Non-Permanent Wall Mount for DSLR Cameras

Cole

Cole

Well-known member
Occasionally I am asked to record different events at my church. In the past I have just placed tripods for each camera but I am finding this takes up too much space since our church has minimal seating (110 people +/-). In most cases I have 3-4 cameras going but only stand at 1 of them (back of the church).

I have started to brainstorm a way to wall mount the 2-3 unmanned cameras to free up the floor space and potentially gain a few feet in height to keep heads from blocking the shots. The trick is that the hardware used will be taken down when not in use for an event and I would like to minimize any trace of the mounting on the bare wall(s) once it is removed.

For these events I would shoot on the GH5 with a battery grip and possibly the audio adapter, a pair of GH4s with battery grips and a pair of GH2s if needed. In some cases there could be a shotgun mic or Sennheiser G2/G3 wireless receiver. All of the audio is captured and monitored at the rear camera where I am so the added gear is only mentioned for weight reference.

My initial thought is to drop in 4-6 anchors per location and screw mount a baby pin wall plate. Then add a grip head with a 1/4 20 stud to hold the camera. I could also add in a sturdy ball mount to make leveling and aiming a bit more accurate. I'm thinking I could use a piece of thin rubber in between the plate and the wall to avoid leaving marks and then cap off the anchors with something that would blend in better with the wall. Or maybe just replace the screws and paint them to match the walls and anchors which are white.

I have looked at the Alzo mounts but find the gear listed above more practical because I would also use them on real projects.

Does anyone have any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Cole
 
Thanks Rob. I have used them on smooth surfaces like cars and windows but am not familiar with how dependable they are on painted walls. I imagine I would need to install something else above it as a safety in case it lost suction during.

How well do these units stick to painted drywall?
 
How high is the ceiling, and what is it made from? Just thinking that if it is a suspended ceiling with tiles in a track, you can get various mounts that clamp to that track. Then you would need an extension pole and either a cage with holes in the top, or an L bracket to mount the camera.
 
Thanks Oscuro. I saw the right angle plate but with the grip head it wouldn't have made a difference. I do like the ball head adapter you linked to as an alternative which yes, would then call for the angled pin. I was planning to cable the camera to the plate just in case something failed.

I am not too worried about the weight though. The anchors are rated at 85 lbs and I would be hard pressed to crack 7 lbs. Using the right angle pin you linked to would actually add to the weight factor because all of the weight sticks out and addition 3 inches from the wall. With the straight plate/ grip head option I could keep it right up against the wall which lessens the torque

The last event I recorded I actually had the GH5 up on a C-Stand in the same area I would mount one of these plates. I skipped the ball head and had the camera mounted right to the knuckle on the arm with a stud/pin. Getting the framing set was a bit fiddly but felt solid once it was set. So my plan would skip the stand and just have the knuckle mounted to the wall. And money isn't really an issue but skipping the ball heads would knock out $100+ per location.

I will give it some more thought and install one of these methods to test before moving forward with the other 3-4 locations.

Thanks again for the input!
 
Perhaps instead of trying to hide the anchor holes when the plates are down, there may be some item that can take the camera mounts place that would add rather than subtract to the church. Plaques, artificial flowers, or items associated with the church.

Holes are always unattractive, and screws that don't hold anything grab attention. Maybe a simple plate with the same texture as the wall would grab less attention. It looks like it is there for a reason.
 
Cole said:
Thanks Rob. I have used them on smooth surfaces like cars and windows but am not familiar with how dependable they are on painted walls. I imagine I would need to install something else above it as a safety in case it lost suction during.

How well do these units stick to painted drywall?
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure, it depends how porous the wall is.

I just put a suction cup with baby pin on my wall without any weight. While not a GH5 with lens, it's held for three and a half hours without showing the red line. Are people directly under the wall? Isn't there a space between the wall and the church pews for people to walk? Why not section off the end of one pew and the walking space?
 
Paul F said:
Perhaps instead of trying to hide the anchor holes when the plates are down, there may be some item that can take the camera mounts place that would add rather than subtract to the church. Plaques, artificial flowers, or items associated with the church.

Holes are always unattractive, and screws that don't hold anything grab attention. Maybe a simple plate with the same texture as the wall would grab less attention. It looks like it is there for a reason.
Click to expand...

I was thinking along the same lines. I’d be kinda worried about unscrewing and rescrewing into the anchors repeatedly. Is there a wall plate where the pin is removable? Then perhaps you could leave the wall plate installed, and cover it with a double or triple gang plate cover when not being used?
 
Thanks Paul and Esskay. I agree that covering the holes with a plate or some other relative object would be better than bare screws. I am also a little concerned about the integrity of the anchors and the wall after repeated use over time. I haven't checked for studs yet but hopefully there will be one close enough to each location to at least mount one side through. I am still investigating which anchor will work the best. I also need to investigate how thick the walls are. There are a few lighting fixtures on the walls so hopefully I can learn something by taking one apart.

Rob Norton- Yes, there will be people close to, but not directly under. I would close off sections but one of the goals is to take up less floor space/seating area.

Morgan- Thanks for the suggestion but the church is roughly 30' across.
 
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