Hi all:

Going to the dragstrip for a test & tune for the first time later this summer. I was thinking about attaching my Sony Handycam to the dash or somewhere for recording. Generally I don't have much time to spend doing that kind of stuff -- probably won't be able to go more than once or twice a year since most of my weekends are tied up at home with the toddler while the wife is at work.

So I don't really want to buy an expensive camera mount or something if I'm not going to be using it that often. Any ideas for a makeshift mounting solution or something to attach it to?

Thanks in advance.

 

Camera Window Mount Car/CCTV/LCD/TV/CAMCORDER/Mini DV - eBay (item 150446984384 end time Jun-21-10 2229 PDT)

 

nice...i like that. i really want to video my canyon runs. ;]

 

I second the vote on the Panavise. Got mine through Amazon for a little cheaper (direct from Manufacturer) and also got the extension tube with it. Depending on your camera, it may not work if you mount it to the windshield even with the extension.

I placed mine underneath the sunroof glass with the cam upside-down. Here's a sample vid from a while back.

By the way, if you have a HDD-based cam, make sure to turn off the G-sensor or your camera will turn off with some aggressive driving.

 

Thanks for all the tips. I see that same model Panavise 809 is 22.94 at amazon and eligible for free prime shipping which I have, so that looks like the way to go if it will fit my camera. I'll have to do some more research about what it will fit. EDIT: LOL, that one's out of stock, although a third-party seller also eligible for prime has it for a few dollars more. The camera apparently has a standard tripod-style 1/4"-20 mount hole on the bottom.

Like I said, I probably won't get too much use out of this so I won't want to spend much more than that.

@soundmike re: the G-sensor: Thanks for the heads up. I really didn't know anything about the G-sensor before you mentioned it. My camera is the Sony Handycam DCR-sr47. At least according to the marketing hooey and the instruction manual it has a shock absorber system called the "HDD Smart Protection System." So supposedly it uses some kind of alternative memory buffer to keep recording while it temporarily stops writing to the HD.

The HDD Smart Protection System protects your hard drive and your precious video from being interrupted or lost thanks to an inbuilt mechanically-floating Shock Absorber. To detect a bump or fall, there is a 3D Gravity Sensor which removes the HDD write head from the platter to stop physical contact whilst still continuing to record without interruption.

Are you saying that does that not work as well for driving and it would be better to disable it altogether? Or will that system solve the problem you were mentioning?

Why? Do you mean a problem getting everything to fit nicely? I guess mounting it upside-down meant you needed to fix it later on the computer?

 

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OK, I've done a bit more reading on this and browsed the Amazon reviews. I think I see what you mean by it not fitting -- some people have had trouble getting it to mount to the windshield using a bottom-mount camcorder. Mine isn't huge but is certainly larger than a pocket camera. Sounds like the extension arm is a must.

Also, apparently the extension arm sometimes comes with the product and sometimes doesn't. Looks like you can't buy it, but many reviewers said they called the company and they quickly shipped the extension arm for free. A minor inconvenience, but whatever.

So I guess it will maybe fit on the windshield with the arm, or I could perhaps even attach to the rear window, or like soundmike said, upside-down from the sunroof (which would definitely require post-processing with my camera).

A similar product I found was this one:
Amazon.com: Delkin Devices DDMOUNT-MINI Fat Gecko Double Knuckle…

Also, if you want a laugh, take a look at TRIPSHOT In-car Camcorder Mount
I'm sure it's a fine product, but, um , quite a contraption.

 

LOL@ the tripod "mount"

The Delkin seems like a Panavise replica, even the extension looks the same.

As for your camcorder, the buffer will probably only allow it to save the remaining bits of data in memory before it shuts down. I suggest playing around with it to see if it does shut down or not with any type of prolonged high g-forces. The first lap after each session i was stumped as to why my camcorder kept shutting down -- eventually figured out the g-shock protection, turned it off, and everything was well.

For example, the vid i posted above only took one lap before it shut down at the end--which was the part i finally was able to open up the car after the guy ahead of me let me pass.

With regards to mounting, our windshield slope prevents a lot of camcorders from being mounted using the Panavise, even with the extension. I looked up the specs of your camera and compared it to mine -- seems pretty similar.

Yours: 2 3/8 x 2 3/4 x 4 1/2 inch
Mine: 2.7 x 2.5 x 4.3

Popcornten on the Driver uses a similar mount and you can see the various points where he mounted his on his Youtube page --> YouTube - popcornten's Channel (click on Uploads > See All on the right column, there's a bunch there).

Another mount i've tried before was a Gorillapod, but you have to be creative with how you mount it or it won't stay still. Here's a sample i took a while back using the gorillapod wrapped around the passenger-side head rest.
g Gallery | Injen SRI | InjenSRI-OnRoad

 

Thanks again. The Gorillapod looks cool, but as you said it looks like it needs some help to keep from shaking.