How to Make a Helmet Cam With a Canon

An open-face motorcycle helmet -- with a strap -- will work well for this job.

Whether you're a fan of video or still photography, and you like Canon, Panasonic, Sony or any other brand of camera, you may find a time during your life as a photographer when a camera mounted on a helmet is in order. While you can purchase a "helmet cam" from any number of specialty suppliers, it's likely a cheaper prospect to create one on your own. With some minimal handyman skills, you should be able to accomplish the job inside the span of an afternoon.

Things You'll Need

• Power drill with 7/32 drill bit
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• 1 4-inch corner brace
• Motorcycle helmet
• 1/4 inch screws with washers
• Camera ball head

Instructions

1. Place your corner brace on the side of the helmet so that there is one side of the brace coming straight out from the helmet. Mark the places where the holes will go; then drill the marks with a 7/32 drill bit to make holes for your screws. Drill all the way to the inside of the helmet.

2. Place a washer on each screw, and then insert them through the helmet, with the brace in position. When they come out the other side, place a nut on the part that is on the inside of the helmet. Tighten the nuts with pliers.

3. Place the ball head onto one of the open holes on the brace. Use a screw to affix the ball head to the brace hole.

4. Place your camera's mounting hole on top of the ball head mount, and screw it on. Be sure that the camera is tightly affixed to the ball head.

Tips & Warnings

• Your mount is going to be quite heavy on one side and will require that you have your helmet strap tightly affixed. If you want to balance that weight, you can put another corner mount on the other side of the helmet and then place weights, such as hand weights or sandbags on that corner mount. To do this, repeat steps 1 and 2, but this time install a corner brace on the opposite side of the helmet. Then place small hand weights or sand bags on the brace and duct tape them to the brace.

• Before you purchase a ball head, be sure that it is the right size for your type of Canon camera, and that it can handle the weight of your camera. Use an online resource such as Camerapedia or the Canon website to determine your mounting thread size.

References

• SoCal Electric Bikes: Homemade Helmet Camera Mount

Resources

• Canon USA
• Camerapedia: Canon