paddling with a camera

Kayak Video Camera Mast – Sticky Pod Combined with Monopod

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Marek

in

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As many other paddlers I was inspired by a video camera setup used by Justine Curgenven in her This Is The Sea DVD series. So, last year, I started to experiment with my own mast for kayak photography and video. My idea was to combine the sticky pod suction cup camera mount with a telescoping 50′ monopod. However, I did not want to make any permanent modifications to my rather expensive, 6 segment Carbon Fiber Traveler Monopod by Gitzo. It is just another job for my Gitzo.

This is “my sticky pod” – a camera mount with 3 suction cups. It comes with a mounting 3/8″ bolt. My Gitzo monopod and photo tripod heads have 1/4″ sockets, so I drilled an extra hole and I added 1/4″ bolt. The first thing I added was a tether!

Note that the original bolts and rivets are getting a little bit rusty. It would be nice to have stainless hardware for a wet environment. The triangular base is made of aluminum.


I removed a head from my Gitzo monopod and screwed it upside down to the sticky pod. You can use any monopod, just be sure that is has 3/8″ or 1/4″ socket. Aluminum monopods are not very expensive, starting around $20.

Now, we need to attach a camera to the other side (i.e., normally bottom) of the monopod. As a temporary solution I used a small toy tripod with flexible legs and some plastic wraps. I believe I got that tripod together with a memory card order.

Here is my camera, Pentax Optio W30, mounted on the mast. Don’t forget a tether!

I added a temporary lens hood a year ago. It’s ugly, but it works protecting the lens against direct sun and water splashes.

Flexible legs of the little tripod allow me to adjust camera position. I can shoot in both landscape and portrait mode. It’s not very robust solution however. For rough conditions I would use more solid mount to prevent camera movement or just more plastic wraps or even a duct tape.

The camera mast mounted on the stern deck of my Thunderbolt-X kayak. It is almost fully extended and even with a light Pentax Optio camera affects stability of my tippy kayak. A few inches lower and the kayak behaves much better.

One example of picture shot from the back deck with a fully extended mast – paddling Thunderbolt kayak on Beaver Pond near Fort Collins. Pentax Optio W30 was set in an interval mode and was shooting pictures every 10 seconds. I was shooting with a similar camera setup last year on the Horsetooth Reservoir, but the camera was mounted much closer to a paddler.

It is a little bit tricky to set up a camera at that tall mast without looking at a LCD monitor. Perhaps, a small mirror would be helpful.




Comments

5 responses to “Kayak Video Camera Mast – Sticky Pod Combined with Monopod”

  1. Tom Heibel Avatar
    Tom Heibel

    Hey Marek, your creativity and passion for kayaking never seem to stop. Congratulations! You clearly use your Sticky Pods to their fullest.

    Many thanks for all the great pics.
    Tom Heibel
    Sticky Pod Inventor

  2. PeterD Avatar
    PeterD

    Do you find the stability of the kayak to be affected by this large lever?

  3. marek Avatar
    marek

    Yes, it affects the kayak stability when fully extended, but it’s telescoping. For a narrow Thunderbolt kayak I would use only 1/2 or 2/3 of its height.

  4. photographyVoter.com

    Kayak Video Camera Mast – Sticky Pod Combined with Monopod…

    Telescoping mast for kayak photography and video with a compact digital camera or bullet cam, based on a monopod and a suction cup camera mount. It was built without modifying a monopod….

  5. Dennis Avatar
    Dennis

    Wow, a 50′ monopod? That’s big! 😉

    Great article and website.

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