Keychain cameras like the Kodak Charmera have gone viral – but that’s not the only photo gear shrinking down to fit on a key ring. Joby, the same brand behind the flexible GorillaPod, has launched a mini tripod that clips onto a belt loop or a bag that weighs just 106g / 3.7 oz.

The Joby HandyPod Clip Extend is a mini tripod built for smartphones, compact cameras, and action cameras. While the compact tripod itself is only around six inches, the built-in extending selfie stick can also be used to extend the tabletop tripod to a height of 33.5 cm / 13.19 inches.

One of the tripod’s legs has a built-in carabiner, allowing creators to clip the tripod to a belt loop or backpack. The mini tripod’s folded length under 16mm / 6.5 inches makes it larger than a keychain camera, but still fairly portable for a tripod.

I can see the new mini tripod attracting creators on the go who want to pack light. The carabiner will also allow the tripod to be attached to lanyards or camera straps.

The HandyPod Clip Extend uses a standard 1/4-inch tripod thread, allowing it to accommodate a variety of different types of cameras. Those cameras should be under 1 kg / 2.2 lbs, but that still allows the tripod to support smartphones, compact cameras, action cameras, and even some lighter travel mirrorless cameras with lightweight lenses.

True to Joby’s roots, the tripod isn’t meant to spend its life on a tabletop. The legs have clips that allow the camera to enter what the company calls “mantis mode” and cling on to the side of railings and chain link fences.

A ball head allows creators to further adjust the camera’s angle, including supporting both horizontal and vertical positions.

The tripod also has an integrated cold shoe to add a light, mic, or another accessory.

The tripod also doubles as a selfie stick and handheld grip.

Last year, Videndum – the same brand that owns Manfrotto and Lowepro – sold the Joby brand to the Chinese manufacturer Vijim. At the time, Videndum said the move would help them narrow their focus on more pro-oriented gear.

Since then, Joby, who is still based in California, has continued to launch portable camera accessories. The June 09 launch of the HandyPod Clip Extend follows a GripTight Cold Shoe mount that allows smartphones to be held from a shoe mount, also announced in June.

The new launch isn’t Joby’s first tripod with a carabiner, but the June 2026 launch takes on a different design and adds an extension selfie stick compared to earlier options like the HandyPod Clip and HandyPod Clip Action.

The Joby HandyPod Clip Extend sells for about $35 / £31 / AU$58 / CA$57. Some retailers have already opened orders, including B&H in the US and Joby's online store.

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When the Joby GorillaPod arrived on scene, it redefined the idea of a tripod with its twisty legs that could grip any number of objects and surfaces. I’ve used some of Joby’s flexible tripods to take steady shots without hauling a giant tripod around, but I’ve never seen prices quite this low as a handful of the popular Joby flexible tripods drop to prices starting at about $10.

Joby is arguably most known for its GorillaPod and its sibling, the PodZilla. These unusual tripods take the short-legged tabletop tripod and turn the legs into flexible tubes that can wrap around objects. That allows creators to carry a tiny tripod yet shoot from taller heights by wrapping around objects like fence posts, trees, signposts, and more.

Job’s flexible tripods that are made for compact cameras and smartphones tend to run around $40-$60, but B&H’s Deal Zone has discounts as high as 90 percent off Joby right now, making it possible to pick up one of the popular flexible tripods for under $10.

I’ve used Gorillapods in the past, and they’re quite handy for stabilizing smaller cameras without the bulk of a traditional tripod. The under $10 PodZilla and under $15 Gorillapod deals are steep discounts – but, depending on what you shoot most, a content creator kit outfitted with lights and mic may be the better deal.

These deals are scheduled to last through February 12, 2026, but could end early if supply runs out.

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Joby, the maker of the iconic flexible Gorillapod mini tripods, has a new owner. On September 03, the London-based Videndum announced an agreement to sell the Joby brand to Vijim – a photography accessory brand owned by a China-based company.

