How 2 Make a PB Vid without risk of getting your camera shot?

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i've been taking a lot of pictures but they are starting to get boring and i can't show the people that don't play how it's really like with just pictures.

I was thinking about making a video and bringing a camera onto the field but there is a problem... I'm afraid that i will get my camera shot.

When i was taking pictures there were some very close calls but i didn't really care if my camera got shot since it was only like $40. But the camera i am planning on taking onto the field with me is around $1000.

How do i make a video without the risk of the camera getting hit? i don't care if i get hit as long as the camera is in perfect contion i'll be happy.

[Kevmaster]

they make camera cases that are cloth like and have a window for the lens

[Stealth_Wizard07]

yeah i do that sumtimes to and i made either a shoebox (with 2 holes lense and eyeholeand laid it on the ground or carried it around(all that space that makes the camera move but socks or sumthin around it nice and tight)or just rap a a couple of old shower towels with just the lense showing and put a lil hard plastic thing over the lense so if ur lense get shot it looks cool with all the splatter BUT it doesn't not break ur camera
:D :D

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i'm trying to think of something that is more mobile. so i can actually reach the zoom button and stop recording button.

a shoebox full of sox and rags aren't gonna cut it.

and where can i get those camera cases with a window in it?

[Stealth_Wizard07]

u can get those at most camera stores if u just ask and makes sure they try not to sell u ne thing else*hint* u ask for the clear lense cover and they'll try to sell u the cleaner(water and soap,maybe some windex) a wholse bunc of other stuff. DO NOT BUY NE THING ELSE

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

lol stealth right now i'm trying your shoebox idea... only i'm using a smaller box and i'm gonna try to use a lighter material to keep it in place.

[FalconGuy016]

Originally posted by SuiciDal Sn Y p ER
lol stealth right now i'm trying your shoebox idea... only i'm using a smaller box and i'm gonna try to use a lighter material to keep it in place.

Get a small survielence camera dome. It only protects the front and sides a little, but thats all you rreally need

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i'm kinda cheap so i'm gonna try to cut this cardboard box the way i want it (i got a lot of spare time right now so i might as well same some cash)

[Stealth_Wizard07]

lol i just used that today in a war but my zooms on top
that plastic lense saved my ***...falcon man i was going for the cheapo idea i'd rather spend more money on getting my classic:( that i should be getting soon. But ne way i didn't use socks i used rags and bandana's and it worked pretty good well its one of thsoe Draxxus cases with the handle so its like a brief case now so i can run with it 2 but its really fun to watch them after u watcht them so much u start to learn about the people u play and what mistakes they made and what u should not do ... thats y i got so good with my lil **** spyder and need a good automag:D

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

see how i plan on doing this is having a hole for the lense which i will cover with some plexi glass or a strong clear material. a hole for the lcd screen which will stickout (i made it so that the back of the screen is protected)

and now i'm trying to make a hole for me hand to go through and hold the camera

[adam shannon]

what kind of vidcam are you using?

if you want the best way...jerry rigging shoe boxes aside...you can get a camera rain cover ro a underwater housing. the cover will run between $60-$300 depending on your camera and which cover, and the underwater housing can be between $500 and umpteen thousand depending on which model.

there are a few companies that make nylon rain covers. impact on the body of the camera wont break anything unless your at point blank range. you can reach up under the cover to the controls then close the velcro around your hand.

kata makes covers for most vid cams...consumer, prosumer, and pro. verizoom makes them for the more pricey 3 chip cams, and pro models.

if your worried about the lense you can do one of 2 things. get a screw on uv filter...$25 bucks and if it breaks from a hit you just screw it off and get another one. or you can get an appropriately sized gel bracket and get plexi cut to fit and just pop those in the bracket...if you do this just carry a squeegie..glass squeegie not BP one. and if you get a lense hit you can squigee it in 10 seconds and be back up shooting.

for support use a cheapo monopod. you can either hold the cam at eye level or go down to a knee and have a stable shooting support.

a few of the "pro" shooters ive seen just take a thick towel and drape it over the body leaving the lense exposed, with the plexi shield in front. it works but requires you paying attention to if its falling off or not...but it works.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i'm not worried about the lense. i'm worried about the entire camera. right now i got a cardboard box and some cuts for the lense and lcd screen and a big hole in the bottom for my hand. so far it works pretty good. now all i need to do is get something clear to cover the hole for the lense.

