Feedback wanted.. 1st try at video footage while shooting

[frassettor]

I started last year trying to video my hunts, and memories. I spent hours today trying to come up with a mount for the little Sony Bloggie I have. I tried every which way to find a good place to mount it where it would capture a "birds eye view" of the shot and intended target.
I have read several threads here on different ways to mount a video camera and some said not to mount them on your bow because of the vibration caused by the bow after the shot. After several different methods and trying to figure out a good spot to mount it and the proper "angle" to capture what I was trying to accomplish, I came up with this.
With the help of my wife I had her help with the mounting. Here is a picture of what I got, and a video of me shooting. The camera was  VERY distracting to me while I shot with the added weight of the camera on my hat/head, so I didn't shoot the best. This is only a "Test run" and was not worried about my groups, I was only worried about capturing what I wanted.
I still got some vibration and really don't know if its even possible to get away from it. Please give me your thoughts, ideas and comments, all is welcome        

The mount and the "angle"
   

My wife caught my shooting outside, you can see it mounted to my hat, almost to full draw..
   

The video, "click to play"

   

[frassettor]

[Gator1]

Great video I thought it worked out well

[frassettor]

Originally posted by Gator1:
Great video I thought it worked out well

Thanks, it took a while to come up with the right angle for the lens, but because of that angle, its bad for everything else (capturing deer that just pass through, ect). works good for the shot though. Im still trying a way to figure out how I can get everything in, the shot, deer passing, birds, whatever

[Kingsnake]

Functional, but here are a few comments....

First, I know this is just a test vid, but try to edit out some of the extraneous stuff...prepping inside, ect..

Second, the headmount does provide a decent POV angle, but since the head moves more than the torso, you will be subject to more jerky motion....some of it can get downright nauseating for the viewer.  The few shoulder mounts I have seen appear to have less jerky movement since the torso doesn't move around as much as the body.  That may not work with your selected camera, but I think it will steady the pic.

Kingsnake

[COOCH]

I agree with Kingsnake on both points.There is just to much movement of the camera.If you put it on a large screen it is very disorienting to watch.Some type of steady mount works the best.A tree arm or tripod are the trick for steady and centered video.

Keep at it you will find something that works.

[Kingsnake]

I have an inexpensive camera tree arm . . .one hinge point.  It works fine as long as the deer steps into the exact spot that I am preparing to film.  A friend of mine has a high dollar mount with multiple arms/pivot points, and with spring/shock thingies that give him a full range of motion.  Works great, just more than I care to spend.

Either way, you're kinda' stuck in one spot with a tree mount.  Not the same as still hunting or stalking animals . ..

Kingsnake

[Kingsnake]

just an example of how much SOME of these things can cost. Too rich for my blood

Kingsnake

[jsweka]

I gotta be honest - It made me dizzy.

[Jerry Russell]

I have seen a number of those body mounted camera videos and they always seem a bit jerkey to me. If you go that route, you can upload to Youtube and Youtube will offer to stabilize the video post the upload.  I get what you are trying to do with capturing all the "other" things in the woods along with the shot. Truth is it is impossible to get everything with a single mount without quality suffering. Camera tree arms are the way to go for many quality applications, no doubt, and they work great for certain deer hunts, baited bear ect., but will cost you while trying to get rutting deer and other fast moving critters. Body mounted cameras catch it all but the "Blair Witch" video will sometimes make you dizzy.  In my opinion a bow mounted camera offers the best of both worlds. The bow will be pointed at the deer no matter how fast the approach and offers a decent stabil platform for recording.The greatest advantage they offer is the ability to zoom in on the video subject while looking at the screen to ensure the target is in frame. The draw back is the shock at the release of the bowstring but this is a minor setback. There are tons of ideas out there for mounts. Here is mine. It is VERY tough and the waterproof camera never leaves my bow.

When I am recording a serious hunt I always have the camera arm in service but that bow mounted camera is ALWAYS on my bow and in the record mode for the times when the camera arm misses the action or when using it will cost me the shot.

Keep working at it. You will get the mount system worked out. I have filmed hunts for over 25 years and I cherish the memories.

Good luck.

Jerry