Customer Reviews

Panavise 809 Camera Window Suction-Cup Mount

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Length:: 1:44 Mins

I was looking for a simple way to attach a camera to the windshield of my Scion xB to enable me to record on-the-go videos quickly and easily.

When I got the Panavise 809 from Amazon, my first reaction to it was amazement at how heavily it was constructed, and how well all the individual parts did their job.

Since getting it, I've made a number of videos using it, and one video showing it in use.

It holds the camera very steadily, is very easy to set up, and is EASILY worth the price at Amazon.

Recommended

Due to the low price and generally good reviews, I bought this item. The suction grip is very strong; there seems to be no risk that this will fall off a window even with a small camcorder attached. Mine did not come with the extension arm, so my camcorder had to be mounted upside down on the windshield. The image can easily be rotated 180 degrees within Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9 editing software, so being upside down is not a problem for me. Furthermore, having an extension arm might likely result in less stability, so it's probably best to use the shortest/sturdiest mount possible. (I haven't tested that claim so it might not be true.) My camcorder, with optical image stabilization, zoomed all the way out for the widest view (also the least sensitive to vibration), and driving on a reasonably smooth paved road even as slow as 20mph exhibited very noticeable vibration. The vibration is too great to use the video. Much smoother video is obtained by hand holding a camcorder in a moving vehicle; your body and arms act as shock absorbers and dampen vibration preventing it from reaching the camera. With this mount, small vibrations from the moving vehicle are transmitted directly to the camcorder and it seems to be amplified by the time it gets there. Furthermore, my high-definition camcorder, with a CMOS image sensor (which uses a "rolling shutter"), exhibits noticeable skewing artifacts from frame to frame as a result of the vibration, so there are not just blurred frames and jittery motion, but distorted frames as well. Consequently, even using a motion stabilization algorithm during post production won't produce acceptable results.

This mount should be excellent for situations where there is no vibration and no need to pan or otherwise modify the camera settings or view during exposure, but seems useless from a moving vehicle unless it's moving very slowly on smooth pavement.

---------- IMPORTANT UPDATE -----------

I just noticed a few recent reviews that mentioned they received a knock-off, rather than a genuine Panavise 809. After studying the Panavise picture on this page very closely, I see that my unit is not a genuine Panavise 809, either. (There is no manufacturer or product ID on my unit or on the packaging, so I have no idea who manufactured it or what its true model name is.) I purchased my unit from Vangoddy through amazon.com. Perhaps that explains why so many other reviews are so good (especially the video review left by Thomas which shows, though at slow speed, how good his unit works) and my results are so bad -- and I mean BAAAD, truly unusable. There is no comparison between the results I obtained and those that Thomas showed in his video.

This clearly is designed to be a CCTV mount. As such, with most CCTV cameras having top mounted attachment, I have no doubt that it works flawlessly.It is very well constructed and does indeed have amazing suction power and solid construction without any "wriggles".

I bought it hoping that I could use it on the fairly steeply raked windshield of a late model Civic to film driving routes with my digital camera. Even though I have a low profile "ultracompact" digital camera, there was not enough room between the windshield and the mount to allow me to mount the camera - unless I mounted it upside down, which I obviously could not do because of the inability to rotate the resulting movie.

FORTUNATELY I discovered that the Civic has a flat non-porous ( i.e. plastic ) top gauge cover, and was able to mount it on that. But the vast majority of cars have curved top gauge covers, so I don't think this will be suitable for any but a few car models for the purpose I'm using it for.

If Panavise could come up with the same assembly and a U - shaped holder for mounting a camera with a standard tripod screw thread from the bottom, BELOW the mount - now that would be far more useful.

Length:: 4:07 Mins

The product is really awesome.
The only thing you need to be careful is the extension arm.
If you have an oversized camera or a camcorder, you'll definetely
need an extension arm which originally doesn't come with the product.
Please see my user photos after January 8th, 2010.
The user photos showing the extension arm are a little confusing.
I bought a geniune one directly from the Amazon, and it doesn't have
the extesion arm which I later got directly from PanaVise. The guys
over there are terrific, and extremely helpful. They said the model
with the extension arm should be called as 809-X.

