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Imaging

Pakpod tripod could become a must-pack accessory for photographers

Cameras keep getting smaller, but most tripods remain as heavy as ever and can’t be used for underwater photography. Pakpod, however, is a versatile tripod that’s been designed to stand on or suspend from just about anything using a variety of stakes. It will even work underwater, and –- at 15.5 ounces –- is lighter than many other tripods on the market.

patent-claimedPakpod was constructed with stainless steel and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a thermoplastic polymer, and is both waterproof and freeze-proof, according to its Kickstarter campaign. Its quick-lock design is patent-pending. In addition to smartphones, GoPro and other action cameras, Pakpod was designed to also be used with mini-LED lights, iPads, sound recorders and microphones.

Categories
Imaging

Gekkopod mount wraps around anything to capture your mounting vanity

With smartphones and cameras allowing us to take more photos than ever, the latest goal seems to be getting a unique angle to capture a selfie or point of view. But the wide range of surfaces in the world make that a challenge, particularly for a portable mount..

patent-claimedGekkopod is a wraparound flexible camera mount that will work with any camera or smartphone, even a GoPro camera. It’s a more minimalist, flexible take on Joby’s Gorillapod camera tripod but with two extra legs to secure it. The design of the new product was based in a lizard’s hand –-hence the allusion to a gecko in its name. Gekkopod is made of 80 percent food grade silicon and 20 percent metal, so it can be bent easily to any shape and will stay in that form.

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Camping

WorkingStick supports you, your stuff and your camera on the trail

WorkingStickCampers or hikers look for products with various uses to lighten their loads when they’re enjoying the great outdoors. The WorkingStick is more than just a walking aid, it’s a phone-holder, picture-taker, and quad-pod for holding your various camping accoutrements. The stick folds out into a teepee shape, has a screw for digital cameras and a slot to hold phones. Each stick has extender capabilities and can reach up to 60”. Early-bird-watchers will receive the WorkingStick for $55 or for a regular price of $59 with an estimated delivery date of June 2014. WalkingStick has a low $2,000 goal in its 29-day Kickstarter campaign.

Categories
Imaging

Triflex gives cameras spindly, grippy legs

The Premise. Photography is all about getting the shot, but what about when that shot puts your camera in perilous danger? And what if you wanted to take your camera somewhere a tripod wouldn’t balance? There are many tripods on the market, but few offer versatility to grip onto a wide range of surfaces.

The Product. The Triflex is a triple-legged device that attaches to your camera. The legs are easily manipulated and can grip onto a variety of shaped objects. The flexibility of the Triflex allows for precise adjustment of camera angles, and the developer touts the exceptional ability of the legs to hold onto whatever you choose to wrap them around.

The Pitch. This campaign’s home video isn’t anything spectacular, but it does have a wholesome vibe to it. The designer of the product does the voiceover and the videography, which means he obviously trusts his own product. The “maybe-try-this-at-home” moment comes when he even attaches the camera to his in-laws’ moving ceiling fan to show how well it can resist centrifugal force.

The Perks. Triflex is a product that allows a photography to really take control of the shot and not have to fear they’re going to lose their camera. The Triflex, due to ship in March of 2015, goes for $25. There’s a $10 fee for a Go Pro adapter although that’s pretty standard.

The Potential. Even with the slowdown in the digital camera market, accessories like the Triflex have appeal because they can also be used with smartphones that people definitely want to protect. The main competition is from the Joby Gorillapod and similar products that can support beefier cameras, but the Triflex’s longer appendages should give it the leg up in many instances.