Why are camera platforms so tall?

[marked23]

Simple question,

Why are camera platforms so tall? It seems that the existing skids provide some clearance and you just need a couple more inches in order to fit a camera in there. Can't somebody make a camera platform that is just a few inches tall instead of the typical 10-12 inches?

-Mark

[WillJames]

Check out the Bergen Observer. Autos great even with full load on 720's. Have one for sale in the 4sale forum to. ;)

[Laurens]

I guess this makes the CG lower, so you'll have a more stabile bird. That would be better for the camera.

[DavidH]

Mark,
Yes if you was just going to put a camera under the heli , you probably could get away with just a couple more inches of height.
The reason the camera mounts are tall. You have to have a way to move the camera around. Pan and tilt the camera. This requires another transmitter and receiver. To see what your shooting, you need a down link to a video monitor.
And if you want the camera to remain stable you need a gyro to stablize the whole unit. And also on the mount is a battery to power all these devices.
The above is required if you want to get the best shots possible.

Yes you can just a strap a camera to a heli and go up and shoot some shots. You basically will have no idea how the shots will look till you land and take a look at the pictures.

All just depends on what you want to do.

David