The video was recorded with Xacti 1010
I passed over two railroad crossings (at 1:44 and 3:33), the road
was terrible. The vibration and shaking is acceptable.

When I first got into highway videography, I purchased a small Aiptek camera Aiptek IS-DV2.4Blue MPEG-4 Digital Camcorder with Video Stabilization (Blue) and I was looking for a windshield mounting option. I purchased this unit but the angle of the mounting arm made it unusuable with my truck windshield. So I sent it back to Amazon and opted for a Sunpak Clik n Stick mount Flexpod Click N' Stick Suction-cup Monopod. I recently upgraded to a Panasonic SDR-H40 videocam Panasonic SDR-H40 40GB Hard Drive Camcorder with 42x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and needed something a little more substantial to hold the bigger, heavier camera. I originally thought that this unit, attached to one of those GPS friction mount pads that can be placed on the dashboard, would be perfect, but then I found out that Panvise now includes a mounting arm extension with this unit. (See the customer photo that shows the extension arm and a camcorder mounted in a car). So I bought another one. This appears to be just the solution for mounting a video camcorder in a vehicle. If you order one and the extension arm isn't included, just contact Panavise directly and they will send you the extension arm for free. No instructions for installing the mounting arm extension were included, but it's pretty easy to figure out how to install it. This unit holds tightly and seems to be pretty stout and secure. The mounting arm extension Panavise now includes makes all the difference in the world. I think the company realized that there is now a market for sturdy vehicle camcorder mounts. I recommend this highly! Can't wait to try out this setup and see how it works!

Purpose brought: Used to make mounted vehicular videocam.

Pros: When set properly, this device sticks like glue!

Cons: Small swing arm limits mounting positions.

The suction seal is very strong and after two weeks I still can't physically remove it unless I use the pressure release lever.

The small arm limits the placement and use of a camera (ie: camera is inverted when mounting on a windshield), but it is perfect for holding small camcorders and digital cameras on a smooth, non-porous upright surface.

If you already have a small handheld videocam and wish to use it as a vehicle cam, Use this and a 90mm mounting pad mounted on top of the dashboard as a cheap alternative to buying a dedicated vehicle camera.

Great product but only 4 stars due to the small swing arm.

I use this mount for a digital camera that weighs around 1.5lb. The mount is very sturdy and the mechanism allows me to position the lens exactly where I need it.

If you need a sturdy mount for something with a little heft, go for this product. It works very well.

Length:: 5:06 Mins

Hey everyone! I know a lot of people like the Panavise 809, but some people have ripped on it because it doesn't include an extension arm. When I received mine, it worked very well even without the extension arm, but I had to invert (180 degrees) my video in software. Well, the *real* solution lies in Panavise's EXCELLENT support! I called up their support number (775-850-2900), and mentioned to the operator that I was calling about a CCTV mount (the 809 model). She forwarded me to someone else, who was a VERY kind woman named Julie; After describing my dilemma, Julie nicely explained to me that Panavise was working on including the extension arm in future, but that she could send me the extension arm. She quickly took down my name and address, and told me that it would be on its way tomorrow!!

Panavise is an EXCELLENT company! The 809 CCTV mount is GREAT! The price is GREAT! The quality is GREAT! Thank you, Panavise (and Julie, if you're reading this), for being so amazingly awesome! You have made me a very happy, satisfied customer!

I am truly glad I found this little mount.
I have used it basically to attach a Canon SD750 (cigarette pack size camera) to the windshield, so that I can film my driving (the SD750 has a time lapse feature that I find very cool to record roads). I have used this on hot temperatures(above 37 C) and on non-paved roads and it has kept the camera on place. It's very simple to use, very sturdy and versatile -so you can use it in many different angles and situations-. I even used it on a boat window and it worked fantastically.
I strongly recommend this mount to anyone interested in experimental filming. I have not tried a heavier camera so I can't comment on its weight capacity, but it is more than enough for my SD750.
Enjoy!

This product will not work out of the box with the Kodak Zi8 or Flip Camcorders (possibly other pocket cams)on windshields. The Kodak Zi8 in the pictures above was photographed in a way that you do not notice the extension. The extension cant possibly cost that much more to be included with the product.