Can you show me your new AIPTEK video mount?

I have been experimenting with the AIPTEK 1080P camera.  It is fairly inexpensive ($100-$150 depending on sales etc) and records everything to a memory card. It is very small and lightweight.

One problem with the camera is the image degraded with a wavy effect if there is any vibration. The view an example of the wavy effect, click here.  After a some of experimentation, I have discovered four things you can do to reduce or eliminate the wavies.

1) Record in 720P, 60Hz mode. This mode is more resistant to the wavy effect, but still gives you a nice widescreen view. Click here for an example of raw video taken in 720P, 60Hz without any additional processing. The progressive scan (P) in this mode gives you a crystal clear image as shown by captured image on the left.

Note: There is some blurring of the example due to file compression on Vimeo, but the raw video played on my PC is as clear as the captured frame on the right.  Individual frames are as good as my still digital camera, and I frequently use them in my flightlogs.

2) Mount the camera on the control bar.  The wing of the trike and by extension the control bar is a very steady base to mount the camera on. It is also isolated from engine vibration. But the mount needs to be stiff. Any flexure in the mount will excite the wavy effect.  I built my mount out of some RAM parts I got with my Lowrance GPS.  You can adjust the clamps to level the camera relative to the horizon, and rotate the camera to the right or left. The yoke mount on the control bar can be loosened to rotate everything nose down for those cool shots looking down on the summit of Shiprock volcano.

3) Down convert the video from 60HZ to 3OHz using video editing software.  This really gets rid of the wavy effect.

4) Add a wideangle lens to make the vibration less obvious.  You want a wideangle lens anyway, to make the camera easier to point. Here is one got for my camera at magneticlenes.com (get the large lens). Most have a magnet coupling that is too weak for flying. The lens will go flying on the first bad landing. I secured mine in place with tape.

What sort of mount do you use for your video camera?

Note this is for my old comera and mount.  I am using the AIPTEK system described above now.

This is hilarious. I have gotten more responses and emails of people coveting my video camera mount than from all my videos and flight logs combined. So much for my dreams of publishing a trike flying coffee table book, I should just sell mounts.

Get a plastic Ram 1 inch ball diamond, cost $12
http://www.cycoactive.com/gps/gallery/parts.html (part D)

Get a bolt that matches the tripod mount thread on the bottom of the video camera. Cost, 5 cents

Get the downtube clamp from a long bracket of a Hall Wind meter, Cost $7
http://www.hallwindmeter.com/gliders.php

Assemble like in the photo. Use a bungee as a safety tie.

That's it. Now clamp it to the control bar (base tube) for a nice stabilized mount and start shooting some video.