Off Road Racing

Tips on how to mount the DRIFT HD to an off-road rig from the Land Rover National Rally

The Land Rover National Rally is an annual non-profit event for adventurous four-wheeler enthusiasts, with the purpose of promoting the safe operation of four-wheel drive vehicles, as well as the responsible use of public land trails and roads. The rally takes place on public land trails designed for multi-purpose use as part of an effort to keep access to these lands open and available to all outdoor enthusiasts. The event has been held in numerous locations throughout Utah and Colorado for the past 23 years, with Breckenridge Colorado being the featured site for this year’s Aug. 2-6 event.

Professional photographer and Land Rover aficionado Brad Allen of High Contrast Studios took part in this year’s rally, recording footage each day with a Drift HD170 Stealth camera (with car mount). As both a professional photographer and a four-wheel off-road addict, we wanted to hear more about how the functions and features of the Drift 1080 cameras helped Brad capture this year’s event, and how Drift cameras can actually help off-road enthusiasts better – and more safely – approach the trails.

Drift Innovation: First off, how was the rally this year? Did you capture some pretty sweet video?

Brad Allen: Great! I got lots of photos and video from the rally – and now have a ton of editing to do.

D.I.: Why did you choose to use Drift cameras for the rally?

B.A.: I recently started looking into these types of HD POV cameras. As a professional photographer, I had some specific things I wanted, or was looking for. The Drift’s shape appealed to me right off. It is very streamlined and the range of accessories it has available is also very helpful. Some of the other cameras I have seen on the market are blocky, or did not seem to be as ergonomically designed to me. Looking at the camera online, the Drift controls seemed simple, the remote function great, and the construction looked really nice.  All of this was confirmed when I received the box in the mail. It was like Christmas! I must have spent two hours playing with stuff when I first got it. In fact, there was a Land Rover Defender at British 4X4 LTD when the cameras first arrived, and I went a little crazy hooking the camera up all over it and taking photos.

D.I.: How did the camera functions work throughout the rally?

B. A.: The camera really impressed me. The streamlined design allowed me to fit the cameras in some interesting places on the vehicles as well as in rocks on the trail. The suction-cup holder feels like it is super glued on there. All of the accessories, including the waterproof bag work great and, as a bonus, all of the mounting stuff works with the camera gear I already have. The book arm and the car mount suction cup allow me to shoot great angles from the vehicle window. The remote function is great too; being able to start and stop recording remotely greatly extends my ability to record on an SD card, and cuts down on my editing time afterwards.

D.I.: Let’s talk about mounting on the Land Rover. How many different mount positions did you try? What did you find to be most successful?

B.A.: The camera was pretty cool and I experimented a lot with the mounting. I mounted the camera in the typical places like behind the front tire with the suction cup, on the side of the car and the hood. During some of the rock climbs I was able to set it in cracks and on ledges to get video of things that I would typically not try to be so close to.

I also put the camera on the top back of the vehicle to get footage of the trucks following me and thought that was pretty neat, too. The monopod allowed me to put the camera out the window and point in different directions. I put the camera down low and got an almost ground-level view on some of the wider parts of the trail.

The suction-cup mounting system was pretty great – the camera went through water and mud, got smacked by branches, and came perilously close to rock walls but that suction cup just would not come off the truck!

D.I.: What was your favorite camera feature?

B.A.:  I actually have TWO favorite features. The first is the slim design which allows me to stick it in all sorts of crags and cracks. The second is that I can rotate the lens to adjust to what I am doing and what device I am using to mount it. That really seems to give me a lot more options when shooting, with regard to where I can shoot from.

D. I.: What do you envision or hope the Land Rover community will start to do or utilize with these types of cameras?

B. A.: I see a lot of possibilities for these cameras. As a photographer I like to create images, both still and motion, which the Drift allows me to do at the same time.

I also think this type of footage will help promote safe off-road driving, one of the primary goals of the rally. The Solihull Society, which is the club that hosts the rally, is very committed to training, safe driving, STAYING ON DESIGNATED TRAILS, and maintaining the environment. Aside from just cool video, I think that the footage from others recording with Drift cameras can help to show safe techniques, and help foster a better appreciation and respect for these areas.

On the technical side, being able to mount cameras near the front tires and such will help to show people a firsthand view of how to approach obstacles. So, I also think you could consider the cameras as a sort of safety device for training.

All of the gear seems like it can take the abuse of this type of activity. The batteries seem to go on forever. I have been playing with it for almost a week so far and have not recharged the initial battery.

D.I.: So, overall, do you think a Drift is a good or useful investment for off-road enthusiasts?

B.A.: I sure do! You can use it just to shoot some fun video, but the HD quality is really good so it definitely has some more serious uses. The fact that you can put it in some pretty crazy places on the Land Rovers will help with the technical aspects of off-roading. Just getting to record that bird’s-eye view of what my vehicle is doing will help me get better when approaching obstacles. For safety, during the rally we have spotters that guide you up obstacles. But, being able to refer to video of where and how you actually went up something is just invaluable, because in real life you won’t always have the spotters like you do at the rally.

D.I.: Looking forward to next year, when and where is the 2012 Land Rover National Rally?

B.A.: Next year the rally is in July and will take place in Moab. Every other year the rally is held there, and then the following year it is in a different location in Colorado. There are also several trail weekends throughout the year. So, there is a lot of footage to come from our Drift cameras. Getting to use them on this trip has allowed me to get familiar with them. Now that I see what they can do, there are lots of things I’d like to try with them!