When videographer Alan Gillet started looking for a double-light system to mount on his GoPro during dives, he couldn’t find one, so he joined the ranks of the if-you-can’t-find-it-build-your-own army of entrepreneurs, and looked to solve the issue himself. The IVP Twin Light Mount is simply another GoPro mounting piece, but unlike other mounts, it has four prongs — one for the GoPro, two for lights and one for attaching to other mounts.
Initially, Gillet designed the mount using 3D printing with PLA plastic, but after testing it, he realized that the material degrades in saltwater, making it a bad choice for his original plan to use the mount while scuba diving. With injection molding and ABS plastic, Gillet says, the mount’s lifespan will not be shortened even in extreme saltwater conditions.
Gillet ran across another issue when designing the seemingly simple mount — cameras have lights mounted above the lens to create more natural looking shadows, but the GoPro cameras only have a mount on the bottom of the camera. The solution? Use GoPro’s flip option and record the video holding the camera upside down. The flip option in the camera settings means the video is still recorded right side up.
Along with using the mount for diving, the Twin Light Mount can be used with a variety of other GoPro-compatible mounting systems, from handlebars to the chest mount. Using three light mounts together allows up to six lights to be added to the camera — Gillet used this mount method to provide additional light when diving in deep wrecks.
The mount is going for Kickstarter pledges starting at $22 — provided the campaign reaches the $6,145 goal by Nov. 17. The LED lights the system is designed to hold retail for about $55 each.
