Making an overhead camera rig with an articulating lamp
/I've been looking for articulating lamp to use for a wall-mounted overhead camera rig, assuming I would remove the light and just use the arm... but why not have both? The light is great for lighting my work, and adding a camera mount is simple and convenient and requires less modification. I picked up the lamp from a thrift sale for $3, made my own simple wall mount for it, and added hardware for the camera mount. This works well for lightweight smartphone cameras. Most lamps like this aren't designed to hold the weight of a heavier video camera or DSLR. Another advantage of having a wall-mounted camera rig is the vibration isolation. If I bump the table, or if a power tool makes it vibrate, the camera remains steady.
For those of you who aren't familiar with camera mount hardware, all you need is a simple 1/4"-20 bolt.
This camera rig was used for some of the overhead shots of my battery station build video.
Tripod mount cell phone holder: http://amzn.to/2bcUXdb
T-Nuts: http://amzn.to/2a6FfvH