My DIY action camera mount project (SideShot style)

[Doug-T]

Last week I picked up a Crosstour 9100 action camera for about $70 that advertises shooting 1080p/120fps video. I also picked up a prismatic sight off ebay for about $20 and the 1"x1"x1" prism is fairly easy to remove.

Tonight I spent a couple of hours on Tinkercad designing (and cussing) to get an action camera mount designed. The front end has dual diameter recesses to fit my 40.6mm UTG and 43mm Athlon ocular lens eyepieces. I plan to use the same picatinny quick detach type of mount as my recent video camera mount so I can switch the camers between my Mrod, my Impact and my buddy's Mrod with this type of ring on each scope:

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Here's what the mount looks like on Tinkercad: My son is printing it right now, will be ready in the morning.

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[Hajimoto]

Kudos! Looking forward to your first prototype and video result.

 

[Doug-T]

The 3D print turned out OK but I'm realizing that 1mm in a design doesn't necessarily print 1mm. The hole the 1"x1" prism fits down into is too tight. Overall this was a good first try. I also need to install the 12mm lense and figure out how far from the prism the camera needs to be.

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[Doug-T]

Well, some news, mostly not good.

First, I removed the front cover of the action camera, carefully picked away the glue holding the lens in the camera board and removed the wide angle lens. No problem. Then I screwed in the new 12mm lense 5-6 turns. It wasn't in focus so I kept turning in the lens until it got snug, then just a bit more. SNAP. The super thin glass on the front of the image sensor broke into about 4 pieces with 3 squigley lines running vertically through the picture. Dang! $70 camera.

The 3D print in the previous post fits the camera very nicely but the 1"x1" hole for the prism is too small. So, I redesigned just the bottom of the mount with a 1mm larger hole and with a little sanding the prism lens drops in snugly. Good. I now have to cut off the camera holder and glue it to the new prism holder.

So, me being the guy that hates to throw anything away if it can be fixed will try to use a microscope slide cover and cut a new very thin sensor lens, remove the broken one and glue on a new lens. What do I have to lose?

 

[BMC]

What you broke is the infrared filter. Cutting a slide will not work. You basically have a black and white camera now. It will work good at night with an ir flashlight. To get it to focus the lens is usually only in a few turns. If you use it in daylight it will have a pinkish tint.

 

[Doug-T]

I order a 2-pack of 9.5mm IR cut filters off of ebay for $2.99. Hopefully they'll get here quickly and I can fix my mistake. I'll keep on experimenting with the cracked glass until they do come in.

 

[Doug-T]

A long overdue update.

I tried the 9.5mm round 1mm thick IR cut filters but they didn't work well. Then, for some unknown reason the whole camera quit working. I suspect my son may have fiddled with it while I was at work and messed it up. So, I ordered a new one and replaced the lens. I also decided to fabricate my own mount using the actual camera holder portion of the v1.0 mount, as the camera fits in nice and tight so it won't fall out. Since I bought the same model of camera it came with another set of accessories so I considered using one of the waterproof housings but it was too bulky and clunky.

Here's a piece of 1.5" PVC conduit that I turned the inside out to 44.4mm to just fit over the Athlon ocular housing.

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I then used a 1.25" OD hole saw to cut out a hole in the side where the camera will look down into. I also cut the female coupler end off some 1.25" conduit and used a 1.5" hole saw on the end of that and then some sand paper on the 1.5" conduit to make my own "T" joint.

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I designed a housing that holds the prism and fits inside the 1.5" conduit. My son printed it in carbon fiber filament with 0.1mm layers and 20% fill. It looks pretty good. A tiny bit of hot glue on the top holds the prism secure and a small screw on the bottom holds the housing in place.

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The picatinny quick detach mount from video camera mount got recycled, along with a new steel strap, to hold everything securely. Some GOO glue held the PVC to the steel strap. Here's all of the pieces.

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And how it all turned out. I spent a considerable amount of time adjusting the vertical height, focus, lens alignment, etc. It attaches and detaches easily and is very solid. A little bit of flat black paint and I'm in business.

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This weekend I'll get to test it out if it's not a wet, sloppy mess. I don't want to drive 2 hours to shoot in the rain.

 

[AirgunBill]

Impressive work you are doing there. I just got a 3d printer and it is not calibrated precisely. It is a pain to print things and have to adjust. I will usually do a small test print then upscale the part later. Good luck with your project. Bill

 

[bchehab]

Nice Work.

This is my version of the 3d printed action cam mount.

the action camera can be replaced by a phone just by removing it and sliding in a phone mount.

 

[Doug-T]

Well, I have very disappointing news. I took this camera setup ground squirrel shooting yesterday and it's a big, fat failure. I had it set to 1080p 120fps and the picture is dim, the camera glitches horribly, the video is terribly pixelated, the audio and video aren't in sync. It's so bad I didn't even save the videos after looking at them on the computer monitor, not usable. Dang. I'll just put the 170* lens back in it and use it for an action camera and go back to my video camera. I don't feel like spending hundreds more on a GoPro and replacement lens.