[Kevmaster]

plexiglass?:rolleyes:

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

it's like a strong plastic that you can drill, cut, glue, etc.

and it's lighter than regular glass and won't shatter.

in the pic below is plexiglass mounted on a r/c car aka AGD Kamikaze

[SIGSays]

if it's a 1000$ camera it better have some super zoom.. lol just get far away and start taking pics.

[arsonpaintball06]

get a helmet cam.....dunno where they sell em, but u can get em.

[Cypres0099]

A few of us from my vidoe production class did a little paintball filming this weekend. What they did was make a lexan "box" that screwed into the tripod hole on the bottom of the camera. Not only could it take a hit from a paintball, but I think it could be hit by a bullet.

I'll try to get pics later this week.

[Miscue]

Use a rain cover for your camera. Cheap UV lense for protection works great. You don't need to get fancy.

Edit: I notice that Adam responded... :p

[FutureMagOwner]

ok suicidal in that last pic you attached is very similar to the one a guy around here used to tape us playing.

basically he had that with holes in it to push buttons and side handles.

[rikkter]

i play scenarios, and Thomas Fletcher (www.ragtopvideo.com), he goes around and records the games. he made this contrapment, thats made out of plexiglass from what it looks like, its a big box, with no bottom, and a hole in the front cut for the lens to get a clear shot. it looks pretty sturdy to me, and can't be too hard to make either.

[pito189]

Force of Nature uses just regular white towels. They make some pretty awesome videos.

EDIT: spelling

[BetaMax]

I use a lipstick cam from http://www.helmetcamera.com.

I mount the camera on my Goggles and record away.

[rikkter]

Originally posted by BetaMax
I use a lipstick cam from http://www.helmetcamera.com.

I mount the camera on my Goggles and record away.

damn those are expensive, but cool as hell.
can i borrow that sometime? i'll even give you money to hold on to if i dont return it lol.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

hmmm. yea that helmet cam is kinda expensive

Do you think i can get a UV lense from a local radio shack?

sig - i'm not thinking about pictures. i'm thinking about making a video so i gotta get close to where the action is

Regular white towels...but then how am i suppose to cover the lense with the towels?

cypres - i'm interesting in your idea but explain more about this "lexan" box. and how much it will cost to make one.

[adam shannon]

the towels cover the body/sides of the camera. you use the uv filter for the lense. $30 and your done. you may be able to get a filter at best buy...but your best shot is a camera shop. most places have a ritz nearby in a mall similar retail location. dont be swayed by the "multicoated" filters...thats like the camera equivalent of "low pressure" in PB. all hype at a higher price. get a regular uv filter by promaster or tiffen and save $10.

oh and do yourself a favor and either take the camera with you or know how many mm the lense is before you shop.

[Recon by Fire]

They do make underwater cases for many video and 35mm cameras. You can also find a small video board camera with wireless sending and receiver for about $100. Then just mount it to your marker or helmet. Sorry, I had a link for an exact model I was looking at but lost it :)

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

lol i'm trying to save money. my $100 is goin to a barrel kit.

[adam shannon]

not to be sarcastic...but if your taking a $1000 camera on the field how can you afford to be cheap about protecting it? kinda like buying a new $350 tank and not dropping the $12 on a tank cover when you usually play on gravel sup air fields, and you play front!

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

well the camera was given to me for free from my bro since he got a better camera

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

wow do i got a lot of shopping to do tomarrow

tripod
UV lense
Plexiglass
regular glass
towels.
maybe a glue gun
vinyle stickers
some wire
other stuff for a warp to intelliframe thingy
electrical tape
duct tape

the list goes on...
just to protect my camera lol

[doc_Zox]

check out the concept of the EWA Raincapes:
http://www.ewa-marine.de/Pictures/b-VC-MC.jpg

they are ~250 bucks in stores

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=rain+cape&image.x=0&image.y=0

[adam shannon]

lol, that cover costs more than the cam its on!

[rikkter]

250 for THAT? thats.. wow. no words can even describe it. maybe if it had that black ring connected to a outrim for the ENTIRE thing, it still wouldn't be worth it actually. wow..

