Gadget Show on Channel 5 uses Flymount for JetLev shoot

I got an email from one of our Flymount testers to say that he'd seen Channel 5 using the Flymount and GoPro Hero to get close-ups of the rider on their Jet Lev review.
We'd met the team when we both shot some Grasstrack racing in Nottinghamshire. The guys had used some fancy mount to get on-board shots of Ben Collins - the ex Stig from Top Gear - and it just didn't cope well with the hard riding conditions. Their mount not only broke but smashed their camera and could have been a real danger to other drivers. They approached us and asked if they could buy a Flymount to finish their shoot and we donated one in the spirit of friendship and cooperation which mostly exists among non-competing teams.
Of course, the rugged little Flymount worked perfectly and they seem to be using it wherever they need its unique ability to provide steady and safe lightweight camera mounting in adverse conditions.

Using a Drift camera on a Quad bike

I was worried about the bulbous lens on the Drift when I put it on a Quad bike for some action video as they raced through the woods at the Lockwell Adventure Centre in the UK's Sherwood Forest area in Nottinghamshire.
We had a GoPro up front, Flymounted on to the bumper bar and the Drift watched the following drivers, and the weather had been very wet so we knew the mud would be a problem.
Amazingly, and you can see from the shots here, the camera was covered in mud and gunge but the lens stayed clear and we got some great footage.
With a careful hosing down the drift came up looking nothing like new and it still has an ex-army feel to it! Great, I don't like cameras which shout 'precious'. Two things help this camera - it's got a screen so you can accurately frame (as long as the sun's not shining into it) and second you can swivel the lens to accommodate crazy mounting angles. Video can look great if you use odd angles but not all the time - you need a level setting because that's how we see.
Anyway, for all the crap we've thrown at it, the Drift continues to give us what we want - clean high quality video and stills.

Mountain bike and GoPro 90º

We haven't been mountain biking recently but one or two people have asked about shooting with the GoPro Hero, wondering if we could make a 90º adaptor so it can fit on upright tubes.
There's no need - GoPros come with a set of useful adjustable brackets and - using the Flymount GoPro adaptor and half of a GoPro bracket we can easily get a lot of useful adjustment.

Take the double jointed mount from the grab bag and take half off. It's modular so instead of 3 pieces it comes down to 2.
With the shorter mounting distance the camera is held tighter to the Flymount and the bike - wherever you decide to mount it.
That reduces the shake considerably and gives a very nice range of movement.
Neat too!

We are trialling a new GoPro adaptor specifically for high vibration environments where the camera needs to be at 90º to the Flymount. It's being machined out of stainless and is a really neat and compact piece of kit.

Racing Mazda cars at Brands Hatch and Croft

Flymount was invited to shoot stills and video with the Mazda racing team - driver Jonathan Blake - at Brands Hatch and Croft racing tracks in the UK. We shot using 3 cameras on board but discovered that all is not simple in racing and cameras! The first qualifier went fine and both the Drift and GoPro cameras worked perfectly but the Contour was not switched on. Then we found that turning off the Drift at the end of the shoot - instead of switching the video off with one click then switching the camera off - we lost the video. A useful lesson learnt because the Drift is a very versatile camera with its rotating lens and small aiming screen. The GoPro functioned flawlessly, as usual! For some reason we never actual got footage from the Contour because every time we set it up someone either switched it off instead of on - or forgot. Maybe we were sabotaged because the media were there and trying to shoot the same angles we got and they were struggling - big metal mounts getting in the way and looking dangerous to me. Anyway, we got great footage from Brands Hatch so we drove up to Darlington and stayed on the Croft campsite next to the track. The weather was rainy but this adds to the atmosphere, I think.

Darrell Wong shoots Flymount in Hawaii

World famous National Geographic photographer Darrell Wong uses Flymounts to create his great images of windsurfers in the beautiful conditions around Hawaii. He first contacted us a while ago to buy a Flymount because he'd heard it is the strongest and lightest camera mount for extreme conditions - and then he went out and made fantastic use of it. Darrell shot this image of John Skye with a GoPro on still sequence and caught John in a perfect moment with his arm circling the horizon.
As Darrell noted, you have to be careful setting up a GoPro or you come back with nothing - as some of his friends did a few days later when he lent them his Flymount. Otherwise - a great camera.

Dirt Buggies are go!

The guys at Lockwell Hill have a great track and acres of off-road land not far from Mansfield in the UK. I was shooting up there to see how the new Flymount GoPro adaptor worked in really harsh vibration conditions. It was hot and dusty, more like a safari in Africa than a Nottinghamshire buggy track - but it was great. I made the classic mistake of forgetting to tighten up the GoPro mount before the first race and I got a lot of sky in the video. It's only a moment to get it right, just have to do all those little mental checks before committing to shoot. Same with the GoPro - check it's in the right mode and running before they go. Easy if you concentrate!

Flymount GoPro Adapter!

