Joby is helping smartphone photographers get a grip — the GripTight POV kit, announced earlier today, offers four different shooting positions for enhanced stability and flexibility, along with a built-in remote control and a cold shoe slot for mounting accessories such as a light or microphone.
The GripTight is a modular smartphone grip that gives users more stability when shooting. The grip can fit behind the camera or underneath, as well as doubling as a kickstand. The bottom of the grip is GoPro mount-compatible, which means the GripTight can be used to adapt a smartphone to fit with any GoPro mount. That opens up quite a few possibilities for using a smartphone as a POV camera, from bicycle mounts to helmets.
But the GripTight is a bit more than just a stabilizer — Joby also introduced the Impulse, a Bluetooth smartphone remote compatible with both Apple and Android. While the Impulse is sold on it’s own, it’s also bundled with the GripTight. The remote can slide right into the cold shoe slot, so the smartphone can be triggered more like a dedicated camera with a shutter release at the top.
Of course, the remote can also slide out of the grip to trigger the camera remotely — Joby says the remote works up to 90 feet away. Operating with Bluetooth, the remote trigger doesn’t need an app download to work either. The remote uses a replaceable CR2032 battery.
While the accessory slot at the top of the camera isn’t electronically connected to the smartphone (called a cold shoe slot, versus a hot shoe slot), the slot is compatible with a number of different accessories outside of the remote, including microphones and continuous LED lights.
“More and more smartphones are replacing traditional cameras and consumers have become accustomed to the quick and easy nature of sharing images and videos to their social accounts through their phones. The problem lies in the smartphone’s inherent instability,” said Tim Grimmer, Joby’s vice president of brand and product.
“The GripTight POV Kit transforms the smartphone photography and videography experience, and enables users to take shake-free photos and videos, similar to point-and-shoot camera functionality. The integrated Impulse Bluetooth remote provides greater shutter control and frees users from jarring touches when capturing images or videos.”
The GripTight, designed by the same San Francisco-based company behind the popular GorillaPod flexible tripods, is constructed from ABS plastic and uses stainless steel plates.
The GripTight, which includes the Impulse remote, is expected to sell for $49.95 and can accommodate most smartphones — the adjustable 51-96mm depth means it can also hold some smartphones inside cases. The Impulse is also available on its own for $19.95.
