GoPro mounts: chest or head or something else

voy-tech · Since 08 Apr 2014 372 Posts Seattle Obsessed **CGKA Member**

Hi, I'm thinking about getting a mount for a GoPro and I'm wondering what mount works best for you guys. I had a Sony camera before with a headmount and found that I couldn't position it in a way where I would see both the kite and the board. Plus I don't like to wear a helmet when kitesurfing. Seems like a chest mount could work nicely (at least based on some footage on youtube).
I'm interested in your opinion from actual usage - did you find chest mount to work ok and is it comfortable with a waist harness. Or do you prefer other mounts like line/kite, hand grip etc.?

sromano1995 · Since 22 May 2013 240 Posts Portland Stoked

Different mounts will obviously give you different POVs, which brings diversity to your footage but they will also come with different pros and cons.

Helmet mount:
Pros:
- Can "technically" ride without having to worry about the camera (and ride hard)
- Will have the least amount of field of view obstructions (actually none).
- The head is actually the most stable part of the human body: the majority of vibrations and motions are absorbed by the rest of your body - legs, spine,.., and we have a natural predisposition to keeping the head as steady as possible when in motion
- Force you to wear a helmet which is probably not a bad thing from a safety perspective.
Cons:
- you have to wear a helmet (as you pointed out) reducing your coolness factor.
- you have to check regularly that the angle of the camera is ok (not too up or down) especially after crashing and it's not easy to assess when the camera is on your head.

Line mounts:
Pros:
- best way to take selfies without having to worry about the camera.
Cons:
- A bit of a pain to install on the line every time you want to use.
- Kite will feel a bit less responsive because of the weight of the camera on the lines
- Can't easily turn on/off, stop/start recording once in flight (unless you use the remote with WIFI but be prepared for much shorter battery life)
- Depending on the type of bar/line (brand and year) you use and the type of line mount, you will see more or less of the lines in the FOV and the distance of the camera to the rider will vary greatly: far on older Cabrinha bars - 2013 or earlier - to fairly close - Slingshot Compstick.

Chest mount
Pros:
- no need for a helmet
- easy to check the angle and turn on/off
- Can ride without worrying about the camera
Cons:
- because of the position of the chest mount closer to the harness spreader bar you will end-up having a lot of the chicken loop and QR system in the field of view making the footage not very usable.

Board mount:
Pros:
- fun angle to get a sense of speed
- easy to mount and check angle / operate while on the water
- The board provides a nice fix reference in the FOV which makes it bearable to watch while the environment is shaking / rotating like crazy.
Cons:
- Not the best angle to see what is actually going on during a trick.
- Foot / Leg is what you will see the best = not super exciting (unless you have a foot fetish)

Mouthpiece mount (the latest trend in mounts used by pro riders)
Pros:
- same as helmet mount
- flexibility to take out of your mouth and hold in your hand to point the camera in whichever direction you want, especially after a trick (including selfie mode)
Cons:
- Not the most comfortable thing to have a GoPro in your mouth while riding
- No easy way to forget (and store) the GoPro when you are tired of holding it in your mouth and just want to ride.

GoPro Stick:
Pros:
- you can orient the camera in many different angles and pointing at many different directions (selfie mode or directional mode)
- easy to operate camera (on / off)
Cons:
- not super easy to ride with a stick in your hand.
- No easy way to forget about the GoPro stick when you are tired of recording and just want to ride.

Wrist mounts:
I have not tried them but I can imagine that it is very hard to get some decent footage out of them as your wrist needs to be in constant motion while kiting.

voy-tech · Mon Jul 20, 15 2:07 pm

Thanks Serge, I was initially thinking you're joking with the mouth mounts but it looks like it actually is a thing: http://www.mygomount.com/products/mygo-mouth-mount-for-gopro

I can imagine this to be quite a nice setup provided you have some type of leash prepared that you can use to stow it away when not recording.

sromano1995 · Since 22 May 2013 240 Posts Portland Stoked

yes Wojtek... I think pro-rider favor the mouthpiece because they can ride hard with it (and still look cool without the helmet).. Nick Jacobsen had some really fun footage using it at the Reb Bull King of the Air this year

voy-tech · Mon Jul 20, 15 2:21 pm

I'm getting one Smile

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1734 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

serge has some great feedback.
really depends on what you want to achieve.
there are so many different options with varying results.
also try a cam on your kite strut.
chesty mount makes your arms look twice as long. cool effect but hard to sit through a whole kite video of this perspective.
I probably come across totally biased with the line mounts so won't comment on them.
as for mouth mount, save some dinero just use the floaty back door and you can actually bit down on the foam and have the same results.
best perspectives are from the dreaded selfie stick. if you can master one handed kiting, you can film yourself and your friends and have some amazing perspectives.
good luck with your decisions!

CTkiter · Since 27 May 2011 87 Posts

What about this mount = http://www.wizmount.com/products/cu2pack/ .....too risky? .Anyone try this type of gopro mount ..... looks like a good perspective in comparison to some of the other mounts.

user124 · Since 02 Aug 2012 391 Posts Portland Obsessed

There is also the swiveling helmet mount. I imagine it looks at least as dorky as a mouthpiece mount, but seems to provide a unique perspective.

http://rhinocameragear.com/products/rhino-swivel-mount-bundle

voy-tech · Tue Jul 21, 15 7:40 am

Thanks Jim, I'm sure I'll check with you regarding line mounts at some point Smile

The backpack can offer some cool shots with large FOV (since the camera is further away) but it's kind of pricey. And I wouldn't want to see what happens when the swivel helmet mount gets tangled in the lines after crash landing a trick.

kite_nomad · Since 10 Apr 2015 32 Posts

Here's a good article on the different mounting options:
http://ikiteboarding.com/article/gopro-mounts-tips-and-tricks-kiteboarding

bdennis · Since 01 Jun 2007 50 Posts

I've used the mouth mount a lot. The footage is really shaky in most conditions - so I have had to filter it through a de-jitter software afterwards, which is a pain. It's OK for stills. I've used the wrist mount but I don't like it because its hard to get the camera smoothly pointing correctly at the subject. THese days, I just bring the gopro in my pocket. If I feel like filming or getting photos, I pull it out and have it on a wrist strap for safety. I hold it in my hand with 2 fingers and use the other 2 fingers to hold the bar. When filming, I just kite with one hand. This makes for the best footage/photos of anything I've tried so far. Next project is an angled stick mounted to the tail of the board

Slappysan · Since 13 Jun 2012 309 Posts Obsessed

Mouth mounts are quite popular for pros because it gives the most immersive perspective for the viewer.

skilja · Since 02 Jan 2008 75 Posts

I'm looking forward to getting the Tracer mount and the additional shoulder mount listed here:
http://www.tracermounts.com/

Some of the best footage I've seen from a friend came with a bar mount attached with camera pointed upward at the rider. He used the standard GoPro flexible arm mount but I'd probably go with the rig mount listed on the above site.

P.S. I have no affiliation with the Tracer company and not trying to pimp their stuff... just think it looks like useful gear.

CrazyHerb · Since 04 Oct 2008 79 Posts Ilwaco, WA

Just get a Soloshot and let it follow you around from the beach!

http://shop.soloshot.com/collections/all

C Johnson · Since 17 Apr 2009 853 Posts Seattle Opinionated

jerp · Since 22 Feb 2013 453 Posts Obsessed

voy-tech · Tue Sep 22, 15 8:38 am

I've ordered the mouth mount from mygomount.com if it arrives before the weekend I'll give it a try.