Easy car mount technique

I couldn't think of an easier way. I found this old magnet my father had in his garage. It's so strong, I nearly pulled the whole shelf down just trying to get it away (seriously, it almost killed me). I took an old tripod mount and bolted it on. Laid a cloth down on the car so it doesn' scratch and put a few more magnets in the back so it doesn't bounce around. Works flawlessly. I believe you can purchase a large magnet like this at www.mcmaster.com. It might be pretty expensive to buy one but if you have one laying around in your garage.....

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54...arMount002.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54...arMount001.jpg

[Paul Cascio]

Just might erase your tapes. Also, aren't most cars made of aluminum?

Oh yeah...forgot about that. Well the magnet is the silver portion of it, so the tape is a few inches away. I recorded it and it looked great. I'll investigate into that a little bit more.

As for the aluminum part, I'm not really sure but it stuck very strongly to the hood, not as strong on the side panels.

[Tim Le]

Holy smokes that's a big magnet!

But I still prefer a suction cup: http://www.mytoolstore.com/woods/mounts.html

Btw, most cars are made from steel.

[Danny Natovich]

Originally Posted by Paul Cascio

Just might erase your tapes. Also, aren't most cars made of aluminum?

Not at all, Most car hoods and side doors are made from iron metal sheets

Do those suction cups work that well? I mean does it have to be those? what seems like expensive high quality ones. Or could I go to the store and get regular large suction cups?

[Dan Keaton]

I would be afraid that a magnet that big might dent the hood.

The professional suction cups might be safer, and maybe cheaper than a magnet that big.

You can also buy small, but very powerful rare earth magnets.

Yes, neodymium magnets are very strong for their size. But they can also be more expensive. Plus I had this laying around. I can even use it for a dolly, just rotate the camera perpendicular to the car and drive slowly. Since I don't have enough funds to make/buy a dolly.

[Tim Le]

Originally Posted by Sean Gipe

Do those suction cups work that well? I mean does it have to be those? what seems like expensive high quality ones. Or could I go to the store and get regular large suction cups?

They work really well because they actually have a small pump in them that you use to take out the air under the suction cup. This creates a vacuum which produces lot of force because atmospheric pressure (at about 14 psi) is pushing on that suction cup and holding it there. There is also a safety indicator that tells you when the vacuum has reached an unsafe level. Of course, these suction cups aren't idiot proof so it is possible they could fail if you don't use them properly. But they're a lot less likely to fail than some generic suction cup. These cups were originally designed for handling large pieces of glass and stuff like that.

If you don't have enough money yet to afford these cups, I would just wait, save up your money and then get them. When it comes to camera support, buying cheap gear that could endanger your camera is not a good idea.

Also, please, PLEASE, always use a secondary safety strap that holds the camera to the car in case the rig fails. This will save your camera from smashing into the ground or worst, hit an innocent bystander. Other than that, have fun!

Oh I see. I was never going to use the magnet device for the sides of back, I didn't trust it. That and my 2nd safety measure didn't seem so safe, so I abandoned that project.

Do you recommend a certain model or anything? I was planning on shooting footage from the outside of the car, either attached on the hood, side panel, or on top of the trunk. I've seen other mounts but they might have been cheap. And I totally agree with what you said, you can't go cheap when it's your camera's life. :(

[Tim Le]

Originally Posted by Sean Gipe

Do you recommend a certain model or anything?

I don't remember exactly which ones I have, but I think I have a few of the 4.5" ones with the 1/4-20 stud and one of the 6" ones. Obviously the bigger they are, the more weight they can carry but the surface has to be relatively flat. The 1/4-20 stud will let you mount baby pins to it or a ballhead or camera platform, etc. Here are some ideas on how to rig it up:

http://cinemasupplies.stores.yahoo.net/carmounts.html

Wow, some of those setups are complex! I'll look around for a cheaper method, yet make it secure.

[Robert Aldrich]

See:
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/produc...rodid=MFJ-336T

The above link is for a mag-mount for a ham antenna on a car. A friend of mine mounts four or five antennas from a single tri-mount on the top of his car. Go to any ham radio store and they will be able to set you up for very cheaply! You will just have to figure out how to mount the camera to the mount. The magnets are shielded from above so you probably won't have to worry about demagnetizing your tapes either....and the mount is VERY hard to pull off and is virtually wind/shock-resistant at any speed.

Here's one company, Ham Radio Outlet, for instance:

http://www.hamradio.com/web/stores/burbank.html

That looks like it would work very well, thanks! Earlier, I was thinking of some swinging arm device to attach to the mount so I can position the camera any which way I want.

[David C Wright]

The best thing I have found is a cine saddle. They are available in the US through several suppliers. Check out their web page for details.http://cinekinetic.com/new/