The move means that Joby gear will be under new ownership and marks a shift to focusing on high-end pro gear for Videndum – the company that owns Avenger, Gitzo, Lowepro, Manfrotto, Savage, Sachtler, Litepanels and several other photo and video brands.

“This sale supports the Company’s strategy to focus on core professional markets,” Videndem wrote in the announcement.

The company did not disclose the amount agreed upon for the sale of Joby, but said that the proceeds will be used to pay down the group’s debt. In the first half of 2025, the company reported 25% lower revenue than the same period in 2024, leading to an adjusted operating loss of £7 million (around $9.48 million / AU$14.4 million) and putting the company’s net debt to £137.7 million ($186.5 million / AU$283.4 million).

In 2024, the company announced a plan to increase operational efficiency and reduce spending amid “a challenging macroeconomic backdrop.” In the first half of 2025, the company said tariffs and increased demand led to limited inventory in the US, leading to lower revenue than initially anticipated. However, the company says much of the difference was offset by the its previously announced restructuring and cost management plans.

As Videndum shifts towards higher-end gear, the company has decided to sell off the Joby brand. Joby is arguably most known for its Gorillapods, a line of tripods whose standout feature is flexible legs that can be wrapped around anything from fence posts to tree branches to create more height flexibility from a small tabletop tripod.

Along with the Gorillapods, which span from smartphone to DSLR-ready models, Joby also produces microphones, lights and other accessories for content creators. While best known for the Gorillapod, Joby also offers full-sized tripods geared towards content creators, as well as kits that mix tripods, mics and lights into one set for creators.

The Joby brand was originally launched in the San Francisco area but was later acquired by Videndum in 2017.

Vijim is a sub-brand of Ulanzi, which is owned by Shenzhen Vijim Technology Co Ltd, based in China. The company’s line of products ranges from modular photography kits to folding smartphone tripods to lights.

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The Joby TelePod Mobile is a combined selfie stick and mini tripod designed for phone photography or very lightweight cameras, such as action cams. It consists of a grip that folds out to form tripod legs, and a telescoping center column with a smartphone cradle on top. It comes with Joby's Impulse Bluetooth remote trigger for activating your phone’s shutter.

It's part of a wider TelePod range, which includes the basic TelePod 325 that comes without the phone cradle or remote and is suitable for lightweight compacts, and the more robust TightGrip Pro TelePod, with a higher load rating and more secure phone clamp.

Joby TelePod Mobile: Specifications

Joby TelePod Mobile: Price

At the time of writing, the Joby Telepod Mobile sells for around $69.95 / £54.95 / AU$99.95. This makes it quite pricey compared to some competitor products, especially considering its low payload, which means it's only suitable for phones and light compacts. However, it's well-made and perhaps the asking price isn't that surprising considering that Joby is a ‘brand name’ product.

Joby TelePod Mobile: Design & Handling

Unextended, the TelePod is around 19cm long and has a rubberized but uncontoured grip. To extend the center column, you first need to twist the head assembly to the left, pull out the column to the desired height, then twist it to the right to lock it in place. It extends longer than many similar products, to 56cm, which is almost three times its stowed size, thanks to its four telescopic sections.

The handle splits into three legs for use as a mini-tripod, which can be used in conjunction with the extended centre column for a variable shooting height.

The ball head is small and basic, and locked and unlocked with a simple clamp. The supplied phone cradle is attached via a standard 1/4in tripod screw mount, and has a pair of hinged flaps that grip the phone via a spring mechanism. When packed away, the flaps fold down and the entire cradle can be folded flush against the handle to save space in your bag.

Joby TelePod Mobile: Performance

The TelePod Mobile is straightforward to use, and the twist-lock mechanism works well. However, I found that you had to take care when subsequently adjusting the ball head, as it's quite easy to unlock the center column by mistake, thus collapsing it. While the ball head is small, it's perfectly fine for holding the light payloads it's designed for, such as mobile phones, and it's easy to lock your phone at the correct angle to fit what you want in your shot. When used as a tripod, the leg splay is quite narrow, but again provides enough stability with its intended payloads.

