Project Gun-Cam!!! (NOW WITH MORE EXCLAMATION MARKS THAN EVER!!!)

[Gravewolf]

That a great idea and now im thinking if i can maybe even use a small video cam cause there are tons of zombies where i play and its a very good way to catch someone on video cheating. I think it would look better if you mount it at the side, just a suggestion.

[Mr. G36!]

In a perfect world, yeah. But with my limited resources (and laziness), it just wasn't practical. The camera's mount is on the bottom, and without buying some fancy mounts from wherever that might do the trick, I applied my Army training and went with the lowest bidder, ha ha!

[six4]

Pretty cool effort,always like to see more camera's in the field rather than seeing "parking lot" shots. The more footage we can generate benefits our sport that much more.

[Wildlife]

Originally Posted by Mr. G36!

In a perfect world, yeah. But with my limited resources (and laziness), it just wasn't practical. The camera's mount is on the bottom, and without buying some fancy mounts from wherever that might do the trick, I applied my Army training and went with the lowest bidder, ha ha!

+1 for cheap n' lazy yet solid work. The camo duct-tape shroud is genius. Line it with thin (1/16" or so) foam for impact resistance, add a toilet-paper tube & Lexan cover for the lens, and it'll be nicely bb-proof.

Originally Posted by The Acer

What are the dimensions of the bolt you used?

Camera mounts are (mostly) threaded for 1/4-20 screws (1/4 inch diameter, 20 threads per inch). Length of screw will be critical, since cameras typically have blind mount holes (i.e. only 3/8" or 1/2" deep).

I'm working on a gun mount camera using a cheap wireless camera thingy that'll feed video to a wrist-mounted MP4 player/recorder. Mounted on a QR or FTS mount and lined up with the sights, it'll let me fire around corners without sticking my bb magnet of a head out.
The bits so far:


Just gotta find a good mount to adapt now. And paint that white antenna.

[MeatStick]

How about this to protect your camera?

YouTube- Camera Mount Intro.wmv

[thpethalK]

that's pretty neat MeatStick, but what happens if the camera gets shot from the side or back??

[mills0]

http://www2.oregonscientific.com/sho...id=77&pid=709#

one of my Friends and I were looking into these, they also have newer models. Obviously they will cost more but it gives you an idea.

[MeatStick]

It would take an almost 90 degree shot to hit the camera as it sits in from the wings on each side. I could extend the side fins more to prevent that, and the back is usually protected by your hand. If that was a concern you could just ask for a spare piece of lexan to protect the screen. I have played with a camera on my gun and one of these mounts for 1 1/2 years and took lots of shots to the mount, but never any damage to the camera.

It’s kind of neat since you can stick the camera around a corner and if you put a sticker on the screen you can use it to shoot fairly accurately from partial cover.

Also nice to review your kill cam after the game and see how you can improve.

[KND]

Originally Posted by ksuechuc

that's pretty neat MeatStick, but what happens if the camera gets shot from the side or back??

then it would crack and you need to buy a new camera.

As for Meatstick, it's very interesting. Are you going to sell them soon ? and possibly how much per unit ? Thanks

KND

[hutch1970]

If you want a cool, cheap, reliable guncam-try this.

http://www.action-cameras.co.uk/atc/atc-5000/

[deep in the bush]

I just picked up a Go pro. Once I get the footage dumped over I will post it. Looks very clean.

[Mr. G36!]

Well, gents, it's been nearly half a year (mainly due to my own sheer laziness, ha ha!), but I think it's time to finally call "Project Gun-Cam" complete! Well, the prototype anyway, ha ha! Now, it hasn't actually been field-tested, but it's ready for testing! Here's the update:

Since last update, I've finally gotten around to constructing a protective casing for the camera lens to complete the contraption.



A return trip to the hardware store saw Project Gun-Cam's production cost sky-rocket nearly 200% with the purchase of a $3.99 plastic plumbing end-cap, although they ended up giving me a $1 discount on it!




Using duct-tape, this cap was secured to the protective covering I cobbled together earlier, ensuring positioning was precise, as the cap was literally the PERFECT size to allow the lens to extend through it, and the exact same length as the maximum distance that the lenses would ultimately extend out to.




Next came the lens cover itself (pictured in the lower-right corner of the first picture in this post), which was originally a protective cap for my Walther Reflex RDS, which was secured to the end of the cap on both inside and out with, you guessed it, duct-tape, ensuring that the camera lens wouldn't be obstructed.



