Mobile photography has made huge advances in recent years. Time and again, we see great photos shot on mobile phones. We even see images #ShotOniPhone decorating large-scale advertising. The technological developments we see in smartphone cameras blow our minds each and every time. It’s not just about the phone manufacturers. It’s turning into a huge ecosystem. I’m going to break down a photo I shot recently in Lofoten, Norway, of Russell Preston Brown and explain my thoughts on the future.
Holiday Gift Guide – The best new tripods, sliders and gimbals of 2022
It’s December again, which means lots of us are sitting there wondering what to buy for ourselves or the photographer in our lives this holiday season. We’ve been saving up all year to get that something special, but we don’t want to deal with in-store queues – or maybe we’ve just slacked on our Christmas shopping this year. We want to stay at home where it’s nice and warm and see what we can find online that gets delivered straight to our door!
So, this means it’s time for the 2022 DIYP Holiday Gift Guides. It’s Day 4 today, so we’re going to be going through the list of our favourite new tripods, sliders and gimbals that have been released during 2022. Keep visiting back this week as we release our other guides, including cameras, lenses, lighting, accessories and gadgets.
Hands on with the Platypod eXtreme
We recently covered the launch of the Platypod eXtreme. It’s the latest of Platypod’s Kickstarter projects and it’s part f their flat tripod line, coming in at $119 on Kickstarter. I have had one in my hands since late January. I took it with me to Iceland, Croatia, Wales, and a number of other places to test. Here are my thoughts.
The eXtreme boasts a few improvements on the Platypod Max (reviewed here), which is the model it most closely resembles. There are some clear upgrades to this model and it will be my go-to “tripod” for low-angle shots. The weight of the eXtreme is up there on the list, it weighs only 9.6oz versus the Max which comes in at 12.9oz (and is actually smaller). The construction of the eXtreme is where the weight saving comes in. There are more cut-outs for accessory use and to make space for the collapsible screw legs, which gives the eXtreme its angular-looking aesthetic. The material itself, which is aircraft-grade aluminum, remains the same high quality as before, and the thickness is the same.
The new Platypod eXtreme tripod comes with hinged feet, more mounting points and an integrated handle
Launched in 2017, Platypod Max quickly became quite popular among action shooters and those working in rough terrain where a traditional tripod just isn’t practical. It’s essentially a metal plate with feet on the bottom, a 3/8-16″ thread on the top and a bunch of mounting holes and four adjustable feet to let you set it up pretty much anywhere you want. In 2018, they launched the Platypod Ultra, a smaller version.
Now, the company has announced the newest addition to the family, the Platypod eXtreme, which is lighter than the original Platypod Max but comes with some design improvements that offer some definite benefits. It has a built-in handle now, more reattachment points and the feet can now be stored inside the plate on rotatable mounts for faster deployment anywhere.
The best vloggig rig – its quite unorthodox
I’ve only recently gotten into vlogging with my new YouTube channel, and I’m far more used to being in front of someone else’s camera for videos so this is a new world for me. I’ve played around and done a lot of research to figure out the ideal vlogging rig, and I think I’ve managed to create it.
Let’s start by defining what makes the ideal vlogging rig. It’s important to have a capable camera with a preview screen that can face the content creator (that would be me). Perhaps more important than the camera is the audio – we will watch bad video, but we won’t listen to bad audio! Next up, lighting. In low light conditions, we need to add our own light, and we should be able to match the colour temperature of the ambient light. Finally, a good, sturdy base for when we put the camera down and something ergonomic to hold onto. So, here’s my solution: –
2020 DIYP Holiday Gift Guide – Tripods, Sliders and Gimbals
Keeping cameras steady or having complete control over their position is important, regardless of whether you’re shooting photos or video. We’ve already covered cameras, lenses and lighting, so in this gift guide, we’re going to be taking a look at tripods, sliders and gimbals. Let’s start off small and build our way up.
Platypod’s Platyball is an inverted tripod ball head with built-in electronic level
If you haven’t heard of Platypod before, they’re the company that makes that little flat kind-of-tripod of the same name to provide you with a stable platform on which to place your camera on rough terrain. You can stick just about any kind of tripod head on top of it you like, but regular tripod heads for photography generally have one big problem. You can’t easily pan them and keep your scene level.
This is where Platypod’s new Platyball steps in. It’s essentially an upside-down ball head. There are two versions of it, the Ergo and the Elite, the latter of which comes with a built-in gyro and LCD display for easy levelling. The project is being launched through Kickstarter, and they’ve already hit their funding goal 10 times over.
Make a DIY low-angle quadpod under $20
I love low angle photography! It brings fresh and unusual angles that makes your pictures stand out. You can buy Platypod for this purpose but I didn’t want to spend $100 on a chunky piece of metal. This site have many suggestions for do-it-yourself low angle stands including a frying pan. Good luck taking it on your trip. Here is a super low angle solution under $20. In addition, in my opinion, it is more stable, probably lighter and more compact then Platypod.
The flattest tripod in the world – Platypod
Here is one of the weirdest products we’ve seen. It’s called the Platypod, and it’s the world flattest tripod. The Platypod is a small flat metal plate that hs a few features that makes it a pretty cool device if you don’t require the height of a tripod. Actually for some low-profile uses, it even better than a tripod.
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