Arkon has been in business for a long time making affordable mounts. They were quick to recognize that the devices they make mounts for goes out of style quickly and have expanded their line to offer mounts for things people want to mount when they want to mount it. Going back ten years ago, cameras were the size of a toaster. Mounting a Polaroid on a motorcycle or within your car simply was not an option. Today everybody has a camera on their phone or for a small investment now own small action videocams that are used to video their every move. I find it amazing that people now reach for their phone to video almost anything, doing that before they call police at the scene of a fight or almost any emergency. Good thing Arkon offers mounts for almost any location.
The progression of video cameras over the past several years has spawned a need for a variety of mounts. The Panasonics, Kodaks and Sonys have been replaced by Flip, GoPro and Contour. Great quality, smaller footprint. All of these cameras have a 1/4″ – 20 component, in a few cases you may need to buy a mounting cradle but you will find most models are ready to mount. Just look for that threaded hole on the bottom and be sure you screw the camera tightly to the screw on the mount.
There are two keys to making a useful camera mount. Almost every tripod has a 1/4″ – 20 threaded post that fits that little threaded hole on the bottom of the camera so your mount needs to include that post. It also needs to be constructed to remain rigid in a mobile environment that will no doubt have vibration. Arkon’s line ranges from plastic to metal. The majority of mounts are made of rigid plastic. Arkon also offers a wide range of custom GoPro mounts that attach to the bottom of the weatherproof case and we talk about that here.
The majority of Arkon’s lower priced mounts use an adapter with a tightening ring that fits a 17mm round ball. The 17mm round ball is common to a lot of devices including a Garmin GPS so when you aren’t using the mount for a camera, you can remove the camera adapter and use the mount for your GPS. Arkon has made a variety of configurations available that include suction, dash and handlebar. Pictured in this article is the Arkon Handlebar Camera Mount suitable for handlebars up to 1.25 inches in diameter. These are mostly constructed of rigid plastic and are meant for light duty use.
Arkon also offers a heavier duty line constructed of metal. Consider the Arkon Metal Camera Mount for Walls and Flat Surfaces. These mounts include a large diameter ball with the 1/4″ – 20 threaded screw molded onto the adapter. Arkon also makes these available with clamps, handlebar bases and flat surface mounts. These are great for commercial and more rugged use and come with a 2-year warranty. Pricing of higher end mounts will vary depending upon the construction and model chosen. We think, for the premium, that the higher priced line is worth the price for a steadier video.