Motion stable camera support system

A positionally adjustable mounting arrangement in combination with a movable dynamic image camera which has a body with top, bottom and opposite side surfaces and an optical axis which extends in a front-to-back direction within the camera body, the mounting comprising:

• a pair of first coupling moieties and a pair of second coupling moieties which have plural angularly discrete stable matable relations with the first moieties,
• the first coupling moieties being affixed to the opposite sides of the body in alignment with each other along a mount axis which lies between the body top and bottom surfaces and which is substantially normal to the optical axis,
• the second coupling moieties being mountable to spaced portions of a desired camera support for mating contact with the first coupling moieties.

A positionally adjustable mounting arrangement in combination with a movable dynamic image camera which has a body with top, bottom and opposite side surfaces and an optical axis which extends through the body in a front-to-back direction within the camera body, the mounting arrangement comprising:

• a pair of pivot joint members affixed respectively to opposite sides of the camera body in alignment along a pivot axis which is substantially normal to the optical axis, the pivot joint members being releasably securable to spaced portions of a desired camera support to be secure from motion about the pivot axis in a manner which applies no appreciable loads to the camera body along the pivot axis.

A camera support cage for receiving a camera and for mounting the camera to a support structure, the camera support cage comprising

• a first generally U shaped frame member having a pair of spaced distally extending first legs to each of which is mounted a corresponding one of a pair of coaxially aligned and opposing pivot joint elements;
• a second generally U shaped frame member having a pair of spaced distally extending second legs which are substantially perpendicular to the first legs and the ends of which are attached to a respective first leg;
• camera mounting means cooperable with the pivot joint elements for supporting a camera between the first and second frame member legs and affording pivotal movement of the supported camera about the axis on which the pivot joint elements are aligned.

A clamp assembly, useful in the motion picture industry, comprising first and second clamp arms hingeably connected to each other at respective first ends of the arms and defining at opposite second end portions cooperating jaw configurations adapted at the ends thereof for gripping opposite sides of a nontubular article and adapted adjacent to and inwardly from the ends for gripping a tubular article, an externally threaded shaft extending loosely through the first clamp arm into engagement with an internally threaded element carried by the second arm intermediate its ends for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of the hingeable connection between the arms, an actuating handle carried by the shaft adjacent the first arm and defining a shoulder abuttable with a surface on the second arm which faces away from the second arm, there being at least one structural connecting pin of baby pin configuration and dimensions connected to the clamp assembly in spaced relation to the hingeable connection between the clamp arms.