Introduction: $1 DIY Digital Camera GoPro-like Waterproof Mount
So, I have been watching amazing GoPro videos for a long time. The fish eye lens that GoPro cameras use and the first person perspective that is allowed by GoPro attachments, belts and holders that allow you to place the camera on a helmet, head or body, really helps with making unique and very stable videos.
If you want to make a stable video with a regular digital camera it will be very hard, you would need an expensive body attachment or steadycam, or you can also find some DIY instructables in this site to make a cheap steadycam using materials like PVC pipes. However I wanted something easier and lighter to carry as I would like to travel to many places, and since I got an Olympus water proof camera with a fish eye lense I also wanted the stabilizer to be waterproof to be able to take great videos when snorkeling or diving. Inspired by a lecture at UC Berkeley that made the point that most innovation worldwide is done by normal citizens hacking around with everyday objects, I decided to find a simple way to use my regular camera to make stable, first person videos, just like a GoPro.
You may ask why bother with making your own, when you could just get a GoPro and buy all the accesories required? Well GoPro cameras are cool, but I think you have to buy the live viewer since you can't watch the video you just recorded, the image quality of regular digital cameras is much better than GoPro and if you already have a digital camera that you use for travelling or taking party pictures or like me that normally drop my camera when I go trekking, take pictures in the rainforest or go camping and got a shock proof, weather proof camera, then there is no need to buy an extra camera, just make this cheap accesory.
If you have a GoPro camera but didn´t buy all the accesories, this will also save you some money.
INSTRUCTABLE:
1. Go to a big shop or one of the $1 dollar shops (I did this in Barcelona and went to a Chinese shop) and buy a neoprene band that is used normally as waist support. They are used to support your back muscles and spine during sports or lifting stuff.
2. Make a hole the size of your lense cutting a circle in one of the ends of the elastic neoprene band. Its better to make the whole near the end where there is the black sticky cloth patch.
3. Place your camera behind the hole and wrap the neoprene band around your head, around your waist, around your arm or around your chest. You can even tie your camera to a bicycle, to a skateboard, your car´s rear view mirror, or just about anywhere.
The material of the elastic band is durable and can be taken into water (it´s actually the same material used for making wetsuits!), so if you have a water proof camera you can also take awesome videos while diving. Because the material is soft, it will also help protect your camera from shocks or falls.
If you want to make a stable video with a regular digital camera it will be very hard, you would need an expensive body attachment or steadycam, or you can also find some DIY instructables in this site to make a cheap steadycam using materials like PVC pipes. However I wanted something easier and lighter to carry as I would like to travel to many places, and since I got an Olympus water proof camera with a fish eye lense I also wanted the stabilizer to be waterproof to be able to take great videos when snorkeling or diving. Inspired by a lecture at UC Berkeley that made the point that most innovation worldwide is done by normal citizens hacking around with everyday objects, I decided to find a simple way to use my regular camera to make stable, first person videos, just like a GoPro.
You may ask why bother with making your own, when you could just get a GoPro and buy all the accesories required? Well GoPro cameras are cool, but I think you have to buy the live viewer since you can't watch the video you just recorded, the image quality of regular digital cameras is much better than GoPro and if you already have a digital camera that you use for travelling or taking party pictures or like me that normally drop my camera when I go trekking, take pictures in the rainforest or go camping and got a shock proof, weather proof camera, then there is no need to buy an extra camera, just make this cheap accesory.
If you have a GoPro camera but didn´t buy all the accesories, this will also save you some money.
INSTRUCTABLE:
1. Go to a big shop or one of the $1 dollar shops (I did this in Barcelona and went to a Chinese shop) and buy a neoprene band that is used normally as waist support. They are used to support your back muscles and spine during sports or lifting stuff.
2. Make a hole the size of your lense cutting a circle in one of the ends of the elastic neoprene band. Its better to make the whole near the end where there is the black sticky cloth patch.
3. Place your camera behind the hole and wrap the neoprene band around your head, around your waist, around your arm or around your chest. You can even tie your camera to a bicycle, to a skateboard, your car´s rear view mirror, or just about anywhere.
The material of the elastic band is durable and can be taken into water (it´s actually the same material used for making wetsuits!), so if you have a water proof camera you can also take awesome videos while diving. Because the material is soft, it will also help protect your camera from shocks or falls.
