QuikPod DSLR Handheld Convertible Tripod
- Extendable Handheld Tripod for Self Portraits
- Take your own photos without asking strangers for help!
Product DescriptionThe Quik Pod DSLR gives photographers more than 4 feet of extended arm reach and an extendable camera grip with a built-in wide angle mirror for self imaging and overhead viewing. The Quik Pod DSLR also converts to an upside down monopod with a handle at the foot. This innovation provides a better center of gravity to avoid camera shake and provides a handle for extended reach when shooting over crowds or taking self-portraits. It weighs 9 ounces and extends from 18 inches to 53 inches. It includes a rubberized monopod adapter tip, aluminum end cap, wrist strap, hiking clip, belly pad, carry bag and quick release camera mount. It attaches to all cameras using a standard tripod socket but is specifically designe. . . More >>
QuikPod DSLR Handheld Convertible Tripod
Tagged with: Convertible • DSLR • Handheld • QuikPod • Tripod
Filed under: Digital SLRs
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I hate asking people to take my picture when I am off playing tourist. For most people, “composition” means framing someone smack dab in the middle of the screen. Not exactly the essence of creativity. And all too often they don’t hold the camera straight and steady. Oh, the horror!
The Quikpod Pro is an excellent accessory for lightweight point ‘n shoot cameras, especially the newer generation with wide-angle lenses. It extends 18. 5″ Hold it at arm’s length and you can get you and a lot of scenery in the picture. And it is a lot easier to carry the Quickpod Pro around than a tripod. I wanted something heftier, though, and decided to give the Quickpod DSLR a try.
Its very big brother, the Quikpod DSLR claims to be able to handle DSLRs and other cameras weighing up to 8 pounds. It collapses to just about the extended length of the Quickpod Pro, about 18″, and extends to a mind-blowing 53″.
I tried it with a 3+ pound DSLR and the Quickpod DSLR held it at full extension without bending or bowing. However, that weight at the end of a 4. 5 foot handheld boom is difficult to manage. Quikpod includes a gel pad that you can use to hold the unit against your abdomen or chest for more control. It comes in handy.
With a lighter weight camera, however, the Quikpod DSLR shines. Take off the zoom lens from your Nikon or Canon and use it with a fixed length lens. Or use it with point ‘n shoot that has a rotatable display for some really wow shots, like several feet about your head in a crowd. (The bummer, of course, is that you’ll have to use the self-timer unless you have one of the few point ‘n shoots that has a remote control. )
You can get high and low viewpoint shots.
The Quikpod DSLR is well engineered and well=made. The sections are held firmly by fiction clips and the camera mount is detachable. The part that attaches to the camera has a non-skid surface which keeps the camera in place, provided that the camera bottom is actually even. I tried it on one Canon Powershot where the designers had engineered a tiny ridge into the bottom for some unknown reason. Not a wise idea when using this unit, though fabricating a shim wouldn’t be difficult.
Adding greatly to the versatility of the unit is a replaceable bottom cap. You can screw in one cap that allows attaching a lanyard or use one specifically intended to convert the Quickpod DLR into a monopod. That is a very slick concept and the unit works quite well as a monopod.
There’s also a tiny mirror thingie on the head, ostensibly to allow you to more or less frame your image. That part doesn’t work all that well, but it is much better than nothing. Be careful, though: the mirrored surface scratches and abrades easily.
In addition the gel reset mentioned above, the kit includes a carrying case, a metal end cap, lanyard and a belt clip that I haven’t figured out how to use yet.
The unit is expensive, perhaps more expensive than it might be. But the options for holding a fairly heavily camera far from your body without using a tripod are limited. So it’s the Quikpod DSLR or what? Both the Quikpod DSLR and the Quikpod Pro deserve space in your kit. You can always choose which one to take with you on a specific outing based on what you think you’ll need, but rest assured: you’ll be glad to have one of these units with you any time.
Jerry
Rating: 5 / 5
This item was not strong enough to hold my DSLR camera, a Canon Rebel Xti. When I extended the arm, it was impossible to hold it steady, the quickpod isn’t constructed well enough to hold it. It bent with the weight of the camera.
Rating: 2 / 5
I may still find an opportunity to use this device, but it hasn’t happened yet. I suggest before you lay out $[. . . ] or so for this, think about how often you’ll really use it. I did attach my Nikon DSLR to it, and it does support the weight (using the gear-clamp head, not the friction one). So if you know you’ll use it, it works. If not, just another unnecessary expense.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this to replace my Xshot (search amazon), this one has a LOT more sturdy design and build, and works just as advertised, I am using it with an relatively heavy Canon A640 and has no problem at all, never tried with an actual DSLR but I think it is more than capable of holding one. The only downside would be the price, maybe if they could make it cheaper I would give it 5 star.
Rating: 4 / 5
I’ve very impressed with the QuikPod DSLR. I have a fairly heavy Nikon D80 with a zoom lens and there’s no problem with the weight. While I will certainly try self portraits, I think this will come in very handy at many of the museums and historical sites I visit frequently. I’m already thinking of some very creative ways to use this device!
Rating: 5 / 5