[doc_Zox]

heres a 75 dollar one
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=ProductDetail&A=showItemLargeImage&Q=&sku=17390

a clever man could prolly build one with a roll of duct tape, a lens cover and a shower curtain

heres a diving bag:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=216669&is=REG

the above are cheap compared to a diving housing:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=228205&is=REG

[Recon by Fire]

Here is that link for the remote camera I saw:

http://www.web-tronics.com/wicosy2on8g.html (Remote Cam)

[sbpyro]

Originally posted by Cypres0099
A few of us from my vidoe production class did a little paintball filming this weekend. What they did was make a lexan "box" that screwed into the tripod hole on the bottom of the camera. Not only could it take a hit from a paintball, but I think it could be hit by a bullet.

I'll try to get pics later this week.

A couple years back my buddies built a lexan box with a bracket that mounted to the tripod hole. Your hand would hold the camera and the box was attached via tripod hole. Well his $1000 camera (at the time) developed a crack around the tripod mount. The metal threads in the tripod mount looks like it was either mold into or ultrasonically welded into the plastic housing of the camera. The plastic around the metal threads started to crack. He needed to send it back to the manufacturer to have it fixed. So becareful how you mount a lexan/polycarbonate box to the tripod mount on the camera. They were not design to take a lot of punishment.
A revision of this protective case was made so that the case wrapped around the camera (LCD closed) and the operating hand with a polycarbonate front.

[Muzikman]

I think a rain cover is all you need. Boxed and such is going a bit overboard.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

alright i got the camera set up on a tri-pod.

i'm planning on covering it with a towel and some zip ties.

then for the front i will have like thick glass.

i'm hoping that a towel can absorb the impact of the paintball for the camera. but i plan on reinforcing the towels with probably some cardboard.

UV lenses are a tad bit expensive when i could just get a large custom made piece of glass for $5.50

Rain covers... wow those things look cheap but are expensive. i think i'd be better off just putting a plastic bag over my camera.

[Muzikman]

problem with getting just a piece of glass is you will get lens flare and such from it. Camera filters are coated to prevent this problem. You should be able to get a UV filter for less than $20. What size lens is on it?

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

30mm

[Muzikman]

Not the best filter out there, but it would be better than a piece of glass.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=284965&is=REG

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

how come i still have the feeling that a paintball can easily go through this filter.

[Muzikman]

It's glass. The worse that will happen is you will break the filter. At the IAO I took a direct hit to the front of one of my lenses. There was no problems with it. I just took off the filter, cleaned it and put it back on.

[BradPalooza]

I was not convinced that a UV filter would hold up to a paintball myself. Like I mentioned our largest camera has got a 72 mm lense and it's taken several direct hits. We've used good ones (B+W) and more inexpensive ones (Tiffen/Quantaray) and they all work. The optical coating gets scratched up though which is why they've been replaced.

Use 2 UV filters, it's still better than glass or plexi glass.

-Brad

[Jeffy-CanCon]

The guys who film the PBLI Big Game each year have been protecting their minicams inside plastic milk jugs. They cut one side out so they can get their hands in to hold the camera, and trim the spout so the lens just pokes through.

[Evil Bob]

If you go with a rain cap, be sure to pad it with foam, the last thing you're going to want is any direct impacts, the rain caps don't offer any padding at all, they just keep the water out.

Like others have said, if you spent some serious money on the camera, don't be a cheap skate and skimp on protecting it on the field, spend the money and invest in a underwater housing that can survive a tumble on the field and multiple direct impacts. If you're on the field, you're going to get hit by paint regardless of how you dress. Also, with a camera, you're more likely to take a spill if you're on the move since you're not watching where you're putting your feet due to the poor field of vision and the fact that you're concentrating on the action, the last thing you want is to fall over an obstacle as you're trying to get the shot and break your $1500+ camera.

-Evil Bob

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

lol but i didnt pay for this camera. i got it for free.

i'm kind of poor right now but i'm thinking about getting that uv lense. using a towel to protect the camera and some cardboard just in case.

do you think radioshack sells UV protectors?

[yeahthatsme]

you could get one of those under-water camera cases...they are like hard-plastic shells that are water tight...

[rikkter]

Originally posted by yeahthatsme
you could get one of those under-water camera cases...they are like hard-plastic shells that are water tight...
and about 30 times more than that garbage bag with a ring thats posted on here.

