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Car MountGearGoogle Street ViewGSViSTAR Pulsar

9 Rooftop Car Mounts for 360º Cameras for Google Street View10768

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DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user

Screen Grab 1 from NCTech: NCTech iSTAR Pulsar Roof Mount Kit

Hi All,

If you buy an NCTech iSTAR Pulsar, I recommend that you buy the NCTech iSTAR Pulsar rooftop camera mount.

If you are using one of these Google Street View 360º cameras, here are some rooftop camera mounts:


Screen Grab 2 from Amazon: Large Street View Ready Camera Mount


Screen Grab 3 from Amazon: CAMTREE G-51 Professional Gripper Campod Car Mount Stabilizer]


Screen Grab 4 from Amazon: CAMTREE G-10 Professional Camera Gripper Suction Mount


Screen Grab 5 from Aamazon: Delkin DDMNT-TRIPLE Fat Gecko Three-Arm Suction Mount


Screen Grab 6 from Amazon: ASXMOV 50kg Load Adjustable car Suction Car Mount Camera Mount Holder Tripod Black Triple Vacuum Suction Cup


Screen Grab 7 from Amazon: Professional Aluminium Alloy Universal Flexible Vehicle Camera Tripod with Suction Cup Mount Tripod Holder


Screen Grab 8 from B&H Photo: RigWheels Cloud Mount Pro Camera Vibration Isolator System [Video]



Screen Grab 9: CAME-TV Video Sucker Suction Cup Mount

--

Which Google Street View rooftop camera mount do you use and with which 360º camera?

Happy New Year,

Dan

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✓ WGAN Forum discussions tagged: Google Street View | GSV | GSV17 | GSV18 | GSV19
Post 1 IP   flag post
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This video shows how to build a mount for a car windscreen with magnets but he shows all parts for building it for a car roof as well.

Post 2 IP   flag post
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I have completelly forgotten about this product for lifting/caring glass panels
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/321631019174
I have bought the last one from this seller today but search ebay as there are plenty of them. Just make sure you are buying the one made of metal.

At $37 AUD(you can get them even $10 less from China if no rush) there just is nothing cheaper even with DIY to make a suction base with three points.

Not sure if it works well on a hot car(+32C and humid is typical for Brisbane most of the year) roof. However I will see once I get it if I can change suction to magnets or may be anchor it to extra three magnet pad to make sure it will never come off.

So I am waiting on magnetic pads(bought 3x 75mm in diameter for $23AUD), this glass lifter with suction for a base($37 AUD) of my car mount and a mini tripod from Neewer(59 AUD).

I guess I can get away without the tripod by drilling a hole in the handle of the glass lifter and add a 1/4 screw there to mount some tube and a camera on top. Or maybe even use a bicycle handlebar camera holder to get away from drilling anything.

That's going to be super cheap and under $50 AUD. However with the tripod I can control my camera height and it would be just nice to have some option to do it.
Post 3 IP   flag post
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This video shows how to use a glass lifter to mount a camera on a car. He is using only two cups system but it holds a DSLR on a side(0:31).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd49rkTyZk4
Post 4 IP   flag post
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Can be as simple as that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv3bwraV_V8

I think I may be underestimating power of suction especially with big cups.

I have a small phone holder with a suction cup. It is just 2" in diameter but when I put it on my car and fix it with suction it is very hard to remove.

It most likely to break plastic parts on a phone holder when I pull out rather than detach rubber from a car surface. Considering that this glass lifter has three cups in much bigger diameter it may be that it will never come off.
Looks like we may have a winner with using that glass lifter to do DIY for a car mount. All you need apart from the lifter is a nut and a drill.

If you put a pole on the lifter handle in order to be able to raise a camera it may be a good idea to secure it with three wires with each wire attached to a cup and to the top of the pole. That will guarantee that the camera sitting on the top won't wobble.


And for even 99.99% security you can add extra two wires to the top of the pole and secure it hooking into passenger windows. That will save your gear and prevent you from damaging other cars. If something happens and suctions cups detach your gear won't come of your car roof.

Can't wait to get that lifter delivered.

P.S. The magnets I have bought and hopped to use instead of suction cups are two weak to hold anything.

Those who do not want DIY may be interested in this one which is under $100 US but seems to be well built.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33015335098.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.43a42e0erR21bk
Post 5 IP   flag post
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I do not know if it is a scam but there is a great(by its look) camera mount for a car listed on ebay at https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=302427792019&_sacat=0

I could not resist to buy it especially considering that my DIY project with a car mount is far away from completion. Plus my friends are happy to lend me their small car and they have roof racks which simplifies everything a lot.

The only reason I think it may be no true because the same seller has the same mount listed for almost two times more at https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=302825187627&_sacat=0

Plus its price in USD(not AUD) is actually $159 on some websites, Google for it, even BHPHOTOVIDEO has used to sell them at https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1010449-REG/glide_gear_syl_910_frog_mount_suction_cup.html

So may be it is not a scam, may be just a mistake with a price but there are some feedback for this mount sold at $89 AUD.

Anyway, ebay promises to deliver it in 7-9 days. I will see what I get.


Dan, I have finished my DIY with a camera backpack. Do you want me to create a new thread? There are basically no instructions and once I show pictures everybody can see how to do it either from aluminium tubing or timber. And you do not need any special backpack and even a normal backpack for a photographer can work.
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The item is coming on Next Monday/Tuesday. The seller has not contacted me claiming any mistakes on their listing & posted it next day after my purchase.

