Mounting a Camera in my Truck
Warning this is technical post... Hopefully some will find it helpful.
When I am out traveling I often have a conundrum of where to put my camera when I am driving my Ford Ranger
We have probably all experienced the same impulse to pull over quickly to get a snap of something. Perhaps some antelope, a vista, or spectacular light. A phone is a good answer but I have this nice camera and a lens that could do a better job.
If I am alone the camera can go in the passenger foot-well but I am often with my wife so that is out of the question. Also off-road travel dictates something more secure.
So most of the time I kept it in the dog bed behind my seat. (Mollie does not like this option however.) Or I keep it in the bed under the canopy in my camera pack. Both of these options require me to exit the vehicle which time or safety may dictate is not possible. So I came up with the following solution.
First of all I have adopted the Peak Design capture clip for carrying my cameras generally. It is not cheap (about $80) but works really well for me on my different packs or a belt.
I then bought a dash mount platform from BuiltRight Industries. They make different storage and mounting systems for various trucks. I generally like their products.
The dash-mount is just a tough metal platform with lots of holes for mounting things on. It is not cheap again at $55 but it is made for that purpose. It screws into the dash tray. (Frustratingly you do have to cut two bolts short for my truck.)
I basically put these two together. Below are two views of the Capture Clip on the dash mount.
Above the camera clips into place and below is my view from the driver’s seat. I am tall enough that the camera is below the outline of the hood so it obscures none of my view.
It is simple to grip the camera and press the release with a finger and slide it off the dash. Meanwhile it is secured to the dash. The video below shows the operation.
The solution works well so far. I need yet to try to use the lens tripod mount on my 500mm f5.6 lens to see how that fits and if it is stable and sturdy enough to trust such a big setup.
