If you’re in need of some quick image stabilization but don’t want to shell out the $16+ dollars it takes to buy a real one, an old broom handle can do the trick. All you need besides the handle — or a 1-inch wooden dowel, or a big stick — are a hex nut and hanger bolt for the tripod mount and a spiral nail for the base. MAKE has the lowdown on how you put the ingredients together to form “the world’s cheapest monopod”.
The Twig Pod is a new lightweight aluminum monopod for compact cameras (not DSLRs) that collapses like a tent rod into four 8-inch segments. It has a pointy base that can be planted into the ground for hands free shooting. In addition to stabilizing your camera when propped up, the head also bends, allowing you to take self-portraits from further than an arm’s length away (two similar products are the XShot and QuikPod). You can pick up a Twig Pod for $28 over on Photojojo.
My boys have started getting into photography, but often have trouble keeping the camera still enough for really clear shots.
The obvious solution is to buy a mono-pod, but why buy when you can make, especially when you have Sugru?
Read more…
