHG1's. Not sure though about 2 XLH1's though, as I don't think there is enough clearance to mount two of these.

The idea of using the side mounts would indeed be attaching a rotatable mount, and use some small Cannon HV20's. I'm also contemplating using the 2 side mounts for mounting mics for live recording. But this would be in a total audio recoding setup using my Edirol R-44 and 4 separate mic elements.

Michael - will you be using a head underneath the unit? Or two heads on top of it? I have a dance recital shoot coming up where I would like to rig something up but both cams would have to move as one...I'm thinking maybe a beefy head below the arm and then a lighter head to tweak the wide shot (XHG1), but have the close up cam (XLH1) static on the arm controlled by the head fixed to the tripod....

Peter 2 full size fluid (Bogen 501HDV) heads will be mounted on it with cameras accordingly. Or I might mount my smaller Bogen 701RC heads on it.

You could probably find a way to mount the bar on a fluid head (by attaching a QR plate to the bottom of the bar).
But I don't have need for this as I would rather have the bar stationary and have the pan heads on top rotate accordingly.

So for me for a stage performance let's say I could either have one camera wide and one closeup, or have both cameras split the stage in two at various points in the performance (left and right).

right/left and then composite in post? - sounds like Woodstock. I'd be interested to hear how it turns out.

If the cameras are controlled separately then the only advantage over 2 tripods is saving a little floor space, right? Wouldn't an israeli arm mounted to the tripod leg be just as useful?

Peter, I like the idea of a dual head system on a tripod as opposed to an Israeli arm, because I still have immediate and easily accessible pan control of my cameras rather than simply being fixed to an arm.

The scenario that I gave for a stage shoot was simply one example, where I might want identical closeups at a given time. Another way I would normally be using this setup for stage would be one camera set to wide and the other for closeups. For simple A/B editing.

Of course one way that I am really planning on using this etup is for wedding ceremonies.

Where I would have 2 cams (center aisle in rear of church shooting up the aisle) where one camera is wide and the other is medium. Then I can be up front with another camera getting closeups from different angles. I see this as an easier way for me to do a solo 3 camera shoot and have 2 consistently framed shots (at different focal lengths) to cut to.

If I had one camera center one on the right and one on the left, then I would have to be more mobile constantly adjusting 3 cameras. Having 2 center at different focal lengths makes it easier for me to move back from the side tripod to the dual tripod, and reframe the 2 cameras if necessary.

And if I have 2 second camera op, then it's easy for them to man 2 cameras at once. And maybe focus on closeup of a reader, then use the second camera for the wide shot or maybe a medium of the bride and grooms reactions.

with you 100% Michael - solo 3 cam shoot in a relaxed professional manner - that is the goal. You can mount a head on an israeli arm though.

At weddings I will very often have 2 cams next to each other exactly as you describe.

My main concern with having both cams on the arm is that zoomed in close-ups can so easily be ruined by small vibrations...