Being able to extend to well over half a meter in length enables you to fit small crowds into your selfie shots, and similarly reach decent heights when used as a mini-tripod. I was also impressed with how the phone cradle folds flat and can be stored flush against the handle, making it easy to stow.

The supplied Impulse Bluetooth remote acts as a simple shutter release or video record button and is easily paired with Apple and Android phones. It is rated for use up to 90ft (27m) away, which is ample for the distance required for selfies or video.

Joby TelePod Mobile: Verdict

The Joby TelePod Mobile has an impressive reach for a device that packs away so small, but the caveat is that it can only handle very modest payloads, so if you're looking to use anything heavier than a phone or action cam, you'll need to look elsewhere.

But it's a supremely portable device that easily fits in a spare corner of a bag or coat pocket, weighs very little, and is easy to use. The folding cradle is thoughtfully designed, too. However, as a well-made brand-name product, it costs a little more than some of its competitors.

Alternatives

As a regular Digital Camera World reviewer I’ve been impressed (and sometimes surprised) by the wide range of gadgets and devices that Joby produces, from podcasting microphones such as the Joby Wavo POD - to more unusual devices such as a motion-controlled 360º smartphone tripod. 

I’ve reviewed smartphone grips before but nothing as eye-catching and specialist as the Joby SeaPal. This is a waterproof smartphone grip that enables you to film or take photos underwater while keeping your expensive smartphone safe from being water-damaged or lost at sea! 

According to Apple, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can film at a depth of up to 18 meters for 30 minutes, which makes it water resistant (but not waterproof due to the time limit). Given the cost of an iPhone, most of us wouldn’t want to put Apple’s water resistance claim to the test, plus a beach environment also increases the risk of your iPhone (or any smartphone) being damaged by sand and smeared in suntan lotion.

The Joby SeaPal should allow you to film up to 10 meters without a time limit and it is waterproof rather than water resistant. So Joby SeaPal, you have my attention. But how do you perform and are you worth your relatively expensive price tag? And how does it compare to some of the other best underwater camera housings in our guide?

Joby SeaPal: Specifications

Joby SeaPal: Design & Handling

Given that Joby produces a wide range of photography and videography gadgets you might wonder if they have the experience to produce a specialist underwater case. Fortunately, they’ve joined forces with AquaTech - a company who have been making water housings for professional underwater photographers for 20 years. Despite being the result of a collaboration the SeaPal bears the distinctive branded look of all Joby products thanks to its bright orange grip.

The JOBY SeaPal Waterproof Case takes a little while to set up for the first time (around 15 minutes), but then it’s ready to use instantly in future shoots. It ships with a collection of rubber mounts that you need to clip into the body of the case to fit your particular iPhone or smartphone model. A downloadable manual gives you a clear diagram of which rubber mounts should be inserted and where to place them. After an initial waterproofing test in a bucket or sink you can pop your iPhone into the case and rotate a large plastic button to seal it in. Make sure that the knob makes a click to ensure that the case is fully sealed.

The front of the case has a large glass port for your smartphone’s lenses to shoot through (though at an ultra-wide angle, you may catch the edge of the case in shot, but this isn’t unusual with many grips and cages). This SeaPal glass is superior to cheaper third-party plastic cases that may be more prone to fogging up. The glass is also scratch resistant so your shots and clips should look crystal clear. 

On the rear of the case is a plastic membrane. This is thin enough for you to interact with your iPhone’s screen while filming underwater, so you can swipe in the Camera app to change shooting modes or trigger a recording. As this plastic membrane has to be thin enough for you to use your phone’s touch screen I was concerned that it could be damaged by a sharp object such as a plastic spade in your seaside bag. 

However, as a sensible photographer, you’ll carry it in a dedicated camera bag like I did on my test shoot. I used a Shimoda Urban Explore (review coming very soon) that had adjustable padded storage sections to protect the SeaPal’s vulnerable membrane from contact with other devices.

