I've had the guts to use the suction cup with a tether (velcro strap / rope would probably work) just in case. It was on my motorcycle for two different track days at about 2 hours of on track riding. It held up just fine, that thing is seriously strong. I've tried it on the car in several spots, I think my favorite is on the hood up near the windscreen in the center. However if you want a view of the shifter, track and yourself I'd probably use one of the 2 sided connectors imbetween the seats, you'll have to figure that spot out! If I get around to it I'll post some screen shots of some of the videos I took. I probably go with one of the widest settings.

 

haven't myself but know plenty of people who have put them out of the car. If I ever mount mine outside i won't tether it, losing $300 is better than saving the camera and have it ruin the paint (>$300 probably).

I must have gotten a defective suction cup because my camera wobbles horribly using the suction cup, I'm using RAM MOUNT now instead of gopro stuff.

Inside the car my mount is on the harness bar.

I run highest resolution that gets 60fps. Maybe its just me but I think the higher frame rate mitigates the wobbly vision. Outside of cab i'd use the default white bal settings, inside with roof on I do spot.

 

If I ever mount mine outside i won't tether it, losing $300 is better than saving the camera and have it ruin the paint (>$300 probably).

I thought the tether is to prevent the camera from possibly hitting the car behind you and not to save your camera.

 

I use mine inside and out. You want to move the joints so the camera is a close to the suction cup as possible, this reduces wobble in the mount. My inside mount point is either on the front windshield, near the rear-view mirror, or on the back window between the seats. If you use the back windshield, you must adjust the light metering or your outside view is washed out.

 

Thx guys, already 2 responses!

Jd: what do you mean with with ball and spot settings?

Hex: waiting patiently for the pics

I have already uses it once on the track, with one of the 3m sticks, direct on the 'nosebridge' of the clam. You can see the black thing on the pic. Is that the place you used, Hex?


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Forgot the pic...

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Addertooth: thx. Useful.

Which setting to use to prevent the view washing out?


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I used it several times with the suction mount on various spots on the car without any issue. Also have seen the professional photographer on the track do it all the time.

I liked the position with the top off, on top of the roll bar, slightly off center to the right and pointing slightly down so it captures the driverr hands and feet movement as well as the track ahead. I found that I needed to use 60fps to avoid wobbling, that meant 720p 60fps for me. I used the overall white balance setting, not the center spot. Also, micover is great to cut down on the wind noise.

Other good placements are on the side to see if you are hitting the apex and on the side and high to capture your hands on the wheel from the window -- where the gas tank opening is, but on the driver side.

But more recently I have settled in having the camera mounted inside the car on the harness bar. Easier to mount and start/stop the camera. The gopro mounts were a bit wobbly. Instead I got the attachment that allows it to screw onto professional camera equipments. The last few times I used a manfrotto super clamp. From inside the car I go with 1080p and spot lighting settings to get the road instead of the car interior to show properly.

 

That is the same mount area I use and I think it gives a great viewpoint.

Well here are four different spots I messed about trying.

I'd say the video turned out good in all of them and the one near the rear wheel offered the best exhaust note of course!

 

theres two white balance settings on mine

the default - which I use when the lighting where the camera is is the same as what I'm shooting, aka outside the car shots (I don't remove my roof ever)

spot - what I use when there is a difference in lighting between where the camera sits and what I'm shooting, ie if the camera is inside the car at the harness bar and the roof is on, its a lot darker there than outside. If you leave the white bal to default in this situation, the video will appear washed out/over exposed.

 

For the outside, suction cup mounts have only been brave enough to use the front or rear glass, nice solid mount points. Also picked up a clamp mount to put it on the front tow hook location, makes for a great low POV. For in car pretty much only used the harness bar with a Manfrotto 035RL Super Clamp and Manfrotto 492 Micro Ball Head.

In car with the top on you’d want to switch to spot meter mode, otherwise the default center meter mode for outside the car or top off in car video. The GoPro mounts are so-so, did change over to RAM mount for the suction cup, mount arms, which is heavier duty, more solid stuff.

Here is a video clip from last month, in car(Hero3, black- external mic and rear glass, Hero2):

 

Forgot to mention: make sure to wipe clean the area before you put the suction mount on. I have seen failures attributed to dust. On the positive side, a guy dropped his mount and camera on the track and retrieved it without any damage afterwards. The gopro case is really strong.... Of course I would be worried about my clam if I was following him and the camera dropped on my path.

 

The suction cup mount that ships with the GoPro kits is crap. Don't use it if you want professional results.

For the foot cam, I just use the curved helmet mount attached to a point under the steering wheel on the aluminum.