[Muzikman]

I doubt Radio Shack would have a UV filter, but I know Best Buy does.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

well i can't really afford those $100 underwater camera cases.

[Blazestorm]

you could just be smart and not stand in lanes? or if you are lay down... we had 3 camcorders going on saturday all over the field and the cameraman themselves never got shot once and yes we were walking around on the fields... :)

Made an awesome video which I can show you guys a short clip of... just our team and some friends playing at STP on our field that we setup :D

basically unless you have a 2500 dollar camera I wouldn't worry about it, you're not going to get shot unless you're stupid...

if anyone is interested in that video send me an aim :)

ekathekilla :)

[Recon by Fire]

We shot the last AO-TX video with two hand held cameras and neither of them had any protection nor did they ever get hit.

[TheGreatPru]

why dont you just put the camera inside an extra mask . . . you know it can take the hits, and it already has a hole in the bottom for your hand / tripod.

[Zimbo]

Originally posted by doc_Zox
check out the concept of the EWA Raincapes:
http://www.ewa-marine.de/Pictures/b-VC-MC.jpg

they are ~250 bucks in stores

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=rain+cape&image.x=0&image.y=0

dude that for the rain. Just do what i do use a cheap JT mask with a clear lense and and use some tape so that the mask stays attached to your hand. Bend the left side of the mask so you open the viewing screen or use the eyepeice if you like. It works and great is nice and cheap and looks realistic cause its thru the gogs. If you want pics ill post em just ask

[Muzikman]

To be honest guys. I hear about people making lexan boxes and using masks and padding stuff to take the hit, and not standing in lanes. If you don't want to spend the money for a rain cover (which is all you need) take a large freezer bad and a UV filter. This is all the protection you need. All you want to do is keep the paint out of the cracks and inter working of the camera. No worry about padding as the camera can take the hit. Also, if you shoot enough, you WILL get hit, standing in lanes or not.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

i still think the towel idea works well with the UV Lense.

that is my sollution right now.

i still need someone to explain to me what a lexan box is. is that like a clear materal or what?

[Zimbo]

Originally posted by Muzikman
...If you don't want to spend the money for a rain cover (which is all you need)...


That rain cover only stops water it would do nothing if a paintball hit it. Ive used them theys not mean for stopping 280FPS balls of paint just rain

[Muzikman]

Zimbo, again, the impact of the paintball will not hurt a camera. Hell, my DSLR took a few hits at IAO and all I had to do is make sure I got the paint out of the cracks. Cameras are built a lot stronger than you thing. Would a vid cam get damaged from a paintball shot inches away? Maybe, maybe not, but from even a few feet there would no no damage I am sure. The loose fitting plastic cover also absorbs a lot of the impact.

[Zimbo]

my cameras warrant expired in 1988 but still if the camera costs a thousand dollars youre not gonna risk it. If you want an easy cheap solution use a spare mask

[Zimbo]

Freaky TAH?!

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

lol hey that mask idea does look good. ok forget the UV lense. i'm gonna go get a cheap mask and just have towels over the rest of the camera to prevent paint from getting in the cracks and buttons.

[Zimbo]

id suggest moving around outside with your current mask to see if you can get it. Focusing is no prob and the only part that sticks out is that eyepeice. youll need ot look thru that to see but thats no problem. Also im not sure what types of shots youre going for so i may suggest loosening the strap enough so that you can get the screen open and so you can get the camera low so its steadier. Normally itll look like you have parkensens but thats just a generalization. Do you use any editing software?

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

well i tested it out with my invision about 5min ago. it works fine but the mask doesnt stay still so i have to hole the mask and the camera. i want something that will stay on the camera and not move.

[Zimbo]

My camera is maybe larger than yours the battery is huge and i have a JT spectra so that all factors in. I made it really tight and i hold the headband with my thumb so its tighter still. Seeings as to how my camera is older than some people on this site Id say that factors in heavily. Hers a pic of my thumb tecnique (tm) :D

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

hmm...i'll get a cheap pmi mask and test it out

[Zimbo]

good idea!

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

....someone has too much time :p

[Muzikman]

Oh brother;)

[JonDaAzn]

put on a shirt -_-;