Smartphone cameras have simply changed conventional point-and-shoot cameras. Except you’re an avid photographer, you probably do not miss any of the added options of a correct digicam. It is too dangerous your previous tripod is not suitable along with your smartphone. Or is it?
Following a fast journey to the ironmongery store, we got here up with three DIY tripod mounts which are low-cost, very straightforward to construct, and most significantly, fairly sturdy.
1. The Tremendous Easy DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount
Perhaps in the future smartphones will include a suitable feminine thread adapter. However within the meantime, it seems to be such as you’re caught with buying an adapter just like the Glif by Studio Neat. That’s, except you dare to construct an adapter your self.
You can begin with the most straightforward DIY smartphone tripod mannequin you may presumably construct. These are your fundamental parts:
- Two massive binder clips
- Three rubber bands
- A tripod
Connect the binder clips on reverse sides of the tripod base and see whether or not your smartphone matches in.
In case your cellphone is smaller and does not match, even with the handles upright, you may as well clip one binder clip onto the opposite.
Subsequent, repair a rubber band to the handles of the binder clips to carry your cellphone in place. We used two rubber bands on every finish to carry a 3rd one which stretches throughout the tripod base. Make sure that the central rubber band is crossed over at the very least as soon as.
Lastly, mount your smartphone and repair it with the rubber band. The consequence ought to look one thing like this:
Expertise: We did not must buy any provides, it was extraordinarily straightforward to construct, and the consequence was a really steady and versatile smartphone tripod mount. The one catch is that the digicam lens is not centered over the tripod’s middle, i.e. the pivot level. This is usually a drawback when taking movies. As you progress or rotate the smartphone, the place of the digicam lens might be barely off-axis.
Verdict: Tremendous straightforward. Nonetheless, the digicam is not centered over the tripod’s pivot level—and a few individuals would possibly discover that irritating.
2. The One-Minute DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount
That is one other tremendous fast and simple DIY smartphone mount. Here’s what you want:
- One binder clip that is massive sufficient to carry your cellphone
- 1/4-inch hex nut or no matter nut matches your tripod screw thread
- Pliers
- Duct tape
- Tripod
Take the binder clip and bend one of many handles at a 90-degree angle.
Tape the binder clip with duct tape to melt the sides and to safe the bent deal with to the clip. After that, you may screw the clip to the tripod by pushing the binder deal with via the screw.
As soon as you have accomplished the steps above, strive becoming your smartphone between the binder clip to see the way it sits.
Expertise: It is easy to construct, however it poses a couple of sensible considerations. The clip is well robust sufficient to carry the cellphone in an upright and tilted place. Nonetheless, the clip both covers a part of the display or at the very least the house button. With this setup, nonetheless, you may carry the digicam lens very near the pivot level of the tripod.
Verdict: Straightforward to construct and may be positioned very near the pivot level. Nonetheless, the clip covers entry to the Dwelling button and partially overlaps the display.
Here’s a video demonstration of an identical construct:
3. The Semi-Skilled DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount
Lastly, essentially the most time-intensive, costly, and hardest undertaking of all three, one which made our go to to the ironmongery store worthwhile. Regardless of being considerably more difficult, this tripod mount remains to be very a lot on the quick, low-cost, and simple facet of DIY initiatives. Let’s break down what you want:
- A metal angle with holes large enough to suit your tripod’s screw thread
- A wing nut that matches your tripod’s screw thread
- One low-cost or spare cellphone case
- Velcro or Duct tape
- A tripod
We initially got down to glue a hex nut to the skin of the metal angle. Nonetheless, we ended up simplifying this undertaking as a result of my superglue wasn’t robust sufficient. Each time we tried to mount the angle on my tripod, the nut got here off.
So, as a substitute of gluing the nut to the angle, place one of many metal angle’s holes over your tripod’s screw thread and repair it with a wing nut. Since we began out with a special thought, we solely had a hex nut for this undertaking. This was a bit of tougher to screw on.
Subsequent, you might have two choices. Both tape a spare cellphone case to the metal angle or use Velcro for a extra versatile possibility. We went with Velcro so we may re-position the cellphone if we would have liked to later.
Earlier than attaching the cellphone to the metal angle, we made positive to align the digicam lens with the pivot level on one axis on the very least. We marked the middle of the lens on the case and aligned the mark with an identical gap within the metal angle.
That is what the mounted cellphone seems to be like:
Expertise: As talked about above, the superglue method did not work and we had bother discovering the right screw. Our recommendation is to carry your tripod with you to the ironmongery store to keep away from a number of journeys. Apart from these preliminary points, the undertaking was simple and offered essentially the most satisfying results of all three.
Verdict: If deliberate properly, that is straightforward to construct and offers essentially the most skilled consequence. With some tweaking, you may even middle the digicam lens precisely over the pivot level.
Suggestions for the {Hardware} Retailer Go to
For those who resolve to construct one of many two fashions that rely upon screwing one thing onto your tripod, make sure you carry the tripod or the screw thread with you to the ironmongery store.
Cameras and tripods usually have an inch-based Whitworth screw thread, somewhat than a metric ISO screw thread. That is nice for readers in North America as you’ll simply discover a matching 1/4 inch hex nut (or wing nut). In a European ironmongery store, nonetheless, you’ll be hard-pressed to discover a matching nut for an inch-based screw thread.
Fortuitously, our DIY smartphone tripod had an ISO screw thread (left) in a non-critical place which we may use to switch the unique Whitworth one (proper). On the ironmongery store, we received two matching M4 hex nuts (4mm inside diameter).
Alternatively, you may get every other screw and nut mixture that matches via the bottom of your tripod. Word that except you wish to experiment with superglue, it should additionally match via a gap within the metal angle.
Cheap DIY Smartphone Tripod
With a bit of effort and time, an superior DIY smartphone tripod mount may be yours very quickly. For the house person, there may be positively no must buy a industrial product, particularly when you have a couple of spare nuts and screws mendacity round your own home.
Do not fancy constructing your self? Listed here are the perfect tripod options for taking images.
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