For cockpit cam, I use a SuperClamp mounted to the harness bar.




When I need to mount my gopro to get an overhead shot, I use a triple suction cup tripod:

 

Guess where !

 

A word of caution about using the suction cup mount outside of the car, especially on public roads where it will be harder to find. I lost a new GoPro Hero 3 Black this way.

From now on, I only use the suction cup mount outside of the car, while on a closed course. I don't use a tether, and here's why. If the mount comes loose, the camera and mount will flap around and hit the car. The damage caused to the clam will likely be more expensive than the cost to replace a $400 camera and mount.

A few tips that I can offer:
* Make sure the surface where you will place the suction cup is VERY clean. Maybe even use rubbing alcohol to clean the area.
* Make sure the suction cup is firmly attached. GoPro advised to actually let it sit for an hour before use, to make sure it's firmly attached.

 

I don't use a tether, and here's why. If the mount comes loose, the camera and mount will flap around and hit the car. The damage caused to the clam will likely be more expensive than the cost to replace a $400 camera and mount.

The tether is safety equipment to make sure your camera does not come loose and fly into the windshield of the car behind you.

 

The suction cup you can get for the Go Pro works great. They list it as being good to 100mph, but it's held on just fine to my car doing close to 150. I've always just stuck it on and drove, never have had it come loose.

 

Becoming a great useful threat

To all: thx.
To some: how about settings? I know now about white/default/spot. How about width and fps?
I would like to avoid the fishbulb shootage.

Btw: alcohol swab is a great suggestion. I jst polished, waxed and sealed (3 layers) my Elise to build a wash&wax threat.


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Run it at 1080p, 30fps, in large part because am using the Hero3-black at 1080p, 60fps.

For the Hero2, if you don’t mine the slight lost of resolution; 720p/60fps will allow you to do better slow motion and be bit cleaner with movement.

 

The suction cup from GoPro that I got was rated to 155. @ 135 it had no issues holding steady.

 

I second nate379, wacked a cone with mine during autocross this past weekend. Just pushed it back. They sell Neoprene covers for the case too, I use them, if it falls off it will protect the case somewhat.

 

You can do this - Just make sure that all screws are tight otherwise at high speed the camera will go backwards...

 

I've mounted the camera just about everywhere imaginable on the car. Browse the videos at my you tube channel to see. The camera's pretty steady up to speeds about 100mph, then it shakes a bit. I'm never that fast on streets and only top 100 at the end of long straights on the tracks I visit.

Grunschev's channel - YouTube

Obviously, if you follow the link, you'll see my favorite spot is either side, right above the rear tires.

 

GoPro Hero2 over here as well.
I've made sure the mounting area of the car is clean and use a dab of water on the suction cup. No problems.
Here's a view with it mounted just behind the drivers window:

http://youtu.be/tub8S6Zj0No

Here's a view from the front of the hard top. ( didn't tighten the nut as much as I should have, so it tilted a bit towards the end)

http://youtu.be/8lqbi-_ygSk

And finally a rear mounted view, just above the rear panel. Very cool view in my opinion that gives you a good sense of speed and is just above the exhaust;-)

http://youtu.be/v_g1QNy0uE0

Good luck and have a great time...



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Here is a thread with lots of track footage. You can get plenty of ideas here
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120041

And, umm, make sure to post your videos to the above mentioned thread.

Chris


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Pedco UltraClamp Assembly for harness bar

Mounted to the 1" diameter BWR v2 harness bar:
Pedco UltraClamp Assembly for Cameras, Scopes and Binoculars (1.5-inch) : Amazon.com : Sports & Outdoors

Very solid, good height, no vibration in recording. Also requires GoPro tripod mount:

 

In-car camera angle?

I have the RAM suction mount for my Hero 2, and I LOVE it. I'd like to get footage that shows the steering wheel, dash, and my feet if possible. When I mount the camera inside the car stuck to the back window, the video gets my helmet, my instructor's helmet, and only part of the front windshield (see here:

).

Also, I'm a newb and tend to steer with my whole body instead of my arms (I'm working on that), and when I lean to the right, I block pretty much the entire camera.

Suggestions? An extension arm that brings the camera up closer to the windshield, so the camera is next to my helmet? I have factory seats and seatbelts, so no harness bar. It's a convertible with a soft top that can be removed if necessary.

 

Moving around that much will block a good part of the camera. Adding a longer arm would just mean you’d be bumping into and mis-aligning it. You could move it closer to the passenger side and lower on the window. If you look at the video clip I posted earlier had the camera low on a harness bar that puts it below the shoulder. Could also try putting it on the top, back part of the roof (the roll bar cover) with it pointed down to cover the interior.