Cell phone holder for recording water sports?

[anmut]

My 6 year old informed me on Sunday she doesn’t want to record me anymore. Fair enough, her videos are kindergarten quality anyway. So I’m trying to find a mount that would:
1) allow recording using the good (back camera on my iPhone.
2) hold up to the pounding a boat takes
3) mount on the windshield

Am I asking too much? Should I just get a GoPro or something similar? This iPhone 11 comes with a pretty nice camera, sucks to not be able to use it.

 

[2kwik4u]

Both. Or either. How much thinner do you want your wallet to be?

GoPro is built for this. Lots of mounts and options.

Or......

Get a waterproof case and a RAM Mounts X-Grip with rubber tether for the phone. I have one with a suction mount, and 6in arm. Holds great on glass. Same mount with a bar mount on the Ducati, holds just fine deep into triple digit speeds (on the track of course), and resists vibrations decently.

Made this video with a RAM X-Grip and my phone...

Highly recommend RAM mounts either way. They're expensive because they're worth it.

 

[J-RAD]

I have a ram mount X-grip with suction cup, we used it last season and actually suctioned it on my mirror with the forward facing cam shooting footage. I invested in a GoPro for this season.

Shot from phone last year.

 

[TimW451]

I have a GoPro Hero Session that I’ve tried mounting on the windshield with a suction cup for the first time this year. It works well, but the action is in only 1/3 of the frame for long rope sports. I am going to add a GoPro surfboard (flush adhesive) mount on the back between the inside seat back and swim platform seats to get closer. It would be nice to just use the suction cup, but I really don’t want to lose it.

 

[props2you]

@biffdotorg is pretty versed in this and could likely offer some solid advice!

 

[biffdotorg]

I have a GoPro Hero Session that I’ve tried mounting on the windshield with a suction cup for the first time this year. It works well, but the action is in only 1/3 of the frame for long rope sports. I am going to add a GoPro surfboard (flush adhesive) mount on the back between the inside seat back and swim platform seats to get closer. It would be nice to just use the suction cup, but I really don’t want to lose it.

There is a reason why the "surfboard kit" came with a safety leash. Never underestimate the ability of a suction cup to give way at the worst time. That being said, I have tested a number of mounts for a couple companies, and one of my favorite is a dual suction cup mount. Some added safety with more than one cup for sure. But still, a light line is not out of the question if you value your camera. It's not ideal, but what can you do. Best bet is add on the floaty door that is bright safety orange. If she goes in, you can spot it on the surface. Just be sure it supports the weight of the stick it is on as well.

Low mounts do get some great angles, but I always worried about getting the ballast bag in shot, or someone kicking it in the lake. I will resort back to the handheld gimbal every time on a traditional go pro. I love the fact that it can slow down some of my drunk friends who wave it around like a relay baton.

This will be our first boating season with the GoPro Max. And the idea of reframing all the video in post production excites me as the perfect shots are in there, you just gotta find them. I will have to rummage through my collection of test sticks to find a floaty stick that will support the Max in the water too. A fresh coat of safety orange paint may be in order as well. As I have yet to see a lifejacket for the max.

Good luck, post up more questions and we both can figure out some ideas.

 

[Ronnie]

if you want to use your cell phone to capture Action on the water consider mounting a gimbal Like the DJI Osmo 3 to your boat. You would have to use your self facing / selfie camera on your phone to see the footage as it is being taken but the gimbal will stabilize the footage and allow you to zoom in and out as desired with one hand. Gimbals are available for gopros as well (See the REMOVU pictured) but don’t add the ability to zoom in and out.

For reference I’ve had and used go pro cameras up to the go pro 4 silver and session 2. Once I started using them I went all inOn cases, mounts, gimbals, etc. they are great for close footage but the lack of an optical zoom or an easy to use digital zoom (at least through the go pro 4 models) is a big limitation most noticeable on the first DJI phantom drone / quad copter. The other problem is or was battery life. If you just want to let it record for hours on end you have to replace the battery every once in a while unless you plug it into a external power source which come with their own quirks.

i haven’t used my GoPro cameras and / or drones/quad copters in almost two years and really don’t miss them. It took a while (and thousands of dollars) for me to realize that I was spending so much time trying to get good footage and “produce” videos that I was missing out on a lot of the fun, always behind the lense instead of in front or it, always reporting The story instead of being part of it. Still, I hope you find what your looking for fast and expensively.

 

[2kwik4u]

I have a GoPro Hero Session that I’ve tried mounting on the windshield with a suction cup for the first time this year. It works well, but the action is in only 1/3 of the frame for long rope sports. I am going to add a GoPro surfboard (flush adhesive) mount on the back between the inside seat back and swim platform seats to get closer. It would be nice to just use the suction cup, but I really don’t want to lose it.

Just use a small tether to the tow point right there. Might mess up the video if it comes off, but you won't lose the camera.

 

[shar]

Probably overkill, but I've used this mount to hold a DSLR outside of vehicles moving at a high rate of speed. I've used this same setup under our boat. Never budged. I have the 6" cup, but I think they sell a 3" version which would still provide ample support for a GoPro.

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[mbarnhart]

@biffdotorg is pretty versed in this and could likely offer some solid advice!

I've been trying to find a way to mount a gopro mainly to record wakeboarding. Any suggestions? I was trying to find a rope mount but haven't found any that are in production.

 

[Ronnie]

Here is the tow line mount I developed for getting closer footage of tubers and Wake-boarders. I tie knots at both ends of the pool noodle that the line passes through to keep the rig from sliding up and down the line. The mount has a weighted bottom and the camera is mounted on a plate that is held I place by six zip ties .