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Top or side mount? Which do you use and why?

Any input would be appreciated.

CHEERS and BEERS!

I use a topmount. I also use an HC3, which would be IMHO very stupid to use as a sidemount.

centered weight distribution, don't have the constant annoyance of hitting the riser. Thought with a slider pulled down (skydiving), you end up hitting it unless you got the bungy keeper for the slider.

I have seen a side mounted camera cleaned off a helmet by a riser strike.

Even if you keep the camera, riser strike can (a) damage the camera and possibly your neck, and (b) do interesting things to your opening.

I tried on someone's Cookie Composite top-mount last week. If I had the cash, I'd grab one in a second.

Feather light and all of the seams for the mount are almost invisible.

Very sweet set-up.

Karnowski tried it on too...he might have an opinion.

My $.02

tell me the video survived.

I jump a side mount (ff2) which I am reasonably happy with in terms of size, consturction and snag potential..... Not happy with the crash worthiness of the thing though, so it stays home on most jumps

However, if I had an oppertunity I'd go to top mount next.

_justin

It happened off a terminal wall with a 3000' talus underneath it, so no one was willing to hike back up and look for the camera.

For what it's worth, I think the best solution I've seen is a bullet camera (very small and light) that's connected to the main camera (which has the tape in it) by a cable, so the actual camera can be anywhere on the jumpers body.

If your camera helmet setup is for BASE only then
you should definitely listen to the other guys. My
setup has worked great for 500+ skydives but I've
only taken it on 1 BASE jump so far.

I went with side mount because my research indicated
that if you learn with a side mount then you can shoot
any discipline. I was also told top mount is not as good
for real close stuff.

My video camera is mounted on the side of the helmet
inside a protective shell (helps with riser slaps & protects
the camera from the wind on terminal jumps). My still
camera is mounted on top using a quick release.

I use a cam-eye 2 for the video camera and a tongue
switch for the still camera. Plus my dad built me a
cool removable sight, which is a nice feature since
there will be jumps when you don't need or want it.

Most probably know this...but since a kid with 27 skydives
tried to buy my hand-cam for $50 and thought it included
the video camera, I'll go ahead and say it anyways....

Please keep in mind, flying with a camera on any jump is
extra risk --- the extra weight on your head, the possible
entanglement, the distraction, damage to the camera, etc.

after serval riserstrikes on my side mount i moved the cam to the top,so far the only problem i found is that if i has to be inside a car just before exit(like a S) then its hard to be there.
And ofcourse as you topmpount the vid you get more weight up therefore also more stress to your neck.

by the end of the day i like topmount best

only if you dont like poor quallity video(resolution and collours) and take the chances of loosing a jump on vid becourse somthing gets disconected,og the cam gets turned off by acsident.

Pro its light and you can place it evrywere..

i have one thats for sale,sa im simply tiret of its cons..

actually, the uneven load of a side mount camera can create neck issues. especially on a rapid BASE opening. I'd prefer a top mount, but I no longer jump a camera. (it adds too much unnecessary complexity.)

so you say that getting weight closer to your neck gives more stress as its to one side?

I dont agree,take a stick,place some weight all the way out on it(top),now take the same weight and move half way down the stick but at one side.. i bet the stick feels more heavy by the topmount.same thing whith your neck..

it might be a uneven pull but ill say that closer to your hand the stick still is most easy to manuver arround..= less stress

a top mount places the weight IN-LINE with your spine/neck. your spine/neck can carry the load.

a side mount loads one side of your spine/neck, bending it. your spine/neck generally prefers even loading.

ever see pictures of people carrying heavy loads on TOP of their head?

how about carrying loads on the SIDE of their head?

(one young, well known freeflyer said the side mount camera he always jumped permanently messed up his neck. Tom Sanders and others continue to jump VERY heavy top mounts.)

p.s.
going back to your stick, is it easier to balance that weight at the END or SIDE of the stick? the muscles used to BALANCE the stick will be strained far more by a side mount.

congrats on the trip to ITW!

i still dont agree

cheers,now i have 24 slider up jumps

no worries, it's not required.
your opinion counts more than mine since you plan on wearing a camera...

dosnt mean im right

I prefer top mount primarily because of the riser interference problem (I always have a slider on my rig though. I don't remove the slider for lower jumps). Side mounts are popular in skydiving because this problem is less pravelent, especially among BASE rigs that are narrower on the top of the rig. On a BASE rig, after the canopy comes out and you are under riser tension, your risers come closer to your head than with a skydiving rig (at least if you have a slider). With a skydiving rig, the reserve essentially prevents the rings and hence risers from migrating closer to your neck. I would prefer a stiffener in the back of the top of my rig to ensure the risers stay farther from my head.

I would have to say a top mount would probably be best for base jumping. But if I had one, I'd forever be knocking it on stuff in the plane as I skydive more.

I jump an old PC3 in a bonehead d-box sidmounted on a bonehead helmet. I've not had any major problems with it, either skydiving or base jumping. Since the PC form factor is disappearing, I think top-mount would be the way to go - espeically with the new HD cameras.

But, I have had a riser strike in both disciplines that took my off wide-angle lens. See the attached pictures from KL for the first time the riser took the lens off. Had the same thing happen while skydiving too. Thank goodness for the full insurance on my camera equipment - it paid for both repairs in full and covered the lost lens too.

edit:
to fix my crappy typing