In the future we won't have hands. Imagine a future human; happy, smiling, loaded up with technology and completely arm-less. This odd evolutionary quirk has developed because of all the hands-free equipment that is available in the present. After all, who needs hands if everything... just works?
Kicking off us down that strange slope of evolution are the British gadget gurus of Breffo and Proporta, two design and innovation companies who are about to make our attempts at photography that little bit more interesting.
First up is a
product very similar to one we have reviewed before, the BreffoSpiderpodium. This new version has all the functionality - and down
right creepy appearance - of it's predecessor, with an added little
feature that increases the gadget's usefulness ten fold.Those eight flexible and posable legs made of grippy rubber with firm and strong metal innards, can wrap around just about anything. For the original Spiderpodium to hold your tech firmly meant some of its legs had to be used to grip the device itself (such as your phone, satnav, camera), leaving fewer digits to attach to your chosen surface. But that isn't a problem faced by the Breffo Camera Kit as, thanks to the addition of a small part complete with handy screw, it can lock onto most compact digital cameras and employ all eight legs for gripping.
Obviously we've previously given the Spiderpodium a glowing review, and this new and simple addition can only make us love it more. Breffo are definitely a company to keep an eye on, as all their mobile accessories are functional, well designed, fairly priced and oh so pretty.
£20.00
Visit www.breffo.com
Meanwhile, an altogether different yet
functionally similar piece of kit comes at us from Proporta. We've
also reviewed some of their nifty mobile accessories before, so were
excited to get our hands (or rather our heads) on the Camera Demon
Helmet Mount.
The Camera Demon also employs the same universal tripod screw as the Breffo product, but the way it attaches to surfaces is wildly different. Seriously, check out the images - its as if the camera sticks to the helmet WITH MAGIC! Fortunately there is no need to learn Latin and bark out a Harry Potter spell each time want to attach it, with the Demon instead attaching by the 3M high bonding pad. To release the mount from your helmet you actually have to heat it with a hairdryer to soften the bonding substance. You all own an hairdryer, right?
In practice, we were impressed.
Included in the small and unassuming packaging are some alcohol-based
wipes to prepare to surface on which the Camera Demon shall be
mounted. The Demon goes on easily, stays firm from the offset and
lasts. We went for a bike ride over rough terrain and it stayed put.
We had a quick climb of a tree and it stayed put. We leapt over a
post box and did a cartwheel (our own lazy version of parkour) and,
yes you guessed it, it stayed put.
The hairdryer removal process also works surprising well, with the mount not leaving any sort of trace on the surface of the helmet. This really is one of those 'peace of mind' products and one that should be on the wishlist of any extreme sports/YouTube nut.
£24.95
Visit www.proporta.co.uk/camera-demon-helmet-camera-mount
The Camera Demon also employs the same universal tripod screw as the Breffo product, but the way it attaches to surfaces is wildly different. Seriously, check out the images - its as if the camera sticks to the helmet WITH MAGIC! Fortunately there is no need to learn Latin and bark out a Harry Potter spell each time want to attach it, with the Demon instead attaching by the 3M high bonding pad. To release the mount from your helmet you actually have to heat it with a hairdryer to soften the bonding substance. You all own an hairdryer, right?
In practice, we were impressed.
Included in the small and unassuming packaging are some alcohol-based
wipes to prepare to surface on which the Camera Demon shall be
mounted. The Demon goes on easily, stays firm from the offset and
lasts. We went for a bike ride over rough terrain and it stayed put.
We had a quick climb of a tree and it stayed put. We leapt over a
post box and did a cartwheel (our own lazy version of parkour) and,
yes you guessed it, it stayed put.The hairdryer removal process also works surprising well, with the mount not leaving any sort of trace on the surface of the helmet. This really is one of those 'peace of mind' products and one that should be on the wishlist of any extreme sports/YouTube nut.
£24.95
Visit www.proporta.co.uk/camera-demon-helmet-camera-mount