# Swing it, baby! Bullet time hack with a hfr phone...



## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

That looks awesome. I suppose the hard bit on the system is keeping the phone upright


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

just made one myself.


2 minutes of thinking, 5 minutes of sourcing items around the house, and about 3 minutes of build time.


attach a long string to the non camera end of the phone. then on the string, about 2 inches out from the phone, attach another bit of string and fix it to the camera end of the phone (out the way of the lens).

then i used some kitchen towel to make a tail, which i attached at the camera end of the phone. This creates drag which helps keep the camera up right.


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

Staff_Sav said:


> just made one myself.


Pics/video or it didn't happen! Seriously, though, this is awesome. Did you just attach the string with duct tape or do you have a case with some extra holes or something?


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## AmberLamps (Feb 8, 2015)

To bad iphones womt work since they just shut off when it temp gets anywhere below 10° f


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Kenai said:


> Pics/video or it didn't happen! Seriously, though, this is awesome. Did you just attach the string with duct tape or do you have a case with some extra holes or something?


i tried making a better version, and whilst filming it used up all the memory on my phone, so i deleted the old video, and then the new version was crap. i did send the video to my mate though, so hopefully he will send it back if he hasn't deleted already.

i just used a spare guy rope from my old tent (lightweight and strong), just wrapped it round the phone (my case happens to have a groove on one side that held it quite well at that end, and then, another bit that i tied the other length. I only bodged it quickly, so only did shoelace knots that i could undo again.

the tail was just duct taped onto it afterwards.

i found from my second attempt, the hardest bit is getting the bracing strap right, because when i swung it round, the camera was facing a bit behind.

I'm gonna have a go some time soon making a more solid one out of household objects that i can easily put my phone into and take out again. the string being tied all around it made it hard to use the touch screen to load the camera up.


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Ive got one of those suction cup mounts to hold my phone in my car. its got like a pincer holder. i'll maybe see about modifying that.

Ive decided to make a little project, and its only to be made with things I find around the house, no specialist tools, and then i'll be able to post simple instructions on how to make one


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Homemade version....


https://youtu.be/5YgTv7reU8I


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

Yep. Getting the balance/angle right will be key and it will depend a lot on the arrangement and weight of all the other materials. I am going to pick up some heavy duty fishing line (like 100 lb. test) but I need to come up with a reusable case the phone can go in/out fairly easily. I don't want to duct tape the entire thing!


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

My initial tests have not gone swimmingly. I picked up two lengths of 60 lb. fishing line. With an iPhone 6 the distance has to be approx. 15 feet to get the right field of view. I ran the two lines out to dowel and taped an old junk phone to the dowel with a rag hanging off the back. I could not even come close to getting it swinging. I added 6 x 1/2 oz. weights I also picked up and that helped, but I think I still need more weight. Unfortunately it is too dark now (and my wife won't help me) to see how well it is tracking. In my hand I have a dowel with swivel at the top so if I get it swinging it won't twist the lines. 

I'll give it another shot tomorrow in the daylight. 15 feet of line is a darn long ways to get it swinging. Right now I am waving my whole arm just trying to keep it moving. 

Interestingly the skier in the video has made a mount where the phone extends off the front of whatever he is swinging because you can see the lines behind the camera.


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Kenai said:


> My initial tests have not gone swimmingly. I picked up two lengths of 60 lb. fishing line. With an iPhone 6 the distance has to be approx. 15 feet to get the right field of view. I ran the two lines out to dowel and taped an old junk phone to the dowel with a rag hanging off the back. I could not even come close to getting it swinging. I added 6 x 1/2 oz. weights I also picked up and that helped, but I think I still need more weight. Unfortunately it is too dark now (and my wife won't help me) to see how well it is tracking. In my hand I have a dowel with swivel at the top so if I get it swinging it won't twist the lines.
> 
> I'll give it another shot tomorrow in the daylight. 15 feet of line is a darn long ways to get it swinging. Right now I am waving my whole arm just trying to keep it moving.
> 
> Interestingly the skier in the video has made a mount where the phone extends off the front of whatever he is swinging because you can see the lines behind the camera.



I assume the bigger the mount, the more steady it is. It would be good to make a mount that a gopro can sit in, then the wide angle lens will mean you don't need the string to be as long. In fact my friend has a fish eye lens attachment for her iPhone thst works a lot better than I thought it would


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

I was thinking the same thing, but that guy used an iPhone (so I know it can work) and I don't have GoPro! Also, does GoPro have a slow-motion/high frame-rate mode? Obviously that is what makes it work well while maintaining resolution.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Kenai said:


> My initial tests have not gone swimmingly. I picked up two lengths of 60 lb. fishing line. With an iPhone 6 the distance has to be approx. 15 feet to get the right field of view. I ran the two lines out to dowel and taped an old junk phone to the dowel with a rag hanging off the back. I could not even come close to getting it swinging. I added 6 x 1/2 oz. weights I also picked up and that helped, but I think I still need more weight. Unfortunately it is too dark now (and my wife won't help me) to see how well it is tracking. In my hand I have a dowel with swivel at the top so if I get it swinging it won't twist the lines.
> 
> I'll give it another shot tomorrow in the daylight. 15 feet of line is a darn long ways to get it swinging. Right now I am waving my whole arm just trying to keep it moving.
> 
> Interestingly the skier in the video has made a mount where the phone extends off the front of whatever he is swinging because you can see the lines behind the camera.


I think you need to make the string extendable. Make it short to get it swinging then extend. It's hard to just swing a very long string.


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## Rogue (Nov 29, 2014)

Like a retractable cord? Reminds me of an employee badge or one of those leashes for dogs


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Just let the line run out through your fingers? Retractable cord is over complicating it.


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

And yes the gopro I have has HFR


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## ridinbend (Aug 2, 2012)

Makes me dizzy.


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

Staff_Sav said:


> Just let the line run out through your fingers? Retractable cord is over complicating it.


I'll work on it more, but I have two lines going to the frame so it is difficult to extend the line without causing it to twist.


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

Kenai said:


> I'll work on it more, but I have two lines going to the frame so it is difficult to extend the line without causing it to twist.


Why do you have two lines out? Mine worked fine with just one. In fact, I made mine like a Y shape near the phone, but had an anchor point I could attach to to take a single line back to the hand


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

Staff_Sav said:


> Why do you have two lines out? Mine worked fine with just one. In fact, I made mine like a Y shape near the phone, but had an anchor point I could attach to to take a single line back to the hand


Swimming a $600 phone around with a string while boarding in trees... 
I'm not sure I want to do that.


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

Staff_Sav said:


> Why do you have two lines out? Mine worked fine with just one. In fact, I made mine like a Y shape near the phone, but had an anchor point I could attach to to take a single line back to the hand


I figured it would help stablize the mount. It appears from the video posted originally that he had two lines. Obviously I'm not sure it is necessary as I am still experimenting!


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Tim Humphreys did his version.
https://www.facebook.com/prohero/videos/1037012599690329/


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## Staff_Sav (Jan 5, 2016)

speedjason said:


> Tim Humphreys did his version.
> https://www.facebook.com/prohero/videos/1037012599690329/


Made me feel sick watching that. Think he just needs to slow it down a bit more. Worked pretty well though


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