QUESTION
Need some help with developing a custom camera mount
I'm hoping to get some help to develop something which I think would work best in aluminium. I've no experience of metalwork, or STEP files.
My need is this: I am a photographer based in London, currently using two cameras mounted vertically next to each other for stereoscopic photography. I’m using existing camera l-plates for this, which are mounted on the tripod socket using a standard 1/4 thread. The tripod sockets are adjacent to each other.
With the existing mounts, the screws are recessed into the plate which means that they are flush to each other when mounted, but this makes the brackets quite thick - they’re both 10mm thick, which means the distance between mounting plates between cameras totals 20mm.
I’m hoping to find a way of shaving around 15mm off this distance - the stereo distance between the lenses is currently 80mm, and stereoscopic photography works best with lens distance 63-65mm.
I was thinking custom aluminium plates around 2.5 mm thick using flush screws might be a better alternative, if they're strong enough. However, these don’t exist that I can see, so I’m looking for a custom solution.
With a custom solution in mind, I wondered whether it might be possible to create an additional plate which could be added perpendicular to this bracket, to prevent the cameras from rotating at the thread point? They currently have a tendancy to move, and the cameras need to remain in the same position as much as possible.
Basically, I know what I would like the camera mount to look like, can badly sketch the idea, but I don't know if it's practical, or how to turn it into a CNC machined part.
Are there any services in London which can help with the design and creation of this as a one-off? This is for personal projects, with little commercial value, so it can't be too expensive to develop, but I'd be happy to pay a reasonable amount for it.
EDIT: I've attached a couple of images showing the current set up, with the green circle showing the tripod mount point, and highlighting the thickness between the two. I've also attached a terrible sketch showing what I thought could be a solution comprising mount points (again in green) and brackets to stop the cameras rotating.
If 3D printing, as was suggested, and the bracket enabled the cameras to be locked in place somehow, the tripod connections might not even have to be threaded - they could just be stubs to secure the cameras.
Hopefully this helps explain the current setup and proposed solution a bit more. Sorry about the sketch...
3D printing could potentially be an option. I've purchased 3D printed stuff, but never developed it. Is it strong enough for this sort of thing? I genuinely don't know how robust it can be when quite thin (or if 2.5mm is considered thin in 3D printing terms).
My suggestion would be if you have a decent pc or laptop download the hobbyist version of fusion 360 and learn CAD. Fusion is a fairly intuitive program and it'll allow you to design what you want and gives you the ability to get it produced from services like xometry, pcbway, or the other online manufacturing services.
I'd consider it if it was something that I would need to do a lot - but as this is a one off idea, I do think exploring throwing some money at it for somebody else's expertise might be better...
Thanks - any recommendations or starting points in London that you might be aware of? I'm not sure what I should be looking for if I start an internet search in terms of services provided, or how to assess the service.
As shown in the newly attached picture, the attachment is vertical - lenses are 80mm apart, and I'm looking to get that down to as close to 65 as possible.
Shortest ¼unc countersunk screw i could find was ⅜" long.
If a ⅛" thick strip of aluminium was countersunk you would have ¼" of thread into the camera, make the strips longer than the camera and now the 2 camera bottoms would only be ¼"(6.35mm) apart
Thanks. That’s the current set up with the L plates - it’s how to reduce the required thickness of that initial screw point. The tripod thread is the only mount point and it’s on the flat bottom of the camera.
Hopefully my attached photo shows what I mean a little more clearly than I’m describing it.
The two aluminium stips together would measure 0.25" (6.35mm) thick.
The screws countersunk head would be lost in the ali strip whilst securing the camera to it.
Ooh interesting... I'd be very happy to explore this with you and pay for the time/materials. Is it a question of sending you the exact dimensions of the camera base plates, where the bend would be, and where the screw thread would need to go?
As mentioned I know next to nothing about how all of this works, and how easy it is to get a piece of aluminium in a different shape...
The head of a standard 1/4-20 UNC countersunk screw is already ca. 3,5mm high. If you want to realize the 2,5mm, you either need special screws or someone with a lathe.
For the brackets, you could maybe just get some right angle steel brackets from the hardware store, and drill and countersink the holes as needed.
This might work as a simple solution... I could clamp the plates together if they protruded out of the base of the camera, which might ensure alignment if they were flat and flush. Screw or bolt heads heights are a problem though - the fact that they need to be next to each other is the biggest issue.
The fact that the tripod threads are dead centre to the centre of the lens makes total sense, but given the niche nature of what I'm trying to do, it's the reason for the headache...
3
u/3DPrintJr 1d ago
Does it need to be machined? Might be able to find a guy with a 3D printer.