Joby has released their latest products aimed towards mobile content creators with the GripTight PRO Video Mount and GripTight PRO Video GP Stand. The new mount is designed to be used with smartphones for on-the-go video filming, live steaming, or creating vlog content. Here are some of my first impressions.
The GripTight PRO Video Mount can be used with smartphones 2.2 inches to 3.6 inches wide, and phones inside protective cases work just fine inside the stainless steel jaws protected by TPE grip pads. The mount has a fluid panning head as well as tilt capabilities. There’s an anodized aluminum arm affixed to the mount for easy and clean motion. The angle of the arm can be adjusted, and the tilt can be locked into place or tightened to give you just the right amount of tension.
Unlike the tilt, the panning motion can not be locked down and there is no way to adjust the tension. Personally I would prefer a little more tension than the amount it ships with for two reasons. One, there would be less slow-fast-slow jitters from my coffee hands trying to maintain smooth, slow pans in video. Two, when I’m doing selfie videos or taking slow shutter photos with my smartphone and have my hands off the pan and tilt arm, the smartphone has a tendency to droop towards the lowest point of the panning angle due to that whole annoying gravity thing.
The GripTight PRO Video Mount can be attached to any tripod by way of the 1/4"–20 connector, which is what you will find most tripod plates use. The GripTight PRO Video GP Stand pairs the mount with the Joby GorillaPod base with flexible legs. The GorillaPod is just as pack friendly as the Video Mount, so they are a solid combination to carry together. Handholding the GripTight PRO Video GP Stand and walking around filming with my iPhone 5s (no image stabilization) produced much smoother results than without. The added weight makes it easy to balance and level the smartphone while walking around and the extension from holding the GorillaPod legs allows for a nicer composition while doing selfie-vlog style videos.
What I Liked
- The smartphone mount is size adjustable and locks into place.
- Standard sized 1/4"–20 base connector allows the mount to be attached to any tripod plate.
- Position-adjustable pan and tilt arm.
- Nice and grippy rubber on adjustment knobs and smartphone jaws.
- GorillaPod is very versatile thanks to its leg flexibility.
What I Would Like to See Improved
- The panning motion doesn’t have a lock.
- I wish the tension of panning could be adjusted as well.
- I also wish the pan and tilt arm would collapse down further for portability. I’m imagining something like how a tent pole can collapse.
With the rise of smartphone video quality and the ever-growing importance of social media presence and, for example, utilizing Instagram Stories to stay engaged with your audience, I think this product solution has arrived at just the right time.
The Joby GripTight PRO Video GP Stand is priced at $79.95 and the GripTight PRO Video Mount (without the GorillaPod included) is priced at $49.95 and both are available to order right now.