Let's see if I get the mount shown on the pictures or something else. If I get something else with excuses for a listing mistake I will just return it for a refund.
Post 7 IP   flag post
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None of theses is high enough to reduce a car roof to the size of a nadir cap. You can't photoshop the car roof away. If you look at GSV cars, they have a sturdy mount of 1m and higher.
Post 8 IP   flag post
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WeGoVirtual
None of theses is high enough to reduce a car roof to the size of a nadir cap. You can't photoshop the car roof away. If you look at GSV cars, they have a sturdy mount of 1m and higher.


If you have a small car it is going to look good even with a camera raised about 40-50cm from its roof. I did a test on my van and it is too much of a roof but its roof is about 3m long. However front view looks great showing very little of my van.

The mounts shown are probably still lower than 40-50cm but it seems there should not be any problem to add a raiser or may be just a ball head. The biggest problem with DIY is actually to build an actual mount itself.
Post 9 IP   flag post
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The mount has just come and it is the same mount as pictured on the item pictures.

It is not all that great and there are a few faults with it but I am happy to keep it at $89 AUD and improve.
The faults are:

1) knobs, they are too short to keep a ball head locked. Even though some of them can hold it I would replace all 6. It will not cost too much to replace.
2) There are no compression rings used anywhere and considering car vibrations it may lead to the knobs becoming loose. These are super cheap to add.
3)a foam insert in their carry bag is not a good quality and it has not be cut correctly(or bag is too small). This one does not bother me at all. Assembling the mount takes 5-10 minutes and I will probably keep the mount assembled all the time.

4)a connector port on a cup for tubing is made of ABS and I do not like it as you need to use one of these 6 knobs to hook the cup and the tube. Kind of makes you thinking that one day you over tighten it and it will crack. Now sure how it can be changed but I will think about it.

As for the height:

If I use one set of long arms and its suction cups are spread almost 60cm(from the end of one cup to the end of another) the bottom plate is raised 36cm
If I use both sets it will add about 15cm extra making it almost 50cm.

Despite of some faults I am actually happy I got it.
Post 10 IP   flag post
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingman
Dan, I have finished my DIY with a camera backpack. Do you want me to create a new thread? There are basically no instructions and once I show pictures everybody can see how to do it either from aluminium tubing or timber. And you do not need any special backpack and even a normal backpack for a photographer can work.


This discussion is fine. Thanks for asking. Looking forward to photos and final part list.

Great work!

Thanks,

Dan
Post 11 IP   flag post
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wingman
If you have a small car it is going to look good even with a camera raised about 40-50cm from its roof. I did a test on my van and it is too much of a roof but its roof is about 3m long. However front view looks great showing very little of my van.


The solution is to add a Moza Guru to one of these. It has the added value to keep the camera level, whatever the inclination of the car. But careful when driving, the added height and the counterweights of the Monza Guru will pull on the suction cups. This solution is only for GSV photos, when you don't drive fast and need to minimize the nadir.
Post 12 IP   flag post
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WeGoVirtual
The solution is to add a Moza Guru to one of these. It has the added value to keep the camera level, whatever the inclination of the car. But careful when driving, the added height and the counterweights of the Monza Guru will pull on the suction cups. This solution is only for GSV photos, when you don't drive fast and need to minimize the nadir.


@WeGoVirtual

About the MOZA Guru 360° Air Camera Stabilizer

Cool!

I could imagine that you need to drive REALLY, REALLY SLOW so that you don't lose all your gear!

Have you done this?!

Dan
Post 13 IP   flag post
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I use a Pilot Era and it has self leveling function. So even if a camera is tilted the heading and leveling should be still ok. But for the reason mentioned above(slow driving) I would not use this leveling hardware. I am already dealing with low hang branches. Hit one near my house but I was coming to a stop so it did not do any harm. adding something that will slow me in speed create more problems. For a start I just do not want to piss other drivers.

The suctions cups that this mount come with have been replaced with magnetic bases. The original suctions cups were either total crap or just do not work properly on a metal surface. They hold ok on a glass window but once placed on my car roof one of them has been losing suction in a 1-2 minute. With magnets I do not have this problem and they only costed me extra $30 AUD.

I will post the modified mount picture as well as my DIY backpack as soon as I have time to do it.

BTW, that mount is still for sale for AUD$89 so if you really want one get it and I will explain later how to change it to magnets. It is simple, no need to do anything, just remove suction cups and screw in magnets.

The suction cups is not the only problem with this mount. If I bought it for their original price of $159 USD I would be really pissed with its quality for this kind of money. However for $60 USD($89 AUD) it is a great deal considering you can make it much better with a small DIY and small investment in other parts.

I have driven about 25km with it in the last few days at a speed of 50-65km/h. I have not seen a single problem so far with the magnets.
That one https://goo.gl/maps/Th5X8EsQvK4bXVsj6 is for my street. If you cannot see the last Feb 2020 version use timeline(top left corner) to switch to it

Post 14 IP   flag post
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DanSmigrod

About the MOZA Guru 360° Air Camera Stabilizer

Cool!

I could imagine that you need to drive REALLY, REALLY SLOW so that you don't lose all your gear!

Have you done this?!

Dan


I did, with the Delkin Gecko (which holds well on a BMW roof) and an Insta360 Pro 2. I'm not doing a lot of Street View, and used this gear only a few times. Once in an industrial park (on a Sunday), and a couple of times on small mountain roads. To be on the safe side, I always drive slowly when the Moza Guru and camera are mounted, especially when turning. I never tested how fast you can go, the Pro 2 is too expensive. The good news is that my car almost disappears and what's left can be photoshopped away.

But Wingman's nadir logo on the car roof is not bad either, and probably more secure when driving on busy roads and longer distances.
Post 15 IP   flag post
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Screen Grab from @Wingman Google Street View Tour (nadir/bottom)

Quote:
Originally Posted by WeGoVirtual
Wingman's nadir logo on the car roof is not bad either


Yes. I his nadir logo patch too

Dan
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