Joby SeaPal: Performance

I didn’t have the budget for a trip to a tropical ocean so to test the SeaPal I took it down to my local park. The park has a river running through it and I’ve often seen fish swimming in it, so this was the perfect opportunity to try and film them. I attached the JOBY Bluetooth Shutter Grip (sold separately) so I could trigger video recordings with the press of a physical button, rather than tapping the phone’s touchscreen through the SeaPal’s plastic membrane. I also attached another separately sold accessory - the 6-inch plastic Dome Port to the front of the case.

The SeaPal has a couple of screw threads on the top where you can attach accessories such as flexible Joby GorillaPod arms sporting Joby Beamo LED lights. This could be handy when illuminating the murky depths. I attached a third-party selfie stick to one of these screw mounts. The stick was perfect for lowering the SeaPal into the river and making it pan my iPhone in search of fish to film. 

Initially, I filmed with the dome accessory attached. The dome pushes the horizon of the water back a few inches so you get a more defined line between above and below the water’s surface. However, when you lift the casing out of the water droplets tend to stick to the dome’s acrylic surface and obscure the view. When I removed the dome the water cleared much more quickly from the SeaPal’s glass surface, so I can’t recommend the dome as a ‘must have’ accessory - though it does make your rig look like one of the mini-submarines from the movie ‘The Abyss’!

The footage captured by my SeaPal-mounted iPhone was relatively clear in the foreground but due to particles in the water visibility dropped off rapidly. Sadly I couldn’t capture any fish in the murky lake - see supporting video. 

I was able to trigger the camera to record by pressing through the rubber membrane. However, as a metal clamp on the rear partially obscured part of the iPhone’s screen it was a bit of a fiddle to playback my clips. Occasionally bubbles would rise up around the SeaPal but these were produced when it disturbed the mud at the bottom of the river, rather than being indications of a leak. After 30 minutes of failing to film a fish I was happy to see that my iPhone was bone dry, and I can’t wait to try the SeaPal out when I eventually hit the beach.

Joby SeaPal: Verdict

If you want to film the antics of your friends and family as they make a splash on a beach holiday then the JobySea Pal is a ‘must have’. Divers and snorkelers will also enjoy capturing footage and shots of beautifully colorful shoals of fish with their smartphones mounted in this rig. I’d recommend buying the additional JOBY Bluetooth Shutter Grip as this makes it easier to hold onto the case and trigger your Camera app’s shutter, though I’d save your cash when it comes to considering the 6-inch Dome. 

Alternatives

One of the best things about walking the halls of The Photography & Video Show is discovering equipment that you might not have seen on any other occasion. This was certainly the case today when I happened upon the Aquatech stand and the Joby Seapal, an underwater housing unit for mobile photography. 

The Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case offers content creators the chance to take their workflow overboard and introduce a whole new world of underwater phone photography. The best cameraphones of today offer fantastic photographic capabilities for stills and video and have become more than viable for content creation, for those who like to take to the water for the sea, snorkel, and surf, the Joby SeaPal is a fantastic new option. 

The Joby SeaPal is the successor to the Aquatech AxisGo, featured in our guide to the best underwater housing for cameras and phones. Most underwater housing systems require model-specific cases, which requires buying a new one when updating your phone. The SeaPal was designed by Aquatech to be universal to all the latest iPhone and Samsung camera phones and simply requires switching the configuration of the inner bumpers which allows you to change the case to fit your requirements, futureproofing for your next phone update!

The underwater case provides ultimate protection with waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof housing, and the case enables access to your phone's touchscreen features via a flexible panel, even whilst underwater. In addition, the Joby SeaPal ecosystem offers a range of incredible accessories that take the case even further.

