If
you use your smartphone as a camera as much as we do, you'll know
that no matter how hi-spec the handset is, it's your shaky hands that
can often ruin a picture. The thing about people is that we tend to
move about a bit too much, which means we're pretty awful photography
accessories. You know what is a good photography accessory? A tripod,
and we've found a great one. We review the Manfrotto Pixi Smart Mini
Tripod.
The
Manfrotto Pixi Smart Mini Tripod is a small hand-held (literally, in
fact) camera stand that can accommodate any kind of camera with a
traditional tripod screw, including action cams, as well as
smartphones thanks to the additional clamp. You can set your camera,
action cam, or phone in the Pixi Smart and then either pop open the
three legs to set up a stable shot, or hold it in your hand to act as
a grip.
The
Manfrotto Pixi Smart Mini Tripod has scooped a couple of design
awards in the recent past, including a reddot award, and it's not
hard to see why. Several exceptionally useful features have been
crammed into this thing; something not that much longer than your
smartphone itself is tall.
First
up, the tripod functionality is stable and the legs pop out and lock
firmly into place. They spread wide enough so that the Manfrotto PixiSmart Mini Tripod can even support larger DSLR cameras and video
cameras, as the weight is nicely distributed. When folded up the legs
act as a hand-hold, and the curved plastic is comfortable to grip and
ergonomically designed.
At
the business end of the tripod you'll find the attachment screw. This
features a rubber-encircled plate to let you easily screw the tripod
onto your camera without having to rotate either, and the top of the
plate is also lined with rubber for a firm grip on the camera's base.
Press the red button on the side of the tripod and the tension in the
central ball-joint is relaxed, allowing you to position your camera
in whatever angle you desire. Let go, and it all locks tight again.
This is a great feature, and one that certainly beats having to screw
and unscrew separate hinges to get the shot.
The
detachable smartphone clamp is also lined with rubber and closes down
onto your phone with a reassuringly strong amount of pressure. The
clamp screws directly onto the Manfrotto Pixi Smart Mini Tripod like
a camera, so you can use the same ball-joint adjustments to line up
your shot (or indeed your selfie, you beautiful person).
This
is a very useful bit of kit to carry around, for when you're either
off for a night out around town, or planning some sight seeing that
is not to be missed. Check it out.