If you take any amount of pictures you’ll know that a tripod can be a very valuable accessory, but what happens when you need a tripod and there just really isn’t a good position to place it? It might be a rocky area. or other place where the tripod just won’t be stable. Today for review I’ve got a product that I think is very cool, it’s called the Octopod and it’s from our friends at GizGeek. It’s a mini-style tripod which makes it very portable, but what is special about it is the fact that it features bendable legs so you can actually wrap the legs around objects like tree branches, and the tripod can easily sit on uneven surfaces… It’s the Gumby of Tripods!
Octopod tripod from GizGeek
Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio
Sponsor: GizGeek
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
Octopod tripod from Gizgeek
A bendable camera tripod!
Features:
- -Lightweight, compact, bendable, wrappable and easy to carry.
- -Perfect accessory for getting great photos in any location.
- -OctoPod doesn’t require an elevated flat surface for you to take the perfect picture.
- -The flexible joints allow you to rotate and bend 360 degree to form the perfect shape.
- -Rubberized ring & foot grips provide extra gripping power to grapple wherever you want to go.
Specifications:
- -Capacity: Compact cameras up to 275gm
- -Camera interface: Universal 1/4-20 screw
- -Size: 15 x 3 x 3 cm
- -Weight: 48gm
Price: US$ 17.00
A Better Look at Things
There’s no fancy packaging for the Octopod, just a bubble wrap bag, which protects it during shipping and you could also use it for storage as well.
The Octopod is made primarily of plastic and rubber, with a metal mounting screw fro your camera.
The actual mounting platform with the screw can be removed for easy installation on any camera. It secures and releases via a little lever under the platform. The mounting platform also features a rubberized base to protect your camera and keep it stable.
The tips of the legs of the Octopod are rubber to prevent slipping and each joint of the Octopod also features a rubber ring for better gripping on any surface so your camera will be safe wherever you put it.
The Octopod can be bent in pretty much any way you need to, kinda reminds me of Gumby!
Installation, Testing and Comparison
There’s nothing to the installation of the Octopod, it works just like any other tripod, just screw it in and you’re done!
I have two digital cameras.. (thankfully), and one of them, is fairly heavy so I figured I’d try it with the Octopod just to see if it could hold a heavier camera up. The Octopod held up the heavier camera with no problems at all.. just had to spread the legs out a bit for more stability…
Here’s the Octopod wrapped around the back of one of my chairs, yeah it’s not a tree branch but you get the idea…
The Octopod is very easy to use, and it works very well. One of the things
I’ve noticed with mini-tripods is the fact that sometimes the head piece cannot hold the camera up, but the Octopod does a great job, it held me camera nice and steady.
On a side note, GizGeek has just introduced a new version of the Octopod as well, called the Octopod DSLR, it’s made for bigger and heavier cameras. It has longer legs and can hold up to 1 ¾ lbs weight.
Summary:
What more can I say? It’s an excellent little gadget that does exactly what it’s supposed to do!
I can honestly say that the Octopod is now part of my camera kit and will stay there along with my other two tripods. It’s a very useful little gadget that’s inexpensive and just plain cool…
DragonSteelMods gives the Octopod tripod from GizGeek a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.
Pros:
- +Small
- +Portable/lightweight
- +Multiple uses
- +Seems well made
- +Holds camera steady from multiple positions/situations
- +Inexpensive
Cons:
- -None really
review# 247