tiltpod - always-ready micro tripod for compact digital cameras

This tripod was on engadget.com so I decided to give it a spin.... basically you just install a little screw in the tripod socket of your camera if you have one, or a sticker if you don't have a tripod mount.... there's a super strong magnet in the "tripod" base, so you just click it onto the "mount" and you can put your camera on almost any surface. Here's the neatest part... the base just attaches to your camera strap so you always have a tripod with you, yeah! Now I can take more "couples" shots while traveling instead of just having a bunch of solo images!

Since I'm not using the sticker mount, I think I'm going to stick it to my mobile phone and see if I can now have a really neat desktop mount for my mobile phone to use as a tripod for the phone AND to use as a stand for the phone, to keep it at any angle that I want while watching videos, reading emails, or just having my phone on my nightstand, desk etc...

I suggest that they ship these with multiple sticker attachments... I'm going to stick one on the back of my phone, then attach my phone to my car's dash somewhere. Perhaps that's an idea for another product: a way to attach your phone to your car dash and move it around from portrait to landscape... I would LOVE that, especially since there's seriously no longer a reason to have a factory GPS in your car since phones do everything you need them to!

I found the product to be effective at being a surface tripod.

Small size makes it easy to carry. The magnet is strong enough to hold my camera at various angles but not so strong that it fails to pivot smoothly.

The only problem is, attaching the screw mount to my Sony DSC-HX9V blocks the battery door and the data/charge jack. So I would have to put the sticker-mount pill beside the screw hole, right? Not so fast.

Once I apply the adhesive pill, then how will I use a standard tripod without having a leaning camera? Obvious choice is I would have to remove the adhesive tiltpod pill. What good is a one-time attach? I suppose I could drill a shallow hole in the tripod base plate to provide clearance for the adhesive pill, not my preference. I guess I should just to carry the screw mount and base plate in a baggie in my camera case and attach it as needed.

The wrist strap is a lower string quality than what came with my camera, I don't trust it. Attaching the fob-shaped base to the end of the strap would be annoying for me. Also my cases don't have extra room in the camera chamber. Nice idea for carrying, doesn't work for me.

My camera has the following precation: "Do not use/store the camera near a strongly magnetic place. Otherwise, the camera may not properly record or play back images." Therefore, I have concerns about damage to my camera using this product. On further research as to why, I see there are sensive gyro-sensors for image stabilization and a magnetic compass for record of shooting direction (GPS data) in my camera. I don't think it's worth the risk.

Buy tiltpod - always-ready micro tripod for compact digital cameras Now

Innovative little device I used it extensively on a recent trip.

A little magnetic plastic stand attaches to your camera's wrist strap so you always have it and a little round head nut screws into the tripod mounting hole on the bottom of your camera. You can easily remove or tighten the nut with a coin.

To use just lay the stand on a semi-flat surface and the round head nut sticks on the bottom of your camera to the very strong magnet in the stand. You can pan and tilt the camera in a decent range of movement and it stays in position.

The magnet in the stand was powerful enough to securely hold my camera vertically on street poles, iron railings, etc and my camera is a larger / heavier compact. Just be careful not to get it too close to your credit cards and other magnetic media!

I used it with a timer on the camera to catch group photos including myself and to reduce hand movement on long exposure shots.

I also used it to capture quick videos without all the camera movement.

The friends on the trip with me got home and bought one after seeing me use it.

I strongly recommend this to everyone with a compact camera.

Read Best Reviews of tiltpod - always-ready micro tripod for compact digital cameras Here

It's a good idea and I'm sure it will come in handy. But it would be a lot better if the magnet was a little stronger. I have a Canon SD950IS Titanium and the magnet seems just on the edge of control at some angles. I also thought that the magnet would work to hold this device to a metal item that it is sitting on, that is not the case.

Want tiltpod - always-ready micro tripod for compact digital cameras Discount?

I like the idea of this product, but attached it to a Sony DSC-HX10V Digital Camera and each time I powered the camera on it would get an error and say "Power the camera off and back on". The Sony web site suggests its something to do with the "lens pressure". However, if I didn't have the TiltPod magnetically attached just below the camera, it worked fine. It appears the magnets in the Tiltpod unit are interfering with the camera lens in some fashion. I can even make the camera go out of focus if I attach it after it is already focused. This seems like a problem. Obviously you might be able to limit this by positioning the tiltpod attachment (assuming you're using the stick on verison, not the one that uses the screw-in mount) in a different location so that the magnets are farther away from the lens, but your ability to do this is limited obviously.

Not recommended.