To Karim and all:
The vibration that most people find in their videos comes from the fact that
a camcorder (even a small 8mm one) is a lot of mass to hang out on the
rollbar or other mount. The camera body flexes, and the transport mechanism
is subject to severe vibration loads under this arrangement. Even "steady
shot" systems can't overcome this.
I've found rock steady performance by using a small, inexpensive, lightweight
camera with a remote recorder.
I located a computer-type video conferencing color camera at a surplus
electronics outlet. It was made by Mitsubishi for IBM, and even has an on
board microphone, and was set up for a 12V DC AC Adapter, so it runs right
off the car. It was about $200 when I bought it. I've seen comparable units
now for computers that are as low as $49. The pictures from them are
surprisingly good. I have it mounted on an I/O Port camera mount on the
rollbar which allows a lot of flexibility in positioning it.
For a recorder, I had an old Sony 8mm record/playback deck that came with
their first version of the Handycam. Sony had to rebuild it once, but its
still going strong. A friend also uses a more expensive version of the
Watchman, with built in LCD screen. You can also use a small 8mm camcorder
that accepts a video and audio input. I used an old, hardshell video
camcorder case, mounted to the floor of the car, filled with foam rubber, cut
to accept the outline of the recorder. It has a hardwired remote, which lets
me easily control it from between the seats.
I find it works perfect for my setup.
Regards,
Myles H. Kitchen
1965 Lotus Cortina Mk1 #128
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