tripods

DIY: Hack a rotating time-lapse tripod

There's something about time-lapse videos that grabs your attention a little more than your average YouTube video. Especially popular on Vimeo, these videos often capture scenes like a starry night, a cityscape, or snow piling up over the course of a particularly rough storm.

Sometimes, the camera stays in one spot, monitoring a scene from just one angle. But the most beautiful time lapses involve movement -- the camera pans across the scene over the course of an hour (or longer) to capture change over time on a 360-degree angle.

It sounds complicated. Like, too much work. But, the … Read more

Giottos: Honey, I shrunk the tripod

Good news for shutterbug travelers with limited luggage space: Popular tripod maker Giottos has just released a new range of "YTL" tripods that utilize a new Y-shaped center column design that's 30 percent smaller than the cylindrical columns found in typical tripods. This allows the tripod legs to be tucked into the center column closer, making the tripod more compact and allowing it to be easily stowed.

While the center column sees a reduction in size, the company claims the new design does not compromise the tripod's stability and strength. The new tripod range can support … Read more

Tiltpod Mobile adds an iPhone tripod to your keychain

Your iPhone comes packing a pretty decent camera, but there's no camera on the planet that doesn't benefit from the stability of a tripod.

Just one problem: Tripods tend to be long, large, unwieldy accessories, not the kind of the things you can just slip into your pocket.

Until now. Photojojo's Tiltpod Mobile puts an iPhone tripod on your keychain.

If the name sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the original Tiltpod, which combined a magnetic tripod-mount screw head with a small base designed to be worn on your wrist. It was built for small point-and-shoot … Read more

Five tools every iPhone photographer must have

As the saying goes: "The best camera is the one you have with you." More often than not, for me, that camera is my iPhone. I always have it on me, it's ready to take a photo in a matter of seconds, it takes amazing photos, and I can edit and share those photos all from the same device.

With the iPhone's camera continuing to be used more and more, there are plenty of accessories available to aid iPhone photographers in getting the best shot possible.

Here are five tools you should have in your bag:… Read more

Maxis 360: Mount your camera magnetically

Ever missed a photo-worthy moment because you were too busy setting up your tripod? We may have found a workaround in the form of a Kickstarter project called the Maxis 360. It's basically a camera mount that allows you to attach your shooter to metallic surfaces, giving you the ability to rotate your camera in 360 degrees.

How does it work? First, screw on the camera attachment -- this seems to adhere to the spheroid magnetically. You will then be able to tilt your camera about 90 degrees forward, backward, or sideways, much like a tripod ballhead. The magnetic base on which the spheroid sits comes with a rubber protector that allows you to mount your camera on polished surfaces such as your car's hood without scratching the paint. … Read more

Kickstarter project promises dirt-cheap smartphone video stabilization

Earlier this year I wrote about the Kungl, a nifty plastic iPhone case with an embedded 1/4-inch tripod mount.

At $19.99, it's one of the more affordable tripod accessory options out there. But what if you want to shoot video with, say, an iPod Touch? Or an Android phone? And what if you don't happen to have a tripod handy?

This Kickstarter project might be just the answer: the SlingShot is a universal smartphone video-stabilization system that has a few nifty tricks up its sleeve. And you can get in on the action for just $14.… Read more

CineSquid tripod has legs, and knows how to use them

Accessory maker Cinetics (creator of CineSkates) has launched its latest tripod system, the CineSquid.

Using the system, moviemakers can secure their cameras (there is a 5-pound weight limit) onto contoured, multilevel surfaces. Users can also maneuver the angle of the camera even when the suction cups have been mounted on.

Unlike conventional tripods, the CineSquid lets users mount their cameras on the underbelly of a helicopter, the bumper of a car, or the rear of any moving vehicle with a smooth surface. This means you'll be able to access those hard-to-reach angles and record videos with more unique perspectives. … Read more

Concept T-Bike doubles as tripod

With the Tripod Bicycle, or T-Bike, you no longer have to lug around a heavy tripod while searching for photo opportunities on two wheels.

This concept bicycle, imagined by Indonesian designer Reza Rachmat Sumirat, lets users attach any make or model of camera between the bicycle's handlebars. There's also a panhead that lets your capture panoramas or panning shots of your subjects.

Three sliding bars can be used to adjust the height of the bicycle according to the cyclist's size. A kickstand on the front wheel helps stabilize the whole bike when it's being used as … Read more

Kungl iPhone tripod mount doubles as a case

Want to mount your iPhone on a tripod? There are lots of third-party accessories that can help, but few are as practical or affordable as the Kungl iPhone Tripod Mount.

Lest you think it sounds crazy to connect a smartphone to a tripod, consider this: the iPhone 4 sports a 5-megapixel camera and can capture 720p video, while the 4S raises the bar to 8 megapixels and 1080p--and even brings image stabilization to the table.

The latter might seem to obviate the need for a tripod, but if you want the sharpest photos and smoothest video, nothing beats one.… Read more

New Joby tripods attach to cameras--and stay there

Joby wants your tripod to become part of your camera--literally.

Five years after releasing its famed flexible GorillaPod, the company has added three new models to its portable-tripod line for point-and-shoots. The GorillaPod Micro line is different than the company's usual flexible tripods, however. It's the size of a USB drive, and is designed to screw onto your digital camera and stay there. The aluminum and zinc alloy legs can swivel out into a three-pronged tripod setup that resembles the older Joby models, but the tripod moves into a single point underneath the camera for storage.

The GorillaPod Micro 250 costs $19.95 and is made for cameras up to 8.8 ounces. The GorillaPod Micro 800 costs $29.95 and will suit cameras weighing up to 1.75 pounds.

Finally, the GorillaPod Hybrid costs $39.95--and may be good enough to replace traditional tripods for those with slightly higher-end cameras. It can hold cams up to 2.2 pounds and comes with a leveling tool to help frame shots. If you already have the original GorillaPod, this model will look pretty similar and you may want to think twice before buying it. I gave it a hands-on try by hooking it up to my video camera via an attachment for my iPhone. It held the camera sturdy when I placed the legs of the product on the ground to capture some unusual angles. Not bad. … Read more