Brinno Learning Series Part 6 - Mounting Your Camera

This is not only a tip but more a rule, you need a sturdy mount for any time lapse project. For short term work this could be a tripod or simply placing the camera on a windowsill, dashboard, fence post, etc.

For long term projects your mount and what you are attaching the camera to are very important considerations. We have seen people go to great lengths to keep their cameras stable and secure. However, getting great results can be done at a low cost with a little planning.

The first consideration is what you are mounting to (wood post, metal pole, etc.) You will probably want the camera out of reach, but accessible. Poles and trees are great but are  susceptible to wind vibration. Any slight movement at the camera will be enhanced the further away your subject is.

I thought this light pole would be a perfect location for the camera. In the end it was only ok, we had to edit out a lot of shifting frames and the pole had a very strange daily swelling movement. Here is the end result...


In our Housings and Mounts section we offer proven solutions. The two Pedco clamps are great for many situations, rugged and stable. The suction cup is an excellent choice for interior remodeling and construction. Windows are typically installed early in a project and they are not touched throughout. Mounting on a wall stud will require the camera to be moved when drywall is installed.

For some interior and most exterior projects we  recommend a DIY solution which is inexpensive and very versatile. We offer all of the components as our DIY Mount Ready to Go but you can easily configure your own at any large home center. It's simply a small section of pre-drilled angle steel (often used for hanging garage door openers). Two lag bolts screw into a wood post, pole, stud or beam, on the other end the camera or camera and housing are mounted with a short 1/4"-20 screw, washer and lock washer. If you can't find a short enough 1/4" screw a few washers can be used as spacers. As long as you have something to screw into this solution can be configured many ways. We often cut a portion of the metal and bend it into custom configurations. Overall, this solution is rock solid, better than any manufactured clamp, it won't move and if it does your camera is probably toast.

Now we need to consider mounting solutions sometimes included with Brinno cameras as a bundled package. We don't like bundled packages which force customers to purchase a specific clamp or mount. From a marketing perspective, the concept is sound, give the customer everything they need. However, we know every mounting scenario is different. Why buy something which will not work. For this reason, you will see few bundled options from us. Some retailers market a BCC100 construction camera package which includes a flimsy plastic wall-mount. Please don't consider using this mount, we don't sell it and don't recommend its use. If you have one and it is working for you, don't panic, just consider it is the weakest mounting solution.

Another Brinno bundle the BCC200, includes the Takeway clamp. This is a bundle with great intentions, however, although we sell this bundle we will not recommend it to our customers. The Takeway clamp is a brilliantly engineered clamp and looks amazing.
However, the clamp is over engineered and in our opinion very over price, compared to other options. If you are a clamp collector, as we are, by all means add this one to your collection. However, if you need a tool to get the job done, look at a solution above. Since this clamp looks so darn good, here are the reasons why it is our last choice.

- The clamp requires two hands to install, envision being on a ladder and reaching to place the camera on a stud, like pictured. You need to hold the camera in place and turn the screw handle. With other clamps you can get them snug enough to slip onto the stud without holding the camera and tighten the screw.

- The clamp has a base plate which requires screwing (coin or screwdriver) the plate to the camera. Every time you change the batteries, you must unscrew the plate to access the battery compartment. The housing would eliminate the need to remove the plate to access the battery compartment.

- The grip pads are very small and hard. No matter how much you crank it down the pads still allow the clamp to move with slight force. If the clamp doesn't move you will have gone too far and damaged whatever you are clamping to.

- The knob sticks out with most installations, the protrusion invites inadavertant bumping and may be visible within the camera view.

- When mounted as pictured, the ball-head does not go past vertical. Perfect alignment of your camera may be difficult.

- Lastly, again, it's just too expensive for what you get. The reason we sell it alone is we typically pull it out of the BCC200 bundle, sell the camera and housing separate and have Takeway clamps left over.

Just a few quick points about the housing, which is marketed as weather resistant. The housings are brilliant and work very well. As pictured, we wrap the housings of our exterior cameras with tape, Gaffers and duct tape work very well. The tape makes a weather resistant housing nearly weatherproof by preventing driving rain from penetrating the housing seal. We can't guarantee you won't have water entry, however, with tape we have not had an issue with any of our cameras.

The housing also works well indoors for long projects. When mounted via the tripod screw, you can open the housing, remove the camera, replace batteries and download, all without changing the camera position. The camera will fit back into the housing and allow you to close it without any movement. We also like the protection the housing affords. Interior construction projects are harsh environments. We have had cameras painted, sprayed with ceiling texture and they alway accumulate dust. Although not a necessity to use the housing indoors we like it for when things get messy or longterm so the camera stays in the same position.