A couple of new arrivals from Tilta expand on its well-regarded Hydra car mounting system.
Some interesting new stuff from Tilta brings interesting new options for anyone looking to mount their kit on a moving vehicle. The Hydra Articulating Car Mounting System provides a new, lower cost entry point for those willing to trust suction cups to hold their gear in place, while the Hydra Electronic Suction Cup takes that perception of suction cup fallibility and torpedoes it with some clever electronics.
The $499 Hydra Articulating Car Mounting System is based around three 6-inch suction cups with NATO rail that attach into heavy-duty articulating arms that provide a total weight capacity of 44 lbs (20kg). The arms are made from high-strength aluminium alloy and stainless steel, each articulating arm having a maximum individual carrying capacity of 17.5 lbs (8kg) and featuring a reversible locking knob for speed of use.
Featuring a low-center-of-gravity ball head designed for 75mm /100mm bowls and a Manfrotto quick release system, it supports both Arca and Manfrotto plates. It’s also compatible with most Tilta cages for mirrorless and lightweight cinema cameras, it also offers a 15° level adjustment range.
Its articulating arms are going to provide you with plenty of options for getting a level camera on the typical angles surfaces of your normal car as Tilta’s shots indicate.
Dimensions are 22 x 11 x 18 inches (56 x 28 x 46cm) and weight is 20 lbs (9kg).
The Hydra Electronic Suction Cup is an optional accessory to the above and a cool piece of kit in its own right.
It features an integrated high-performance motor that completes electronic suction within 5 seconds, depending on the surface, and what’s more also features air pressure detection which monitors the state of the vacuum inside the apparatus 1000 times per second. When the system detects loss of pressure, the motor pumps out additional air automatically in order to prevent the suction cups from becoming detached. There’s also an LCD screen for displaying status information.
A built-in 2000mAh battery provides 24 hours continual use and supports 10W USB-C external power input.
As well as all the electronic gubbins, an optimized structure featuring a new compartmentalized design increases the contact area by 20% compared to standard suction cups for added stability and reliability.
Various mounting plates can be used, which makes them easy to use with different support systems. Options include support for the Hydra Alien’s M25 thread, NATO, as well as a Universal Multi-Mount option in order to cover a wide range of scenarios.
The cups are 146 x 146 x 54.5 mm / 5.75 x 5.75 x 2.15 inches and 350g / 0.77 lbs each.
Pricing starts at $83 for the suction cup only. Multifunctional mount and NATO mount versions raise that to $115, and a Hydra M25 mount to $129. As with the Hydra Articulating Car Mounting System pre-orders are open now with availability in early June and discounts of up to 10% are currently available.