If you talk to any photographers out there they’ll tell you pretty much all the tripods available on the market so far are more or less the same, without too many variables to distinguish them one between the other save for the type (pocket, travel, tabletop, etc), head type (ball, pan and tilt) and, of course, material quality. All in all it depends on what you want to use them for and what cameras you have.
Tripods really aren’t the most complicated piece of gear out there.
The LumaPod has now made an appearance and it seems like they might want to switch up the game a little.
Credit: LumaPod / YouTube
The tripod is just a Kickstarter project for now but it promises to be ‘an ultra-compact and lightning fast tripod solution for those who enjoy exploring freely.’
Alright, I’m interested, let’s see what it has to offer.
The first thing you will notice about the tripod is that it packs up into a handle-like shape, closely resembling either a futuristic microphone or the handle of a lightsaber, you choose the way you want to daydream about it as you open it up: Jedi or Sci-Fi superstar?
But all jokes aside, the design is minimalist and, thanks to the shape it folds into, you can pretty much find a way to fit it into any bag. For anyone who is or knows a photographer, you know that for packing all the gear in a bag one needs not only monumental patience, but also, on occasion, a prayer to all the gods that might be listening.
As the tripod opens up, you will notice it looks like your usual tripod but it also sports three strings connected from the top base to the feet. The strings are kevlar and, apparently, they serve to hold the structure in place thanks to the tension they provide.
The lower legs are modular and they can have rubber feet, terrain levelers and other accessories placed on them easily. According to LumaPod, it takes only four seconds to set up the entire thing.
Overall, the Go85 version of the LumaPod weighs only 400g/0.88lbs, measures 85cm/33.5 inches and can withstand up to 1Kg/ 2.2lbs worth of camera equipment. Meanwhile, the Go120 version comes in at 690g/1.65lbs, measures 120cm/47.3 inches and is capable of holding 2Kg/4.4lbs of equipment.
Both versions come with a few accessories, such as a Z-plate for mounting mirrorless and DSLR cameras for the Go120 and you can opt for a few more as add-ons via the Kickstarter. Among them you can count a Bluetooth remote, travel sling and more.
I showed the photos, info and presentation video to some of the photographers I happen to know and the general feel I got was that most of them found the tripod had a great folding shape that really did aid packing, but aside from that, the feet were considered too short and seemed to lack stability, hence why they could not find themselves excited about the prospect, as they felt there was not a lot of innovation to justify the price.
Even so, if the LumaPod does go into production, we won’t be able to form an opinion until someone goes hands-on with the tripod.
If you’re interested and decide to pledge for the Kickstarter, both models will start shipping in May 2019.
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