The Cool and Unique Platypod Pro Camera Support

I just got something new and different. It’s called the Platypod Pro. The Platypod is a small camera support, which stows in your camera bag taking very little space, giving you access to a small tripod when you need one. I heard about this product on a couple of podcasts that I listen to, and decided to buy one.  It fits right in with my Micro 4/3 camera kit that I take when I need to keep my gear light!  Here are my thoughts after taking it out in the field:

It’s inexpensive, at $49.99. Again, making it perfect to leave in your camera bag, or in the glove box in your car.

The included screws are pointed on one end, and have rubber pads on the other. If you have a rough surface to put the Platypod on, you can screw them in from the top, putting the pointed ends down to have a good grip on the surface you are setting it on. Or, you can screw them in from the bottom, leaving the rubber feet on the bottom for smoother surfaces. It also has pre-drilled holes that allow it to be permanently mounted to a wall or another surface in a studio, or someplace where you frequently shoot.

Platypod has been designed and sold by a small start-up company. They were looking for something specific, something portable, and didn’t really find anything out there that did what they want.  So they designed this product, and shared it with the rest of us.  I talked to Larry Tiefenbrunn from Platypod about their product, and found that they are very passionate about their new product, and about photography.

So now for the important part, how does it work. First and foremost, you have to understand what it is and what it’s for. You aren’t going to hang it from a tree, or put it on surfaces where it’s at a really odd angle unless you somehow clamp it in place. It’s small. Using it with the pointed ends of the screws down will allow the 3 points touching the ground to dig in a little and keep it from slipping. And you can adjust the legs so that one end is higher than the other to compensate for weight and angles, to an extent.

So what is it good at? It’s great at tabletop photography, or getting down low to the ground. There are tons of little tabletop tripods out there, that look like little mini tripods. They don’t get as low and close to the surfaces as this does. Same for shooting from the ground. This gets you right down there at ground level.

It works great to keep attached to your camera in the car. I went out shooting leaves this weekend. The autumn colors have just about peaked this weekend. When I found a safe and scenic place to pull over and park, I didn’t need to take a bunch of time setting up a tripod to get bracketed shots for an HDR image. I just pulled this out and set it on the roof, hood, or trunk of my car. It’s all attached and ready to go.

For hiking, when you want to travel light, it doesn’t add much at all to the pack weight that you need to carry with you. On the trail, you can set it on rocks or logs to get stable shots.

Another thing that I think this will be good for… a seasonal time lapse. If you wanted to take a photo from the exact same place every day of the year, for example from your deck, or the side of a building, or a post on your lawn, you could put three ¼” bolts into the surface. Each day, with your camera on the Platypod, drop it onto the bolts and secure in place with some wing nuts. You will have the same exact location for each daily shot.

You will need to select a ball head to use with it. There are some recommendations on the PlatypodPro web site. Some things to keep in mind: Keep it low. A tall ball head will raise your camera’s center of gravity and reduce stability, making it easier to tip over. Large knobs on the sides of the ball head will stick out and hit against the screws used for legs, so you won’t be able to swing it around 360 degrees. I purchased a Cowboy Studios BK-03 from Amazon.com for $26. This works

relatively well, and did not add a lot of money to my overall price. I cannot turn it 360 degrees, however with the larger knob facing forward, I have the ability to move it enough. And of course, it’s a ball head, so I really don’t need to swivel the base all the way around anyway. But realistically, you need to have the front part of the plate under the front part of your camera for the best stability. I think another ideal choice would be a mini ball head. One of the little ones without a quick release plate. These will be smaller, and have a lower profile, lowering your camera. I’m thinking that I will likely purchase one of these Giottos mini ball heads to leave on the Platypod on a daily basis. I like the Cowboy Studios ball head, however the quick release plate is not compatible with any of my other tripod heads. This makes it a little inconvenient. As small as the Platypod is, I think it will be just as easy to screw on a ball head that has no plate.

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One thing I ran into when shooting with my Lumix GX7, is that the tripod mount on that camera is off center, making it heavier on the right. This makes it want to tip the left a little. Turning the camera at a slight angle over the base, lowering one side of the base with the attached screws, or simply hanging my camera’s neck strap off to one side to compensate worked will to fix this. But it is something you need to be aware of.  When I talked to the folks at Platypod, they also suggested getting an L bracket that would allow me to offset the camera to compensate for the mount being off center.  I’ll be looking up one of those, because I think that will make this work a LOT better for this camera.

There are a number of warnings in the user guide telling you to make sure your camera is stable. These are good to take note of, because like I said, this is a small base. It’s not a full size tripod with a large spread at the feet, so you have to get used to how stable your camera will be on it. And until you know what it will and will not do, don’t set your camera down and just walk away.

Unfortunately, I found that the plastic covers on one end of the screws that you can use for legs, can and will fall off if you do something crazy with them. I found that if I put my window down on my car, that I could put the front leg on the outside of the door, and the two back legs on the inside. I pressed it down, and it was pretty stable (although I wouldn’t leave it there without holding onto it). When I took it off, one of the little feet caught on something and popped off. I never found it. BUT, I did find a package of 25 of them on amazon.com.  When they are delivered, I’ll have plenty of extras for the next time I get careless and pop one off.

Some other points of interest:  The case that comes with it is extremely well thought out, and by no means a simple afterthought.  It transforms.  As-is, out of the box, it is compact and holds the plate, the screws that serve as legs, and a 3/8 to 1/4 adapter for attaching different sized tripod heads.  It also unfolds, making a bigger interior storage area to hold the ball head as well as the plate and the rest of the items it comes with.
You can also get a deluxe model, which includes a mini ball head, and a mount for an ipad.

Overall, I like it. It’s staying in my camera bag. The biggest daily use for me will be for my camera in the car. I drive a lot for work, and as I did while driving around shooting leaves this weekend, I plan on having it attached to my camera in the car so that if I stop to get a shot of something, I can place this on my car’s roof for a stable shooting platform. And I think it will be coming along with me on hikes as well. I’m still pondering the 360 day time lapse idea.