A final quick cam-job with the original Real-Tree pattern duct tape to conceal the black tape and voila! It's a bit of a pain in the ass to attach, but once it's in place, it's good to go. At the moment, the only camera that I have is the one I'm using for the Gun-Cam, but as soon as I can borrow a buddy's camera, I'll get a final picture of it.

Below are two short videos me myself carrying the C8 with the Gun-Cam attached, solely for the purpose of testing the Gun-Cam's position on top of the receiver. And to give you an idea of the audio-quality of my camera, the music that you're hearing in the videos is playing from my computer speakers and being picked up by the on-board microphone built into the camera...what? I like music when I work, and it's a damn good soundtrack, ha ha! Quality setting is on Medium, which will grant me approximately 10 minutes of footage. It also has High and Low quality settings, which will allow for approximately 3 minutes and 2 & 1/2 hours worth of footage respectively. When I actually conduct Field-Testing, all three will be tested.



Gun-Cam mounted towards the front of the upper Receiver. Audience can only see the front sight, and I have a very hard time aiming the rifle.



Gun-Cam mounted towards the rear of the upper Receiver. I think this works much better, not only for the audience's perspective, but I can also aim much more easily. This will be the standard mounting position when I field test the Gun-Cam.

So there you have it! Project Gun-Cam R&D complete! Next phase: Field Testing! Current production cost: approx $4!

Ugly as sin? Hell yes! Cost-effective? You'd better believe your sweet can! Hope this little documentary of mine thus far has brought you equal parts smiles and innovation, ha ha! Field Testing will commence soon, and I'll post updates as soon as they're available, so keep your eyes out for more Project Gun-Cam!

[VooDooPeteK]

you can find "bullet cams" cheap now and they work great

I mounted one on my M4

[Mr. G36!]

Originally Posted by VooDooPeteK

you can find "bullet cams" cheap now...

...$4 cheap? And hey, I have a bubble, and you're bursting it...*breaks down and cries*

[The Chad]

Originally Posted by Mr. G36!

Hey, fellow ASCers! In my quest to bring you all the most state-of-the-art equipment and jazz of that nature, well...yeah, I totally fail. However, in my quest to bring you the lowest quality of utter crap, I present to you all "Project Gun-Cam!"

See, I've always wanted to film a game, but it's so hard to plan and execute. Obviously, having a hands-free camera on you is the best way to go, and the best way to go about doing it is to use one of those fancy-schmancy helmet-cams. However, with a price-tag of $350+, I came up with my own alternative...at a price of $0.73!



As you can see, all I did was take a standard armalite carry handle, and attach a regular old digital camera to it via the mounting hole for the ACOG. I used a simple screw, two nylon washers to keep it from sliding through the hole itself, and a rubber washer to keep the camera in place.



It's kinda obnoxious, but considering that I envisioned this about two hours ago, I think it's coming along! Of course, the quality won't be as nice as one of those $350 HD helmet-cams, but it'll get the job done. It's decent, and it has pretty good sound quality on it for a simple digital camera.


Above: Gun-Cam from operator's perspective.
Below: Gun-Cam's perspective


Anyway, being that the camera is a nice silvery-gray that just shouts out "Hey, I'm right here, you assholes!" I needed to do something about that. The answer, of course, is the handy man's secret weapon: Duct Tape;



Basically, I used layers of Real-Tree-patterned duct tape to make a sort of jacket for the camera. It's got at least two layers of tape on any given area, minus holes that I've cut out for the lens, display, and controls, and it easily slides on and off; I'll probably just use an elastic band to secure it to the camera further. As of yet, it's not padded or anything, but I'm far from finished. What still needs to be done is padding to protect the camera itself, and I'll have to devise a way of actually protecting the lens itself while still allowing it to see. What I'm thinking is that I can make a tube for the lenses to extend into, and incorporate some kind of clear, hardened protective lens cover. Even if it won't actually stop a BB, if it'll just slow it enough to not cause any real damage, it's all good. And I know that the risk of my camera breaking is very real, and I knew that before I even started this, so if it happens, it won't be a huge shock.



Anyway, as of now, that's where I am. Just figured I'd post this, as I'm sure some people will get a good kick out of this budget POS set-up, ha ha!

Been there, done that....same idea...not practical...broke the second game.