3D Printing Custom FPV Camera Mounts: ND Filter Holders and Lens Protectors

Camera mounts are among the most frequently 3D-printed accessories in the FPV hobby — and for good reason. Every frame has different camera dimensions, every pilot has different tilt angle preferences, and the mounts themselves are consumables that break in crashes. Designing and printing your own mounts gives you infinite flexibility at near-zero marginal cost. This guide covers practical design principles for TPU camera mounts, ND filter holders, and lens protectors.

Why Print Your Own Camera Mounts

Commercial camera mounts are typically frame-specific. If you’re building on an open-source frame like the TBS Source One, you’ll find dozens of mount designs online. But if you’re using a less common frame, mixing components from different ecosystems, or want a specific camera angle not offered by available mounts, printing your own is the solution. Additionally, commercial TPU mounts cost $5-15 each and break in crashes — printing replacements costs pennies in filament.

Material Selection: TPU Is Mandatory

Camera mounts must use thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). No other printable material works. PLA is too brittle and will shatter on the first hard landing. PETG has better impact resistance than PLA but still lacks the flexibility needed to absorb vibration and crash energy. ABS is durable but too stiff, transmitting vibration directly to the camera and causing jello in the video feed.

TPU’s critical property for camera mounts is its Shore hardness — a measure of flexibility:

• Shore 95A: Firm TPU. Best for structural mounts where you need the camera to hold its angle precisely. Good vibration damping but less impact absorption. Recommended for GoPro mounts and rigid camera cages.
• Shore 85A-90A: Medium TPU. The sweet spot for most FPV camera mounts. Good flexibility for installation (you can stretch the mount to insert the camera) while maintaining adequate stiffness. Examples: Sainsmart TPU, Overture TPU.
• Shore 75A-80A: Soft TPU. Excellent impact absorption but may allow the camera to shift during aggressive maneuvers. Good for lens protectors and vibration-isolating grommets.

For multi-part mounts, you can combine hardness levels: a Shore 95A structural frame with Shore 85A camera grip inserts.

Key Design Principles for TPU Camera Mounts

1. Compression Fit, Not Screws

TPU camera mounts should hold the camera through compression, not screws through the camera body. The mount should have an opening slightly smaller than the camera (0.5-1mm undersized) so the TPU stretches around the camera and grips it firmly. This eliminates the need to drill into or modify the camera, and the flexible grip absorbs vibration better than a hard-mounted screw connection.

2. Tilt Angle Adjustment

Design your mount with adjustable tilt. The two most common approaches:

• Slotted screw holes: Elongated mounting holes that allow the entire mount to pivot before tightening. Simple, effective, but requires tools to adjust.
• Multi-position notches: The mount has multiple indexed positions (e.g., 15°, 25°, 35°) with a locking tab that clicks into place. Tool-free adjustment but more complex to design.

For a first design, slotted screw holes are the practical choice. Provide at least ±15° of adjustment range centered on your preferred angle. Most freestyle pilots fly at 25-35° camera tilt; racers go steeper (45-60°).

3. Vibration Isolation

Hard-mounting the camera directly to the carbon frame transmits motor vibration to the image sensor, causing jello (rolling shutter artifacts). TPU naturally provides some isolation, but additional design features help:

• Standoffs from the frame: The camera mount should contact the frame only through dedicated mounting points, not the entire surface area. This reduces vibration transmission paths.
• Thin-walled sections: Include thin (1-2mm) flex sections in the mount design that act as intentional compliance points.
• Soft grommets: If your mount uses screws, insert silicone O-rings between the screw head, the mount, and the frame.

4. Crash Survivability

A camera mount should protect the camera in a crash. Design features for survivability:

• Deflection geometry: The front of the mount should extend slightly beyond the camera lens, creating a bumper that takes impact before the lens does. A 3-5mm lip in front of the lens is sufficient.
• Sacrificial break points: Design the mount to break at specific locations (thin sections away from the camera) rather than transferring impact force to the camera body.
• No hard edges against the camera: Any surface that contacts the camera should be smooth TPU, not a sharp corner that could gouge the camera body.

