With the typical fixed mountings we use on cats, there's not a great representation of flying a hull. Is there a simple device out there that would gimbal the camera so the bottom of the frame remains parallel to the horizon? When I google it I get sophisticated electronic 2 and 3 axis gimbals for use with gopros on rc helicopters. I'm imagining something closer to a boat drink holder, some low friction pivot, weighted so the camera remains horizontal as the boat heels, and dampened somehow so it doesn't swing.


Is there something on the market, or thoughts on how to fabricate something reasonable? Not looking for perfection, just something that might help capture the feel popping the hull free and riding it.

Dave

I think the easiest way is through software, not sure what you would need but I have seen it done plenty of times with kitesurfing videos.

You would need to experiment with the counter-balance arrangements...but something like this should be able to be adapted.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=816524&is=REG&Q=&A=details

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/cowboys...order/242751390.html?listingId=247451890

http://compare.ebay.com/like/160934262247?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

Different varieties here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=cam...oni2AWl2YD4AQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFoQsxg

I made one from a couple of bolts and a piece of delrin, and then I made another where I added some skateboard wheel bearings. The GoPro I have has an inverted video mode, so I just let the camera hang upside down.

Level is maintained by the camera's own weight. Damping is provided by friction (bolt to delrin in the first case, by adjusting bolting force on the bearings in the second).

I hope that helps,
Eric

Excellent gentlemen, just what I was hoping for!

Dave

I'm also looking for a gimbal/stablaizer for my Weta Trimaran but my requirement is somewhat different since I want the camera to hang upside down from the top of the mast - it's a 360 Deg camera and I want it to cover the action on the boat - rather than looking at the sky.

All the handheld stablizers seem to be aimed at putting the camera on the top rather than underneath and none of the drone-type gimbals are waterproof.

Here is a view of the design of my test rig which uses 40mm PVC pipe with a cap that fits over the end of the mast. This supports an aluminium bar to which the camera is bolted and the bar also acts as a counter-weight, as well as support for the wind indicator. [img]https://photos-1.dropbox.com/t/2/AA...JosY-yvJ9aObDHrSu26saxHhqjeQ?size_mode=5[/img]

But it has occurred to me that viewers might get seasick!

So what I need is a low-cost, waterproof solution that uses the weight of the camera as the pendulum and provides some sort of damping mechanism - any ideas?

I don't know about 360 video but the software video stabilizers are getting pretty good. I've used a version of Mercalli that is built into the Corel VideoStudio software that has done a really nice job of stabilizing shaky video. The most impressive one I've done is where my camera was resting on the deck of a paddle board facing forward while I paddled. The software processing really did the trick and the horizon was rock steady while you could see the bow of the board rocking back and forth wildly (when in reality it was the other way around). It's pretty cool stuff.

The embedded Mercalli software in that VideoStudio package is somewhat limited because of operating system limitations. Apparently you can get a straight up package from Mercalli that does a little more.

There are a couple of Kickstarter/IndieGogo projects working on waterproof gopro gimbals:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/slick-stabilizer-a-motorized-camera-gimbal#/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidmanco/sybrillo-the-most-versatile-gopro-accessory
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stabylizr/stabylizr-your-gopro-camera-stabilizer

If you're a Mac user you could get a copy of Apple Motion from the appstore ($50) which also supports advanced rotation and motion tracking.
Not sure how 360 video would work with rotation though since the unprocessed footage is very different than standard 2D footage.

GoPro Karma Grip?