We've developed a GoPro adapter for the Flymount, giving a fast and secure attachment between the two products, and eliminating the need for the GoPro Tripod adapter. The adapter should be available in the New Year from our website, and from our dealers.

The new adapter makes the Flymount the ultimate GoPro mast mount - ultra light weight, completely adjustable and bomb proof! It also gives unrivaled performance for roll bar mounted photography with the GoPro, and hundreds of other applications too. And, as always, you can use your Flymount with pretty much ANY camera on the planet.

Win a Flymount and a GoPro HD!!!

Like our Facebook page for updates and competitions!

Flymount Australia has launched!

www.flymount.com.au

Motor Racing with the Flymount

Motocross backflip

Check out this video. The Pentax W90 was attached to the Flymount and clamped on to this motocross bike in the south of France. It survived landing with no jolts and remained safely attached.

See video here

Flow Windsurfing Supports the Flymount!

LADIES - GET WITH THE FLOW

FLOW - For Ladies Of Windsurfing (www.flowindsurfing.com) - is an online information resource designed specifically for female windsurfers.

Founded by Amy Carter, the website is brimming full of stories, experiences, tips and pointers all relevant to the fairer sex within the sport. It sets a clear aim to not only encourage more females into windsurfing, but also to provide a much needed support system and a sense of community for those already enjoying the sport. Discussing the objectives of the FLOW concept, it is hard not to feel the amount of passion Amy (a distinguished racer herself) has put into the project:

"Windsurfing has always been the sport I've loved! After years involved in the sport I have become increasingly frustrated with the perception that you must be tough and strong to windsurf. I felt that something needed to be done to breakdown this misconception.

By providing information for women, by women, FLOW aims to create a fun, friendly 'club atmosphere' so that we can help each other learn, develop, enjoy and achieve together in the sport."

Whilst much of the location information is focussed around Amy's native UK at the moment, many of the articles and tips are relevant to women wherever they are. So whether you're looking to crack that next manoeuvre, don't know which kit to buy, have an article, photo or tip you want to share ... or have a female friend you want to get into the sport (boys!), visit www.flowindsurfing.com and get involved.

Monty Spindler uses the Flymount

"The Flymount is the ideal way to grip the action. Easy, secure, light...the best mount for recording radical sports"

Monty Spindler of Loft Sails

See also Ludo Jossin using the Flymount:

Mark Angulo Mutant captured using the Flymount!!!

Windsurfer International Magazine

WORLD EXCLUSIVE

FIRST EVER LANDED MUTANT captured using the Flymount!!!

Mountain Biking with the Flymount

See the video here.

Pentax W90 attached to a Microlight

See the Pentax W90 attached to the wing of the Microlight using the Flymount. At speeds of over 80 mph some great HD video was achieved, and the camera stayed firmly and safely attached.

Pentax W90 attached to a Microlight

Video footage to come - watch this space!

April 2010 News

They say "the best things come to those who wait" and though the 'wait' has been much longer than anticipated, you won't be disappointed with the results. Our apologies again to those of you desperate to use the Flymount for your March/April trips. We can assure you that it will be ready to buy here soon! And we are as excited as you are. Remember to join our Mailing List to get all updates and information on pre-ordering your Flymount to avoid disappointment. Thanks again for your patience and unwavering enthusiasm.

The new Pentax W90

MAJOR FEATURES

• Waterproof to 6m, shockproof to 1.2m, coldproof to -10°C
• 
  
• 12.1 MP
• 
  
• 5x wide angle optical zoom
• 
  
• HD movie 720p
• 
  
• Underwater photo and underwater movie modes

Other features

1) Carabiner strap included for hooking the camera to a backpack or other outdoor gear

2) Remote Control Waterproof O-RC1 (available as an optional accessory) for wireless remote shooting*****

3) New Collage function to compose a single picture from multiple images

4) New Ink Rubbing filter to create a monochromatic, high-contrast image from a recorded image

5) Auto Picture mode to automatically select one of the eight shooting modes for the optimum result

6) 12 digital filters to add distinctive visual effects to recorded images

7) Digital Wide function to compose an extra-wide-angle image (equivalent to an image taken with an approx. 21mm lens in 35mm format) from two images

8) MediaImpression 2.0 for PENTAX image viewing, editing and filing software included (compatible with latest operation systems, such as Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)

9) Compatibility with Eye-Fi wireless LAN SD memory cards

See here for more details!

Notes on the Pentax W80 and the Olympus 8000 Tough

Battery Life

WINNER - The Olympus 8000 Tough

Video

WINNER - Pentax W80 - 32 minutes

Olympus Tough - 17 minutes video at 30 frames per second

High Definition

The Pentax W80 can shoot High Definition at 30 frames per second, but is limited to 11 minutes per movie at this quality.

The Pentax W80 High Definition movie mode captures footage at a frame size of 1280 x 720 giving a more rectangular frame than the standard 640 x 480 30 frames per second mode. This results in a slightly cropped image - worth bearing in mind if you want to have a wide angle view to your movies.

Husky Racing Sherwood Pines

see video here

website