Z10 Lights Camera Action

[Rehab1]

I custom fabricated a removable accessory light and camera mount for my Z. It took some time due to the shell’s complex shapes. 

Using some low temperature plastic ( 140 degrees molding temperature) I first cut out a pattern. 

 

The plastic was then heated and hand molded into the inner handle regions of the Z. This will be the removable attachment point using velcro. I also glued on a rubber bumper for both vibration dampening and stability. 

The bumper being shaped.

 

Metal Go Pro mount attached.

 

Painting.

 

 Mount attached to Z with velcro. Mount lifts out of the way to access the charging port.

 

Finished mount with 2 Lume Cubes and GoPro.

I will share a video later. My wife has some chores lined up tonight. 

All I can say is the Lume Cubes are extremely bright. They can be turned on via smart phone and have 8 brightness settings. A big plus is the lights can easily be adjusted in seconds for obtaining that optimal illumination angle.

[Rehab1]

I tested my custom Z10 Light Bar tonight and it worked flawlessly. What an amazing amount of illumination these Lume Cubes put out.

 

[Marty Backe]

Very nice! For sure if I did much night riding I'd get those lights and a similar mounting system.

[Rehab1]

5 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Very nice! For sure if I did much night riding I'd get those lights and a similar mounting system.

Thanks Marty! In the past I refrained from ‘extreme dark’  night riding because I felt unsafe but with this new illumination power I hope to venture out more and hopefully capture some interesting footage.

I double posted (video topic) for this reason in case someone else would like to try out this illumination method. The light bar itself can be easily removed from my Z mount and then be attached to any solid GoPro mount that is securely fastened onto other wheels, chest harness, helmet...etc. You could capture some exciting footage where you live.

I used the 10 foot pole with the Insta 360 X  (sorry no venture case footage yet). I believe some of the shots were grainy even with the Lume Cubes. I need to play around with  the camera’s exposure settings . My GoPro 7 might be better suited for shooting these dark night rides. So many options.

[meepmeepmayer]

Your manufacturing skills and methods are always impressive

[Rehab1]

33 minutes ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Your manufacturing skills and methods are always impressive

Thanks! Now I just need to combine your awesome photography skills with the lights. Any specific low light camera settings you would suggest?  Any ideas you may have  @Marty Backe? Anyone else care to chime in? Thanks!

[Marty Backe]

25 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Thanks! Now I just need to combine your awesome photography skills with the lights. Any specific low light camera settings you would suggest?  Any ideas you may have  @Marty Backe? Anyone else care to chime in? Thanks!

I notice that when you change the camera angle, the movements are very "jerky". There are various techniques available to achieve very smooth camera pans. The one I've used most often is the "Freecapture" editing mode, in the phone (I actually use my iPad Pro).

I sit in my swivel desk chair and play the video /  video-segment in Freecapture mode. When I want to pan 180-degrees I'll slowly push my chair seat to start a smooth rotation and than start dragging a foot to slow down and end the shot. You get the hang of it really quick. So editing in the chair allows you to achieve very smooth panning shots.

There is another technique using the Pivot points (you must use multiple pivot points to do a smooth pan that looks good), but Pivot point pans just about always look a little too mechanical. Freecapture is the best IMO.

I've you do your reframing edits via the desktop software it's never going to look that good, IMHO.

[Rehab1]

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I notice that when you change the camera angle, the movements are very "jerky". There are various techniques available to achieve very smooth camera pans. The one I've used most often is the "Freecapture" editing mode, in the phone (I actually use my iPad Pro).

I sit in my swivel desk chair and play the video /  video-segment in Freecapture mode. When I want to pan 180-degrees I'll slowly push my chair seat to start a smooth rotation and than start dragging a foot to slow down and end the shot. You get the hang of it really quick. So editing in the chair allows you to achieve very smooth panning shots.

There is another technique using the Pivot points (you must use multiple pivot points to do a smooth pan that looks good), but Pivot point pans just about always look a little too mechanical. Freecapture is the best IMO.

I've you do your reframing edits via the desktop software it's never going to look that good, IMHO.

Yes I probably should have not used the 10 foot stick for this demo but I was just trying to see if the light system worked. I could have easily edited out those shots in Vegas Pro after seeing them pop up during rendering but it was late. The effects of my nightly alcoholic beverage also kicked in.

i like the chair idea. 

i used track mode but not pivot points during my editing but because it was so dark any distant reference points I entered were quickly lost. I’ll keep pivot points in mind. Oh and yes my initial editing is on my phone. I should probably use my IPad. I then export the footage to Vegas Pro 16 for my final.