The SeaPal Dome offers 'crystal clear underwater photos' and is perfect for under/over shots, the Sports Leash is much like a surfing leash and provides great security for your housing unit, and the SeaPal Shuter Grip allows further versatility with a waterproofed ergonomic design for remote triggering your mobile camera shutter, ensuring your phone becomes the 'ultimate aquatic storyteller'.

After looking at this year's Underwater Photographer of the Year images I felt inspired to try out the genre for myself, and the Joby SeaPal Waterproof Case will allow me to take those first steps into the water.

If you are at The Photography & Video Show this week be sure to check it out in person at Aquatech stand M500. Tickets are still available for the show either at the door or via the official website.

You may also be interested in our guides for the best waterproof camera, the best action cameras, and the best 360 cameras. 

Joby produces a wide range of portable and affordable LED lights such as the Joby Beamo (see our review). You can use these little Beamo LEDs to add extra illumination to your video productions or portrait shoots. 

This extra light source enables your camera to use a slower and therefore less noisy ISO setting, leading to a better-looking image. A portable light source can also add some light and shade to a face which helps bring out (or ‘model’) the subject’s contours in a more three-dimensional way.  

The Beamo Reel Color is the latest addition to Joby’s Beamo range of LED lights. Unlike the standard Beamo - with its fixed color temperature - the Beamo Reel Color enables you to get more creative with your location’s lighting.

Joby Beamo Reel: Specifications

Joby Beamo Reel: Key Features

Many LEDs have small and fiddly switches that you have to press to turn the lights on and off. The Reel Color springs to life - or light - when you rotate its circular face. This makes it much easier to turn on and off. 

You do have to tap a small button on the body of the light to cycle through the 12 variations of color. These colors (such as reds, blues, and greens) mimic the type of gels you have to place over some LEDs to add a range of atmospheric colors to your shoots.  

A second button enables you to toggle between three more conventional color temperatures  -  from a warm 3200º to a cool 6200º. These color temperatures enable the Beamo Reel Color to complement a range of available daylight sources.  

Joby Beamo Reel: Build & Handling

Built from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic and small enough to for into your palm, the Beamo Reel Color is incredibly portable. It won’t take up much space (or add noticeable weight) in your kit bag but it is bright enough to add some modeling light to portraits if you get it close enough (at around arm’s length). 

The plastic body’s flat edges mean that you can rest the light on a hard surface and it’ll point up at a slight angle, so in theory, you don’t need a tripod (though in practice a Joby GorillaPod is a useful accessory as you can then adjust the angle of illumination.)

A supplied adaptor means you can attach the Reel Color to a DSLR’s cold shoe mount, but by mounting it directly above the camera’s lens you’ll get a flat-lit face. I prefer keeping the Beamo Color on a tripod (using its 1/4” thread) so that I can light the subject from an angle and create a more three-dimensional ‘modeled’ look. After charging the Beamo Reel Color for 3 hours you should get 3 hours of full brightness performance from it, so you don’t need the hassle or bulk of carrying an external battery.

Joby Beamo Reel: Performance

To test the Beamo Reel Color LED I hired a model and headed to London’s Barbican Centre, which has a wide range of indoor and outdoor locations. 

The colored gel-like light from the Beamo Reel Color helped creatively complement the neon colors from an indoor walkway (as you’ll see from our supporting video).  The daylight color temperatures helped boost the presence of available light in outdoor walkways whilst simultaneously adding modelling light to Eli our model. 

By popping the Beamo Reel Color on a Joby GorillaPod I was able to clamp the light to street furniture such as handrails or collapse the legs or use the GorillaPod as a handle. In many shots, Eli held the LED to illuminate her face while I snapped away on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

I was initially concerned that the Beamo Reel Color wouldn’t be strong enough to illuminate my subject. However, at arm’s length, its 350 Lux output did a great job as you’ll see from our footage and stills - especially in darker locations. 

In brighter sunlight, the LED did need to get closer to the model’s face. I could have chosen to shoot a tighter portrait to lose the light but thanks to Adobe Photoshop’s new Generative Fill tool I was able to scribble around the light in wider shots, click a button and the LED was replaced by suitable bits of architecture. No cloning was required!

