Camera tripod-connector thread
Sunday, January 31. 2021
I'm sure everybody who has ever held a camera knows there is a thread for tripod somewhere bottomside of the camera. This is what my Canon EOS would look like from the belly-side:
Why all cameras have that specific threading is because manufacturers want to be ISO 1222:2010 -compliant. Reading Wikipedia article Tripod (photography), Screw thread, reveals the spec having a 1/4-20 UNC or 3/8-16 UNC thread. There is also a phrase "Most consumer cameras are fitted with 1/4-20 UNC threads."
UNC? Quarter inch?
According to mandatory Pulp Fiction reference, in Europe we have the metric system. Personally I have no idea what is a 1/4 inch Whitworth UNC thread mentioned in Stackexchange article Why aren't tripod mounts metric? Following up on the history, to my surprise, that particular camera thread can be traced at least to year 1901. There seems to be suggestions to circa 1870 and name T. A. Edison being mentioned, but none of that can be corroborated.
Time warping back to today.
My work has been remote for many many years. Given the global pandemic, everybody else is also doing the same. As every meeting is done over the net, I've made choices to run with some serious hardware. If you're interested, there is a blog post about microphone upgrade from 2019.
This is my new webcam setup:
The camera is a Logitech StreamCam. What I rigged it into is the cheapest mirophone table stand I could order online. The one I have is a Millenium MA-2040 from Thomann. The price is extremely cheap 20,- €. However, cheap it may be, but it does the job well.
It doesn't require much thinking to realize, the ISO-standard thread in StreamCam is 1/4", but a microphone stand will have 3/8" or 5/8" making the fitting require an adapter. Thomann page states "With 5/8" threaded connector for recording studios and multimedia workstations". Logitech provides options in their package for camera setup. The typical use would be to have monitor/laptop-bracket which makes the camera sit on top of your display. Second option is the 1/4" setup. To state the obvious: for that you'll need some sort of tripod/stand/thingie.
Here are pics from my solution:
When you go shopping for such adapter, don't do it like I did:
Above pic is proof, that I seriously suck at non-metric threads. From left to right:
- female 1/2" to male 1/4" adapter (bronze), not working for my setup
- female 3/8" to male 1/4" adapter (black, short), not working for my setup
- female 5/8" to male 1/4" adapter (black, long), yes! the one I needed
- female 5/8" to male 1/4" adapter /w non-UNC thread (silver), not working for my setup
For those wondering:
Yes. I did order 4 different adapters from four different stores until I managed to find the correct one. 
Also, there is nothing wrong with my laptop's camera. I simply want to position the camera bit higher than regular laptop camera will be.
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I'm sure everybody who has ever held a camera knows there is a thread for tripod somewhere bottomside of the camera. This is what my Canon EOS would look like from the belly-side:
Why all cameras have that specific threading is because manufacturers want to be ISO 1222:2010 -compliant. Reading Wikipedia article Tripod (photography), Screw thread, reveals the spec having a 1/4-20 UNC or 3/8-16 UNC thread. There is also a phrase "Most consumer cameras are fitted with 1/4-20 UNC threads."
UNC? Quarter inch?
According to mandatory Pulp Fiction reference, in Europe we have the metric system. Personally I have no idea what is a 1/4 inch Whitworth UNC thread mentioned in Stackexchange article Why aren't tripod mounts metric? Following up on the history, to my surprise, that particular camera thread can be traced at least to year 1901. There seems to be suggestions to circa 1870 and name T. A. Edison being mentioned, but none of that can be corroborated.
Time warping back to today.
My work has been remote for many many years. Given the global pandemic, everybody else is also doing the same. As every meeting is done over the net, I've made choices to run with some serious hardware. If you're interested, there is a blog post about microphone upgrade from 2019.
This is my new webcam setup:
The camera is a Logitech StreamCam. What I rigged it into is the cheapest mirophone table stand I could order online. The one I have is a Millenium MA-2040 from Thomann. The price is extremely cheap 20,- €. However, cheap it may be, but it does the job well.
It doesn't require much thinking to realize, the ISO-standard thread in StreamCam is 1/4", but a microphone stand will have 3/8" or 5/8" making the fitting require an adapter. Thomann page states "With 5/8" threaded connector for recording studios and multimedia workstations". Logitech provides options in their package for camera setup. The typical use would be to have monitor/laptop-bracket which makes the camera sit on top of your display. Second option is the 1/4" setup. To state the obvious: for that you'll need some sort of tripod/stand/thingie.
Here are pics from my solution:
When you go shopping for such adapter, don't do it like I did:
Above pic is proof, that I seriously suck at non-metric threads. From left to right:
- female 1/2" to male 1/4" adapter (bronze), not working for my setup
- female 3/8" to male 1/4" adapter (black, short), not working for my setup
- female 5/8" to male 1/4" adapter (black, long), yes! the one I needed
- female 5/8" to male 1/4" adapter /w non-UNC thread (silver), not working for my setup
For those wondering:
Yes. I did order 4 different adapters from four different stores until I managed to find the correct one.
Also, there is nothing wrong with my laptop's camera. I simply want to position the camera bit higher than regular laptop camera will be.
