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04/30/2011 07:08:46 PM · #1 |
I was wanting opinions on my "Floor Pod". I had this in my head for some time, but went ahead and fabricated it for the "Burst of Color" challenge. After I used left over red paint, I did add a bubble level so you know how close you are to level.
It sets close to the ground and all legs adjust for uneven ground. When I used it in my Superman photo, I used a 30 second exposure, and had just good of turn out as I would have on a nice tripod. I was going to make this out of aluminum, but was afraid it wasn't going to be heavy enough, so I made it out of 3/16" steel plate. I did put my 70-200 lens on, and was still stable with out rolling over.
Down sides are, you have to get down on the ground to see through the view finder, and sometimes have to fiddle with the legs to get them all level.
Up side is...you get that low to the ground shot.
Any opinions on this? If these were available to purchase, would you think about getting one? Or is this just something I used once, and it is going to end up in the garage collecting dust, eventually ending up on the floor cutting one of my tires down?
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04/30/2011 11:21:03 PM · #2 |
I really like seeing innovation and I think this is a cool idea. It's sort of the same concept as the Pod, but yours is a little more hardcore. It's more compact so it would slip into a camera bag without taking up very much room.
If you made the holes threaded, you wouldn't need the top 2 nuts. You could also use something like this for the feet instead of bolts so it doesn't sink into dirt. I'd try coming up with a way to level it without having to twist 4 tiny screws every time you move your camera... that will be a huge turn off to photographers.
To make this more appealing to the amateur photographer market (probably the folks who would buy this... that's a good thing... there are 10's of millions of them), what if you laser cut this into a camera or lens shape rather than a rectangle. I could see it on Photojojo if you did something creative like that.
ETA: I would go back to using aluminum in order to keep the weight down as much as possible. It's the size of this thing (and the camera's center of gravity) that keeps your camera balanced, not the weight.
Message edited by author 2011-04-30 23:24:44. |
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05/01/2011 12:06:09 AM · #3 |
Thanks for the comments Tom! I was in a rush when I was doing this, so that is why I did not thread the holes....or even weld nuts to the bottom. I like the aluminum...the threaded holes would strip out a lot easier though. AND...I do have some threaded bolts with "Feet" on the bottom picked out.
Originally posted by Tom:
I really like seeing innovation and I think this is a cool idea. It's sort of the same concept as the Pod, but yours is a little more hardcore. It's more compact so it would slip into a camera bag without taking up very much room.
If you made the holes threaded, you wouldn't need the top 2 nuts. You could also use something like this for the feet instead of bolts so it doesn't sink into dirt. I'd try coming up with a way to level it without having to twist 4 tiny screws every time you move your camera... that will be a huge turn off to photographers.
To make this more appealing to the amateur photographer market (probably the folks who would buy this... that's a good thing... there are 10's of millions of them), what if you laser cut this into a camera or lens shape rather than a rectangle. I could see it on Photojojo if you did something creative like that.
ETA: I would go back to using aluminum in order to keep the weight down as much as possible. It's the size of this thing (and the camera's center of gravity) that keeps your camera balanced, not the weight. |
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05/01/2011 12:35:36 AM · #4 |
Well, things like that are always fun, but not really original. Paul Duncan, a photographer within my local area made what he calls the "Ground Pod" I like the shape of his more so than your rectangle, and when using a tripod head mounted as he does you normally get a level built in.
You can see Paul's video here.
One of the neat features that I love about my Canon 7D is the built in electronic level which I tested and is extremely accurate. So the combo of a tripod head mounted on something like the Ground Pod it's all you really need.
As for the "The Pod" I guess it might be useful for in a couple of situations for a small point and shoot, but I don't see anyone with even a medium sized DSLR with heavy lens using that very much. Seems more like a novelty to me.
Dave |
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05/01/2011 02:30:10 AM · #5 |
How about using a beanbag, no leveling involved. Like this //www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/762978-REG/The_Pod_RE0017_The_Red_Pod_
Oops, just realized this has already been posted.
Message edited by author 2011-05-01 02:31:23. |
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05/01/2011 09:40:01 AM · #6 |
| There is a guy on the FM forums who makes something like that, but with a mount to put a ball head on so you only have to level using a small ball head on top. It's a good idea for remote cameras like in sports situations. Heavy enough to hold it self in position in a wind as long as it's protected. |
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