Octopad - Why You Need One
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If you have viewed any of my posts about GoPro cameras, vlogging ideas, or lighting options, you have seen me list the Octopad camera and accessory mount as one of my essential photography accessories.
This easy-to-use, compact tool is among the best tripod alternatives available to photographers and videographers. If you are wondering how to support a camera or photographic accessory, examine this option from Octopus Camera Company.
Perfect Support for GoPro Action Cams
Octopad combines several features and qualities into one very useful camera mount. It is especially useful as a mount for the GoPro HERO 8 Black or GoPro MAX action cams.
The GoPro line of action cams are among the coolest new cameras available for either videography or still imaging. A top feature of action cams is their compact size. Since they are so tiny, you could place them just about anywhere.
But you really don’t want to just lay it down on the ground or duct tape it to something. The Octopad is a fantastic camera and accessory holder. It has a slightly flexible pad with a non-slip bottom, is weighted for stability, and stays in place on inclines of up to 45 degrees.
Set your GoPro HERO 8 Black up for voice control, mount it on the dash of your vintage cafe racer and film yourself driving down the hills of a winding rural highway.
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Put Lights Where You Need Them
When using an action cam, compact camera, DSLR, or mirrorless camera for shooting video or taking pictures, you sometimes need an additional light source. Filming in your home, office, or studio, you likely have a light kit already set up or close by in a closet.
Shooting vlogs on location or taking environmental portraits, you may not have the plug in options that some light kits require. That’s when a battery powered LED light comes in handy. Use your Octopad to hold a compact LED light like the LitraPro from Litra Torch.
The LitraPro is a full featured, compact, battery powered, LED light that is tailor made for vlogging and videography in general, though it is also useful for all sorts of still imaging. The Octopad lets you place this small light anywhere you need it to be to provide either main or fill light.
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It Goes Anywhere You Go
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
Octopad is an extremely versatile camera and accessory mount and is also very compact and easy to transport. Travel tripods are great, too, but the level of stability provided by the Octopad is generally a little better than small tripods.
In order to be any two things, often times a third thing is left out. With travel tripods, in order to be tall enough and yet also fold up compactly enough for go anywhere travel, they often sacrifice stability. There’s only so much a lightweight tripod can do.
With the Octopad, you sacrifice being able to extend for height, but it gives you superb stability in it’s super compact size. However, you can always add an extension arm to create more height if needed. As I noted earlier, you can also place the Octopad on just about any surface, even if inclined up to 45 degrees.
Octopad Doesn’t Tip Over
Photo by Michaela J on Unsplash
They don’t fall down, they don’t even wobble. Octopad is a weighted mount, very low profile. In other words, it’s bottom heavy. Just like some of us! (I kid…)
Since it has a wide base, is slightly flexible, uses a non-slip pad, and has the majority of its weight concentrated on the lower half, this makes it a very stable platform for placing your electronic equipment on something.
This one time, on a location shoot, I left a camera extended on a flimsy tripod in high wind and it blew over. Blew over! I was sure I had just eaten the cost of a nice camera and lens, but all I really lost was the cost of a rigid lens hood and protective filter. Whew! (The true value of hoods and filters goes beyond merely optical.)
Photo by Christian Bolt on Unsplash
But that experience taught me that portability and rigid stability don’t always go hand in hand. With regards to the Octopad, though, you actually can get both. Sure, you sacrifice extendable height, but you have options there, too. Just put it on a shelf, table, rock, or tree branch to get the height you need.
Cheap Enough to Get Two or Three
Prices fluctuate, so I won’t quote anything specific, but you can pick up an Octopad for the price of a memory card. I’m not talking about a 512GB CFExpress card either. I’m equating it price wise to SD cards.
In order to set up several lights and a camera all at the same time, you need a couple or three Octopads set up to hold them all. Since they are so budget friendly, if you need more than one, it won’t be hard to do.
Bottom line, these bottom heavy, non-slip, inexpensive camera and accessory mounts are a great addition to your essential photography gear.
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