I recently purchased both the Side-Shot and Eagle Vision Side-Cam mounts for the GoPro HERO7 to test and see which I prefer.
In testing the Side-Shot, I discovered that sometimes, depending on the particular scope, you may want to lock it down with a small gap between the beam-splitter housing and the rear edge of the scope's ocular ring (not pushed on and seated all the way in contact with the eyepiece of the scope). I also noted if the opening on the Side-Shot housing is larger than the outer diameter of your scope's ocular ring, or if you do mount it with the gap, you have some movement/play that can make it difficult to optimally align the camera's lens axis with the scope's lens axis, and then truly hold it there, as the housing is typically 4-5 inches from the two anchor points. Slight mis-alignment of the two axes was usually only a visible problem in the video if filming at max magnification (a darker outer half-ring in the video that would come and go as you moved the housing on and off the center of the axis). However, that's where I mostly film at, so I needed to address it. I also found if you mounted the camera with the gap, and a strong light hit it and entered the gap, it could become visible light flare in the video as well. To address this, I CNC machined a solid Delrin adjustment collar that fits flush against the rear beam-splitter housing. This did two things... 1) It provided a deeper tunnel to the housing, allowing you to have the gap between the housing and the ocular, but it shielded the gap from any light and eliminated any flare, provided the gap wasn't too big. 2) It provides 4 adjustable thumbscrews to position and lock the housing in place such that the scope and camera lens axes are aligned as best as is possible. This really secures the mount as it provides a lock-down mechanism at the other end of the mount, eliminating any movement at the housing/camera end. The thumbscrews are nylon to avoid any marking of the scope's ocular outer ring.
I also added two stop collars on the mounting rods to make it possible to remove and replace the mount and maintain the exact gap each time.
To me, these alignment and stop collars made the Side-Shot equal to the Eagle Vision in all aspects but one... light. The beam-splitter on the Side-Shot does not allow as much light to the camera as the 25/75% beam-splitter on the Eagle Vision. Both are outstanding, but for me, the Eagle Vision won based on light transmission. So, I'm keeping the Eagle Vision Side-Cam kit, and selling the Side-Shot.
I've posted a video of the mounting with the adjustment collar, and a photo of the kit. It includes two housing adjustment collars of different thicknesses, to allow for more gap if needed for a particular scope's setup. Mounting bracket is 30mm.
The price is $280, shipped USPS Priority Mail w/Tracking. Add $5 if you want it insured for the full amount vs the minimal insurance routinely provided. Shipping to Continental US only. PayPal payment only. PM me if interested. Thanks!
Just to be clear... the GoPro is not included.
https://youtu.be/1FpSEcxe1o8
In testing the Side-Shot, I discovered that sometimes, depending on the particular scope, you may want to lock it down with a small gap between the beam-splitter housing and the rear edge of the scope's ocular ring (not pushed on and seated all the way in contact with the eyepiece of the scope). I also noted if the opening on the Side-Shot housing is larger than the outer diameter of your scope's ocular ring, or if you do mount it with the gap, you have some movement/play that can make it difficult to optimally align the camera's lens axis with the scope's lens axis, and then truly hold it there, as the housing is typically 4-5 inches from the two anchor points. Slight mis-alignment of the two axes was usually only a visible problem in the video if filming at max magnification (a darker outer half-ring in the video that would come and go as you moved the housing on and off the center of the axis). However, that's where I mostly film at, so I needed to address it. I also found if you mounted the camera with the gap, and a strong light hit it and entered the gap, it could become visible light flare in the video as well. To address this, I CNC machined a solid Delrin adjustment collar that fits flush against the rear beam-splitter housing. This did two things... 1) It provided a deeper tunnel to the housing, allowing you to have the gap between the housing and the ocular, but it shielded the gap from any light and eliminated any flare, provided the gap wasn't too big. 2) It provides 4 adjustable thumbscrews to position and lock the housing in place such that the scope and camera lens axes are aligned as best as is possible. This really secures the mount as it provides a lock-down mechanism at the other end of the mount, eliminating any movement at the housing/camera end. The thumbscrews are nylon to avoid any marking of the scope's ocular outer ring.
I also added two stop collars on the mounting rods to make it possible to remove and replace the mount and maintain the exact gap each time.
To me, these alignment and stop collars made the Side-Shot equal to the Eagle Vision in all aspects but one... light. The beam-splitter on the Side-Shot does not allow as much light to the camera as the 25/75% beam-splitter on the Eagle Vision. Both are outstanding, but for me, the Eagle Vision won based on light transmission. So, I'm keeping the Eagle Vision Side-Cam kit, and selling the Side-Shot.
I've posted a video of the mounting with the adjustment collar, and a photo of the kit. It includes two housing adjustment collars of different thicknesses, to allow for more gap if needed for a particular scope's setup. Mounting bracket is 30mm.
The price is $280, shipped USPS Priority Mail w/Tracking. Add $5 if you want it insured for the full amount vs the minimal insurance routinely provided. Shipping to Continental US only. PayPal payment only. PM me if interested. Thanks!
Just to be clear... the GoPro is not included.
https://youtu.be/1FpSEcxe1o8