Steadify – you are the tripod

I’ll start with a confession. Eight years ago, I spent $216 on a carbon fiber monopod and I’ve used it maybe twice in all those years! It just goes to show how we are always seeking something to provide stability in those difficult lighting conditions that travel photographers both seek and struggle with. A tripod is great, and I almost always take one on vacation with me, but that doesn’t mean to say that I always have one with me! Not only do you have the weight to contend with, you have the problem that many locations don’t allow tripods inside the building – which is exactly where you need it. There are alternatives that I’ve used such as boosting the ISO to very high levels and taking 6 shots in quick succession and using the stack mode trick in Photoshop, and I must admit that stabilized cameras are also great, but as I get a (bit) older, I also find my hands are not as stable as they once were!

So I was very interested to see a new Kickstarter project starting up for something called Steadify.

Rather than carrying a monopod or tripod with you, this device is attached to a belt that you wear and it fits under the camera lens or to the tripod connection on the base of the camera and provides a solid support that is basically formed from your legs and arms. It also appears to be very useful for smooth panning for video as you basically rotate around this solid point rather than just move your arms or body to change the viewpoint. The Kickstarter phase starts on July 18, but in the meantime, you can sign up for early bird specials at the Steadify website. And here is the Kickstarter link for when the project goes live later this week.

I obviously haven’t tested this myself, but I’m definitely interested in trying it out. After all, it is cheaper than my monopod (at $89 for super early bird sponsors) and it might get more use!