Modern Vespa

Inspired by this thread:
http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic5587.html,

I took my existing camera mount, previously designed for attachment to a cage headrest, and added two more holes to make it look like this:



On the left end, I have a screw that will hold my ballhead, onto which I will attach the camera via quick release. Pictures of that setup to follow.

The right end has the two U-bolts that hold the mount against the cargo rack like this:



and so:



(notice that the ballhead mount screw is not in proper position yet).

Mounted this way, the base is rock solid and can easily hold my DSLR with ballhead. I will secure both, in case they come loose by vibration, in which case they will just dangle on their safety line without hitting the scooter.

I think I will prefer a left-side mount, as this will show more road than a right-side position. In any event, the mount can easily be mounted on the right, it will fit equally well.

Exposures will be made by remote control and I will experiment with focal lengths to get the best views.

Who has done something similar with a DSLR, and what are their recommendations for lenses, exposure modes, etc.?

Velcro the remote somewhere or paint it orange so when you drop it from your clunky gloves you can see it on the side of the road

Wide will be best becuase it will not magnify the vibrations. Cut up an inner tube to use a chrome protection. I thought the most fun lens to use was the 10.5MM, but I also like to take arms length self portraits, make foreheads and noses look huge, and generally distort things. Not everyone has one though. Wide will be best.

Exposures: Automatic with the sport function- so shutter priority, or you could see how solid it is by setting the lowest sensitivity (ASA in film terms) smallest aperture in manual or aperture priority, and then riding at dawn or dusk, so you and the scooter are motionless and the scenery is passing by......

It's just data and rechargeable batteries - so almost zero cost - go out and try it all- we don't have to like your photos, but you do: it's also a good reason to ride.

Be aware that the camera will weigh a lot more when it is out that far; I learned a little physics lesson called leverage on the first turn.

Thanks for all the tips. They will come in handy.

I had already decided on the 11-18mm, and my remote is wired, so I won't have to worry about losing it.

I am concerned, however, about the leverage (in a different way, though), and shocks:

The camera sitting on the pole will be whipped even more than if it were mounted directly on the body somewhere, and bumps in the road will shake it quite violently. Did that turn out to be an issue? Or how did you handle that?

Yes, the ultra wide is fun to play with. Here is one of the kind you mentioned:

Wired in a wireless world, I'm not sure if that is sad or not. That's why you're using data and not film - you don't have to wait a week or even an hour to see the results. You've got 300 different setting to play with to eliminate shake.

Experiment! By the image you posted, you don't need help. Remember there are no rules- or at least no one enforcing most of them, other than gravity.

Okay, that's not how I meant it. I mean physical damage to the camera by the shocks from road bumps. Vibration and jolts breaking circuits, loosening screws, misadjusting sensors--that kind of impact.

Here's mine. It is made from the camera bracket I made for inside my car during autocross racing. It is a piece of PVC pipe with short pieces of the next larger size driven/glued over it. Then an end cap is glued on. The holes are drilled for my headrest legs, and in the car I use two heavy bungees to hold the mount down and the seat back. I mount my video camera to the mount using a Bogen SuperClamp.

For the scooter I'll use the same set-up. For these photos the PVC is just bungee'd in place, but I'll use two coated J-bolts around the rear rack and through the holes in the PVC. The camera is again attached to the mount using the Bogen SuperClamp. I'll get a wireless remote to fire the camera.









More/larger images at http://smorris.smugmug.com/gallery/2810554

Great adaptations. Be sure to safety the camera to something. In the car it hits the passenger seat and bounces to the floor. On the scoot......

One thing I came across that went into my 'adventures in camera mounting' pile is one of those straps that goes around luggage on the trip home when nothing fits again. The one I had has a WLL or working load limit of 30#.

just a thought - the Nikon remotes are under $20 and Velcro nicely just about anywhere - but check operation before mounting the remote, the IR thingy doesn't broadcast as wide as you'd thing, and the lens can get in the way as well.

Thanks for the remote tip, Ritch. I do plan to safety strap it to something. I even had the vid camera strapped to the headrest in the car.

Yea, I think I'd start out with the Canon SD700 first, so as to have less weight outboard and less $$ at risk. I'd also probably use a fixed lens, because the zoom might change length with bouncing and the 18-200 costs more than my previous body.

My (now old) Canon G3 still camera would auto-shutdown after a few seconds, I am guessing due to the vibration from the scoot. Anyone have this issue? I never had that problem with a video camera. Maybe a DSLR is more forgiving - though who knows what the long term effects are to any of these devices taking the vibrations of a scoot...

Be VERY carefull with this at high speed as I learned the hard way that 60 MPH on the front of the lens can blow dust inbetween the elements.