OT: Best Pan-Head Car-Window Mount is ?

will-3 wrote on 10/27/2014, 8:33 AM
I'm looking for a really good Pan-Head Car-Window Mount for my new Sony HX400v camera.
The feature I'm looking for is once the mount is clamped to the car window and mechanically aligned to shoot level... that when I rotate it in the horizontal plane it remains level...

I have a couple of different models of car-window mounts but neither are acceptable.

The most sturdy one will not let you keep the camera level when you rotate it horizontally. When you mount it to the car window... which may be curved a little at the top edge... the mount leans a little forward... there are adjustments to level the camera but every time you rotate it a few degrees you have to do it all over again...

Here is a picture of a similar mount

The second one is inexpensive and the camera sits on a plastic ball which... when you tighten the mount enough to keep the camera from moving after you let go... won't let you re-position the camera without loosening everything and starting over.

And even then the camera still will move once you stop adjusting the mount... it is just an inexpensive mount and not a high quality product.

Here is a picture of a mount similar to that one

Can anyone suggest a good quality car-window camera mount with smooth horizontal rotational motion?

Thanks for any help.

Comments

farss wrote on 10/27/2014, 8:52 AM
Sorry to be blunt but what you're trying to do is not a good idea.
An open car window has very little support and glass is quite springy. You're going to have issues with vibration, you could even cause the window to break.

We have the Panther MultiMount and with that you can mount the thing on the outside of the door so you end up with a great panning range. Google "Panther Multimount" for heaps of image etc. on cameras doing what you want.

Depending on the design of the vehicle it might also be possible to use a tripod. You need one such as the Miller Solo that doesn't rely on a spreader and lets you put the legs at various angles. In any rig you want the pivot point of the head as close to the outside of the vehicle else the angle over which you can pan it restricted. Obviously the Panther is the ideal as the camera is outside the vehicle. Most rental houses would have one of these rigs.

Bob.
will-3 wrote on 10/27/2014, 10:04 AM
Hey Bob, thanks for the comments.

I've done a lot of shooting from the car window... mostly with small light-weight camera's... and I've used a number of devices.to support the camera including the two clamp on mounts in the original post plus a mono-pole, and a soft bean-bag pod.

When cruising back roads for wildlife shots you often only have moments to get the shot so having the camera mounted, leveled, and with the ability to rotate smoothly in the horizontal is important.

The mono-pole is OK but can still be difficult to hold still and keep level... and the bean-bag pod is OK if you don't have to move the camera to track the subject.

I actually like the Panther MultiMount you mentioned but two things...
1 - I did a quick Google and did not see it for sale... not on B&H or Amazon... so where to buy?
2 - There was no pan-head on the one I saw at one of the rental sights... so finding that hardware would be necessary.

Thanks for any additional comments and suggestions.
farss wrote on 10/27/2014, 3:55 PM
1) Contact Panther directly.
2) That's right, it is just a mount. All the "film" gear is done this way.
The Panther system gives you a standard 100mm bowl for you to fit a 100mm pan/tilt head onto. the mount does have a bullseye level so you can get the mount levelled by having the vehicle on level ground. There's standard adaptor rings available if you want to use a head made for a 75mm bowl. Any half decent pan/tilt head will also have a spirit level.

Be warned, this class of kit is expensive but it does last a lifetime.

If you only need a mount for the one vehicle I'd get out my jig saw and Dremel tool to make something bespoke out of MDF with a profile that matches the car door with a flat surface on the top. Something like the way food trays at drive-ins work but a snug fit. Then I'd add a Manfrotto 504 or similar head onto it.

If hacking away at wood isn't your thing then see if you can find someone who works with fibreglass e.g. makes canoes. They could easily mould fibreglass to fit over the profile of a car door.

Bob.
will-3 wrote on 10/27/2014, 5:21 PM
Thanks again Bob.

I've actually had a couple of designs made up in the past using 090" aluminum sheet metal.
One clamped to the door when the window was rolled all the way down and held a mono-pole sturdy against the door.

But, I like your idea of having the camera outside the car... but ideally I would want it to swing out quickly... and back in quickly so you could roll-down the window, swing the camera out, get the shot(s) and then swing it back in for safety before driving on.

That said, I just emailed Panther in Germany so I'm looking at all your suggestions.