Review: Quikpod

July 16, 2007 | By Jared Howard | 876 Views

In part two of our three part Cheap Pod Shootout series I am going to take a look at a product that offers a little more versatility than the Snaps On A Bottle solution at the cost of being a little more bulky. The question is, is sacrificing the main draw of Snaps On A Bottle, which is pocket ability, worth the increased versatility?

The Quikpod, like Snaps On A Bottle, is a very practical and unique tripod solution. So unique in fact that Quikpod touts it as the world’s first extendable hand held tripod solution. At first glance the perfect application for this that comes to mind is self portraits and it works extremely well in that regard. The Quikpod is more than meets the eye though and has a couple more tricks up its sleeve.

Hardware

The Quikpod solution is comprised of 2 main components, the hand held tripod and adaptor legs which convert the hand held tripod to a stationary one. Also included in the Quikpod PRO+ package is a hiking clip (which can be detached if you want) and a nice carrying case which holds everything. The carrying case itself has a pocket clip built in as well. Quikpod also offers a PRO package which is $5 cheaper and includes everything above except the adaptor legs. For the extra $5 though I think the PRO+ package is definitely the way to go, and you’ll see why later.

The main piece to the Quikpod solution is obviously the hand held tripod. It has multiple extension points and is capable of extending up to 18” and contracting down to 7.5”. The end of the tripod contains a universal tripod mounting screw which should accommodate just about every digital camera on the market. The mounting platform is attached to the tripod via a ball bearing system which allows for tilt ajustments and camera rotation.

The second component is the adaptor legs. The adaptor legs screw to the bottom of the tripod and essentially add mini tripod legs. This allows the Quikpod to be used as a stand alone solution and thus expands the range of pictures you can take with it. When using the Quikpod in hand held mode you can only fit so many people in the shot with you. By using the adaptor legs you can place the camera much further away and thus get a wider range in the picture. The adaptor legs add a lot of versatility to the Quikpod solution and I highly recommend picking up the PRO+ package (or the PRO package) which includes them.

Performance

When fully extended the tripod feels fairly stable although I question how well it would be able to handle heavier cameras like DSLRs and other fuller bodied cameras. You also have to keep in mind that you have to hold the tripod still in order to not get a blurry mess of a picture, which is obviously harder to do the heavier the camera. It seems like it is more suited to handle your typical point and shoot camera and it worked fairly well with my Canon Powershot SD300. The tripod gets enough extension so the camera is not 2” from your face and you can get a fair amount of background in your pictures, which is perfect for vacations. On the flip side, since no one is actually looking at the viewfinder, lining up your shots is always a guesstimate.

Conclusion

The Quikpod is the perfect companion for any vacation or day trip. It is portable and light enough that sticking it in a backpack or attaching it with the included clips is not burdensome. It’s nice knowing that taking pictures, with no one being left out, is not contingent on having to flag down a stranger to take it for you. It also eliminates the need to have to hand over your $400-500 camera to said stranger. Keep in mind that there are limitations to this solution however. As outlined above it is really made for point and shoot style cameras and not bigger DSLRs or like sized cameras.

I really see the Quikpod as a great complement to Snaps On A Bottle where SOAB is your daily driver and Quikpod is your weekend fun ride. Although you probably would not or could not carry around Quikpod every day, its versatility makes it a much better solution for planned events, like vacations, weddings, day trips, etc.

Be sure to check out Part 1 of the Cheapedia Cheap Pod Shootout and be on the look out for Part 3 coming soon.

Price:$29.95 (PRO+ Version)

Quikpod

Rating

Posted in Gadgets, Unique, Reviews