Ball Joint Rigs

The ball joint camera mount offers a minimalistic and effective solution to getting fixed angle oblique shots. It is threaded on both ends, which acts as a sort of adapter between the camera and a threaded rod running up to a mounting system, such as a pendulum or picavet.

Protecting the Camera

There's only one problem with using the ball joint to threaded rod solution as is, which is that the camera is mounted to the bottom, making it exposed to take all of the damage if the rig drops or crashes.

To prevent this, I developed shock absorbing frames which can be threaded onto the ball joint and held in place by the camera.

Chopper Rig

This rig was made using two 10-12" pieces of 5/16" low density polyethylene (LDPE) tubing and a thin plastic sheet. Rubber bands can be wrapped around the tubing on the underside of the plastic to prevent slipping on impact.

Halo Rig

This rig was made using a single 16" piece of 5/16" LDPE tubing, a 3D printed joint, a wooden dowel or piece of LDPE tubing, and a thin plastic sheet.

Continuing Development

In continuing development on the concept of using the ball joint to create a fully functioning oblique KAP rig, I am currently ideating frame solutions that can be simply cut out from a pattern out of thin plastic or folded from cardboard.

Orbit Rig

This is one possible solution, which I made using two 12" strips of thin plastic, then joined at the bottom with a nut and bolt.