From the course: Video Gear

Using the GoPro 3-way as a micro tripod

From the course: Video Gear

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Using the GoPro 3-way as a micro tripod

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- Pistol-grip. Straight forward. - Yep. - Pole to extend your reach. - Yep. - And the last version is tripod. But it's kind of hidden. I've seen plenty people use this, like, I don't know. And by the way, what we did mention, there is a hole there for a strap so that will actually make it easy. - I have been using that nut as well. Just double safety there as well. - Yeah, there's nothing wrong with using two. Now it's on the bottom here, and it's a little hidden. You just sort of turn that, and if you're having a hard time, because this is in your way, just pull that us so there's some more room. And it's got a little tripod on the inside. So when you pull that out, there you go, right? - Yeah, there you go. This is not going to win any awards as, you know, the beefiest tripod in the world, but the cool part is it's pretty stable. Just be careful, don't put a lot of downward pressure on it. These legs are plastic obviously to save weight on it. You don't want to press down too hard because you could probably bust off one of these plastic legs. So just exercise a little care when working with these legs because they're not the most robust tripod legs out there. - And this is great. I set this on rock surfaces all the time but what surprised me - I said I need something more eye-level. And while it doesn't get to eye-level, I was able to get it another 20 or so inches. When you extend this, plus this and the height of the camera you can get to almost three feet, and it, surprisingly, actually stays. - Yeah, now you've got to be a little careful -- - Brisk wind, bad idea -- - Yeah, that's what I was going to say. In certain situations, this is going to topple over, right? It's not exactly rock-solid, but one of the things you can do is get a bungee cord or some string, or something like that, and just secure it, or maybe put a little sandbag down here on the bottom of it to give it a little extra stability. But, I mean, you're not asking too much of a device like this in tripod mode. Its real bang-for-the-buck is in the pistol-grip mode and the extension mode. But this is just an added benefit here, and I think you're right: when it comes to one accessory for a little bit of stability and a little bit of reach, it's hard to deny that the GoPro 3-Way is a pretty compelling accessory. - Yeah, I really like it. It's small, it's compact, and it fits well into a GoPro kit. No Rob, we took this out and tested it in the field. It wasn't just our shooting, one of the things that I really like to see with a GoPro accessory is, how does a normal person do when it's in their hands. Because a lot of times you're handing this off to your subject for point-of-view. - Absolutely. So we went out to the Flight Trampoline School, here in Virginia. Got it in a couple of the crazy athletes' hands who were doing jumps. So, let's go out and see what that footage looks like.

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