ND Filter Holders

ND (Neutral Density) filters reduce the amount of light entering the camera, allowing slower shutter speeds for cinematic motion blur. A 3D-printed ND filter holder attaches to the camera mount and slides in front of the lens.

Design Requirements

• Precise fit: The holder must align the filter perfectly parallel to the lens. Any tilt causes uneven filtering and vignetting at the edges.
• Filter retention: The filter must be firmly held but not under stress (glass ND filters crack under bending forces). Design the holder with a channel slightly wider than the filter thickness (0.2mm clearance) and a retaining lip.
• No vignetting: The holder must not intrude into the camera’s field of view. For a typical FPV camera with a 150-160° FOV lens, the filter holder needs significant clearance around the lens edges. Test by printing a prototype and checking the video feed at all camera tilt angles.
• Quick filter changes: Design for tool-free filter swaps. A slide-in channel with a friction fit works well. Include a finger tab or grip surface to remove the filter.

Standard ND Filter Sizes for FPV

Most FPV cameras accept filters in these standard sizes:

• Micro cameras (19mm wide): 14-16mm diameter filters (common on whoops and toothpicks)
• Mini cameras (22mm wide): 18-20mm filters
• Full-size / DJI cameras: 28-30.5mm filters
• GoPro: Proprietary mount; use GoPro-specific ND filters or the camera cage mount system

The most common FPV ND filter strengths are ND4 (2 stops), ND8 (3 stops), ND16 (4 stops), and ND32 (5 stops). For bright daylight with a 1/60 shutter speed (cinematic 180° shutter at 30fps), ND16-ND32 is typical. Design your holder to accommodate the thickest filter you’ll use (ND32 filters are physically thicker than ND4).

Lens Protectors

A TPU lens protector is a sacrificial ring or cap that mounts in front of the camera lens, absorbing impacts that would otherwise scratch or crack the lens glass. For FPV cameras where the lens is permanently attached (no interchangeable lens mount), a lens protector is cheap insurance.

Protector Design

• Ring type: A simple TPU ring that press-fits around the lens barrel. Extends 2-3mm beyond the front glass element. Does not affect image quality. Least protection but zero image degradation.
• Hood type: A deeper hood that extends 10-15mm forward. Provides better impact protection and also acts as a lens hood (reducing sun flare). Must be carefully designed to avoid vignetting.
• Full cap type: A complete cover with a transparent window (acrylic or polycarbonate disc). Maximum protection but the window material degrades image quality and collects scratches. Best for bando flying and environments with debris.

Software and Workflow

For designing FPV camera mounts, the recommended tools are:

• Fusion 360 (free for hobbyists): Parametric CAD. Modify dimensions easily, export STL directly. Steep learning curve but the right tool for precise, adjustable designs.
• Tinkercad (free, browser-based): Simple, accessible. Good for basic mounts but limited for complex parametric designs.
• Onshape (free, browser-based): Professional-grade parametric CAD. Excellent if you’re comfortable with Fusion 360 but prefer cloud-based workflow.
• Blender (free): Mesh modeling rather than parametric. Not ideal for mechanical designs requiring precise dimensions, but capable with practice.

Printing settings for TPU camera mounts: 0.2mm layer height, 2-3 perimeters (walls), 15-20% gyroid infill, 220-240°C nozzle temperature, 40-60°C bed temperature, 20-30mm/s print speed (TPU prints slowly). Disable retraction or minimize it — TPU is flexible and retraction can cause jams in Bowden extruders. Direct-drive extruders handle TPU significantly better than Bowden setups.

3D-printed camera mounts are a gateway into designing your own FPV accessories. Start by downloading existing designs for your frame, studying their geometry, and modifying them to suit your camera and preferences. Once you understand the principles, you’ll be able to create custom mounts for any combination of frame, camera, and flying style.