Testing new camera mount
 

I built a custom camera mount to hold the camera in the Leopard loader's hatch to shoot action shots for movies.

This is the first test of the new mount. This movie is all action, no plot. I never dared to go this fast with my old masking tape setup. That Leo can move!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgHJmc2JHjU&feature=youtu.be ENJOY!

Nice try. It says the video is private so I couldn't see it. :(

I think I changed it to public. I never know if I'm doing this computer stuff right.

I just tried it again and it worked. Weird. Cool video! How does it work with goggles? I'm about to do that myself in a T1 but I'm going in the lower hull at the driver's port. At least that's where my FPV Guru tells me I'm going. :) I'm worried I might get motion sick if I try a turret cam with goggles.

I must've been trying it as you were writing your last post. I agree on the computer stuff. very confusing for an old hippie.

How did you know I am an old hippie?

Nice video. On board sound is good as well.

Aren't we all? :)

Nice Vid! Love the view of the Mountains!

This showcases the power of Tamiya's electronics extremely well! No external noise such as the electronic whining of the motors, plus the movement is extremely smooth and very realistic!

I am a airplane guy but enjoyed the video, thanks for posting it"

Cool video! Can we see the mount? Just curious
Thanks

I wanna see it too !!! Did you rig up something with a gimbal or gyroscope or what ???? Very smooth picture.
rex :cool:

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No, we aren't .... I was too old to be a hippie by that time. But I was a beatnik :cool:

I don't think you're ever too old to be a hippie. :) And weren't beatniks the ORIGINAL hippies? :)

And hey Pah co chu puk, I too, would really like to see a photo of the mount. Please. I was foolin' around on the tank trail once and did an FPV video just by sticking my instamatic to the top of the PIII with white tack, but it was nowhere near that smooth. And I'd really like to know if you've tried driving it with goggles. And can we call you Paco for short? :)

Sorry for the slow response, it was a busy week.

The camera mount is nothing fancy, no gimbals or gyroscopes, just scrap styrene and some foam. I took the screw mount from a trypod and put it in a hole in a piece of styrene shaped to fit in the loaders hatch. Then I added some "outriggers" for stability and used the foam to pad the tank body. The camera is just a Cannon Power Shot, a basic digital camera that records the movies to a SD card.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2045827http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2045828http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2045829http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2045830

You may call me anything you want... as long as it's printable here.

You should file for a patent on that. Amazing !
rex

I think it's a good idea to file for a patent, but I've heard that can cost about 5 thousand dollars! Ouch!

And Paco, you have a great attitude about what people call you (we should all be so easy-going) but I don't ever want to disrespect anyone so that's why I asked. That camera mount is a terrific idea, and I think I might try to do something similar. Like I said, I did it once before with white tack and a 100 dollar cheapo Kodak camera, but it's nowhere near as smooth as yours. See for yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I27Klp_XWgc

Cool movie. You have a nice playground and it is filled with nice toys.

If I filed a patent, you scratch builders / kit bashers would just copy it and improve on it, until my patent was obsolete. Then I'd be out $5000 for an inferior camera mount. I'd rather just share the idea with everyone.

Glad you like the tank track. If you ever make it to Detroit you're more than welcome to come and try it out for yourself, and as you can see, I have plenty of tanks you can drive if you don't happen to have one of yours with you. I still haven't had a chance to try battling on my track, but I'm really looking forward to it. Kinda like the Arden Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. :)

That is expected because too much play in the turret making it bouncing when moving. Also I guess Tamiya tank have better suspension. Anyway it still good video though. If not I wouldn't watch the entire video. :D

No. haven't tried snow. First, I HATE the cold, and second I'm paranoid about messing up one of my tanks. I might give it a try this winter, but it's a long shot. :)

You live in Detroit and you hate the cold? That must be rough.

The tanks do OK in snow with very little prep. The main trick is to let the tracks cool to outside temp. before you drive the tank or they ice up from the melt they cause. Spray silicone on the tracks helps them repel water and avoid icing up. This movie was shot during a Colorado snowstorm on 16 inches of snowpack with an inch or so of fresh powder. It is shown at 1/2 speed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tRYVtVoQGg&list=UUMHFS9crXylij8CGbbgfyNg

You are really becoming a leading expert on how to do a video and how to do it in snow. I can barely manage a decent photo with my ancient camera. Also, filming stuff outside with mountains in the background is not fair to city guys like me. The nearest thing I have to the great outdoors is the city landfill.
Rex