Sturdy Overhead Camera Stand
Introduction: Sturdy Overhead Camera Stand
I already made an overhead camera stand before, you can find it here too! But I switched to heavier gear (and had to repurpose the old stand parts) so I have to make a new one!.
To save expenses, I tried making a semicustom stand from 3D printed parts. It was good for lightweight action cameras, but a "heavyweight" average household camera broke it. It was not only wobbly, but I always feared it will suddenly collapse or break. Luckily, it broke while I was tensioning the set screws. But that day was my shooting day and I had some work left, so I needed a quick solution!
Of course buying a special overhead stand at saturday 9 PM was impossible, printing new parts would just delay the inevitable, so I started digging the "this will be useful some day" pile and found a vacuum cleaner metal tube. Of course a hole saw could drill a somewhat fitting hole, but it won't be that sturdy. Then, I found a spare table leg. It will be a rock solid pole!
But how to mount a camera? Well, action cameras have bar mounts, and I have a box of unused mounts, adapters, extensions, etc. 215
so it was easy for me, but those are cheap, so buying one is not a huge financial burden.
After that, just get/buy/print the necessary arms, camera adapters you need, and that's it! Let's start!
Supplies
Table leg
Camera bike/bar mount
Optional extra adapters, depending on your gear and needs
Step 1: Mount the Mounting Pole
Mounting a table leg is not a big deal, if you get one with mounting holes - and it's a really easy task! They are nothing special, "investing" in one is The Way.
Still focused on using some scrap? 90° brackets and some extra screws, that's not a big difference.
My desk already has a lot of customization (aka holes for cable management), so direct mounting was not an issue for me. The big task is to find The Perfect Spot, since moving just a little bit to the left or the right is "impossible". Things to avoid:
* putting too near to the edge: the pole can obstruct stuff on the wall and it can be hard to reach the camera mounting screws
* putting too far from the edge: you don't want to film your lap, the top of your head and other not-so-interesting parts; you can add a longer extension arm any time if a different angle is needed!
* not centering: I admit, I wanted to reuse existing screwholes to save - maybe 3 extra seconds? Also some instruments were in the way, relocate them! The video angle is more important!
tl;dr edition: mark you recording area first, check what the camera sees and place the pole according that!
Step 2: Get a Good Grip
It's time to mount your camera!
Installing a bar mount is easy, just set 2 screws. The various extension arm configurations make it tricky. I'd say use less and longer arms, more arms sacrifice rigidity! (yes, a little snake looks cooler)
I prefer invensing in a quick release plate system - I hate leaving my camera 24/7 there, also what if I need to shoot somewhere else? Or if you are a phone guy, you can have a phone mount.
Adjust the height.
Step 3: Enjoy!
It wasn't a long project - it has a really good invested time-money/value ratio.
Take your time adjusting the angle. It may not look weird first, but check it multiple times. See? My setup was not totally perpendicular, learn from my mistake!
One last thing for the camera guys: don't forget to rotate your recordings. Most cameras only have mounting screwholes on the bottom but don't fear, the image can be rotated in mere seconds. Of course the phone guys are not affected. 215