Capturing unique perspectives from your car can significantly enhance your automotive content, and one of the most dynamic viewpoints comes from a roof-mounted Car Camera. This guide provides a detailed breakdown of how to securely attach your camera to your car’s roof, ensuring stability and safety even at high speeds. We’ll explore the essential components and best practices for achieving professional-quality footage.
Choosing the Right Suction Cup Mount for Your Car Camera
The foundation of a reliable roof mount setup is a high-quality suction cup mount. For optimal security, a triple suction cup mount with 9 cm diameter cups is highly recommended. This configuration provides a broad and robust grip on the car’s surface.
Before each use, it’s crucial to verify that every suction cup is firmly attached. A simple yet effective practice is to check each cup individually after mounting your car camera. Additionally, keeping a bottle of water and a cloth handy allows you to clean the car roof before attachment, removing any dust or debris that might compromise the suction. This cleaning step is also beneficial for windshield mounting if you plan to capture front-facing shots with a smartphone or another car camera.
Ensuring Car Camera Stability at Various Speeds and Conditions
Even when driving on uneven roads at 90 km/h or expressways at 130 km/h, a properly installed triple suction cup mount should maintain its hold. Experiences have shown that even in demanding driving conditions, issues with more than one suction cup detaching simultaneously are rare.
To further enhance safety, a secondary cord should always be used. Attaching this cord to the car’s interior, such as the rear seat hand grips, provides a crucial backup in the unlikely event of suction failure. This precaution safeguards your car camera and prevents potential road hazards.
Adapting Your Car Camera Setup for Cold Weather
It’s worth noting that suction cups can be less effective in cold temperatures. However, successful car camera operation is still achievable even below 10°C, as demonstrated in December and January shoots. In very cold conditions, lens frost becomes a more prominent concern. Keeping lens cloths and potentially anti-frost solutions in your kit can mitigate this issue and maintain clear footage from your roof-mounted car camera.
Essential Accessories for a Robust Car Camera Roof Mount
Beyond the suction cup mount, several accessories contribute to a more stable and versatile car camera setup. Aluminum GoPro extension arms offer superior stiffness compared to plastic alternatives. These arms help position your camera further from the car body, achieving more dynamic angles.
For camera mounting, using a KeyMission mount is advisable, especially for cameras with a standard 1/4″ thread. These mounts are designed for secure attachment. Consider using a silicon cover for your car camera, which allows for threading an additional safety cable for extra security. Standard round 1/4″ mounts might not remain reliably tightened under vibrations, so the KeyMission mount provides a more robust solution.
Standard GoPro screws are essential for connecting these components. Having a set of spares is always a good practice.
Optimizing Camera Orientation for High-Speed Car Photography
For high-speed runs, orienting your car camera sideways is highly advantageous. This minimizes wind drag, preventing the extension arms from folding back due to air resistance. Sideways orientation also significantly reduces bug splatter on the lens, maintaining cleaner footage.
For cameras like the Xiaomi Mi Sphere, pointing it slightly left allows you to easily check the blinking LEDs when stepping out of the car, confirming that the camera is still recording in interval mode. This simple visual cue is invaluable for ensuring you don’t miss capturing crucial moments.
Parts List for Building Your Car Camera Roof Mount
To help you build your own reliable car camera roof mount, here’s a list of the components discussed, with direct links for easy access:
- Triple suction cup mount: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SHOOT-Large-Small-Size-Car-Windshield-Suction-Cup-for-GoPro-Hero-6-5-7-Session-Sjcam/32836463522.html
- Aluminum extension arms: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SHOOT-Aluminum-Alloy-Helmet-Stick-for-GoPro-Hero-5-4-3-SJCAM-SJ4000-Eken-h9-Sport/32815361970.html
- KeyMission mount: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/For-Nikon-KeyMission-360-Camera-Mount-Conversion-Adapter-GoPro-Accessory/32816485285.html
- Xiaomi Mi Sphere silicon cover: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Silicon-Cover-Case-Skin-Cap-Protector-for-Xiaomi-Mijia-360-Panoramic-Camera/32822423625.html
- Fish line and ties (for secondary securing): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/50Pcs-Set-Reusable-Nylon-Magic-Tape-Hook-Loop-Cable-Cord-Ties-Tidy-Straps-Organiser-Cable-Winder/32810578685.html & https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100M-japan-multifilament-braided-fishing-line-150LB-200LB-250LB-supper-strong-saltwater-fishing-8X-fishing-tools/32801831283.html
- GoPro screws: (Widely available from various sources)
For extended recording sessions, consider adding a 10000 mAh USB battery in a mesh bag attached to the suction cup mount and a 128 GB microSD card. This setup can easily power your car camera for 8+ hour drives, ensuring you capture every moment of your journey.
