Hatcams are a new line of custom baseball caps that have an industry standard 1/4 x 20 tripod mount thread built into the brim of the hat, providing a cheap way to create “helmet cam” videos. While the hat is designed for pocket camcorders like the Flip camcorder, any camera designed to work with a tripod should be mountable. Throw in a remote shutter release, and you’ll have a weird setup for point-of-view photography as well.
Sure it’s geeky, but who wouldn’t want to look like a digital unicorn? Check out how happy this woman is:
If you’re looking for a random gag gift for a photographer in your life that already has everything, this patent-pending $35 hat might be a pretty funny one.
The SteadePod is a fancy new camera stabilizer that aims to replace heavy and burdensome tripods for casual, walk-around use. “Fancy” is relative, since this gadget is pretty much a glorified string “tripod” that you can make yourself for about $1. You simply extend the string, step on it, pull up, and use the string tension to stabilize your camera.
So what does the SteadePod do that a simple string stabilizer can’t? It’s retractable, swivels for portrait and landscape flexibility, and can be locked at different lengths. These fancy features will set you back a mere £29.99 ($44). If that’s a bit steep for you, a DIY $1 version should do just fine.
Here’s a “carry around” tripod for your carry around lens and camera: The ZipShot is a “compact, ultra-light tripod” by Tamrac that has aluminum-alloy legs that resemble the collapsible poles used in tents. While it’s not very useful in windy situations, or with heavy professional gear, it might suffice for most ordinary uses and lighter cameras (supposedly it can hold up to 3lb). The biggest benefits are obviously weight (11oz) and setup time. Here’s a video showing how quickly you can set the thing up:
The ZipShot costs $50, and can be found at most camera equipment retailers online (just search for “zipshot”).
Update: This giveaway is now over. The winner was randomly selected and announced here. A big thank you to everyone who participated!
A while ago I received a camera extender/hand held tripod to review on Photoblog. Here’s a photograph of my brother that I took while fooling around with it:
Yeah… that’s right. It was taken from above a regulation basketball hoop. Sadly, my brother wasn’t able to keep his eyes open due to the fact that he was staring straight into the sun.
Today, I’m giving away either a QuikPod Pro Kit ($29.95) for you point-and-shoot users, or a QuikPod DSLR ($49.95) for those of you who lug around a bigger camera.
The QuikPod Pro includes adapter legs that can transform it into a table top tripod, while the QuikPod DSLR is large and sturdy enough to be used as an ultra-portable monopod. Here’s what the thing looks like when used as a monopod:
You can also use them as a flash stand or extender. Click here to see what I mean.
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