Joby claims rather LED has 12 colour presets. In reality, it's more like 4, as the presets are weaker to stronger range of reds, greens, and blues. This does enable you to go from a weak orange to a more vibrant red for example. You can also dim the intensity of each color by rotating the rim (though in practice most people will go for the maximum 350 Lux option I’m sure.)

Joby Beamo Reel: Final Verdict

I found that the Joby Reel Color LED was easy to use, and light to carry and it made a real difference to the look of the portraits in my test shoot. The colour presets were very effective at changing the atmosphere of a portrait. I could use a blue light to add a contrast to the warm available sunlight or go for a ghoulish green for a Halloween vibe at the press of a button.  

The daylight color temperature options were also useful when I needed a more subtle fill to mix with a daylight temperature key light. Combined with a tripod the Joby Reel Color is a useful accessory for a photographer who wants to travel light but capture more ‘modeled’ (or creatively colored) portraits’.

Read more: check out our top picks for the best lights YouTube videos or the best video lights.

We’re all accustomed to seeing badly lit faces chatting via webcams, especially since the global pandemic locked us in front of the baleful glare emitted by our laptops and PCs. Mainstream TV still features experts being interviewed via webcam in gloomy bedrooms or offices, lit by the available light of unflattering overhead bulbs.

 One way to elevate the production values of your video presentations is to add a couple of light sources to your home studio. Joby produces a wide range of LED lights, from ring lights such as the Beamo Ring Light 12'' to cube lights like the Joby Beamo. 

Recently they unveiled the Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit which features a circular panel key light (which has more surface area than a ring light) and a smaller LED (which can act as a fill or background light).

Joby Beamo Studio: Specifications

Joby Beamo Studio: Key Features

By adding two lights to your home studio set-up you can make your face stand out from the background, giving it more prominence in the frame. The Beamo Studio Key Light’s Soft-Lens diffusion surface creates a strong but soft light source that banishes harsh shadows from your face to create a more flattering complexion.

 You can adjust the strength of the key light source by 10 increments of brightness and change its color temperature to complement other light sources (such as cool daylight at 5600K or warm artificial light at 3200K). 

The supplied Beamo Studio Background Light enables you to add a splash of color to the side of your face (and with 12 colors to choose from you can change the mood of the shot with ease.) Two lights help create a less flat-looking face by adding ‘modeling light’ that gives you a more three-dimensional look. 

There are also handy cold shoe slots on the rim of the key light (and on the phone mount) so you can add accessories such as a Joby Wavo Plus gun mic to boost the quality of your audio.

Joby Beamo Studio: Build & Handling

The metal table stand that ships with the Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit is nice and sturdy. The stand comes in two parts and is easy to assemble. There’s even a diagram on the circular metal base of the table stand that tells you the best way to attach and position the key light at the top (to avoid any chance of it toppling over). You can adjust the height of the stand to raise the key light to the recommended height of 68-95cm/27-37’' so that it illuminates your face while you sit in an office chair by your desk. 

The key light can be tilted to fine-tune its effect on your face. As the key light is a circular panel you need to clip your smartphone to a supplied mount and place it below the key light (as opposed to placing it at the center of a ring light.)  The smartphone mount attaches to the light stand via a flexible GorillaPod Arm so you can easily adjust your face’s position in the frame. The flexible arm is strong and stiff so won’t droop (even with a chunky iPhone 14 Pro Max attached to it!).

The Beamo Studio Key Light has a plastic build, as does the much smaller Beamo Studio Background Light. The background light also has an adjustable stand but this is much smaller and is also made of plastic (compared with the larger metal stand for the key light).

Joby Beamo Studio: Performance

To test the Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit I positioned the stand-mounted Beamo Studio Key Light on my home office desk. I clipped an iPhone 14 Pro Max into the supplied smartphone mount and tweaked the mount’s flexible GorrillaPod Arm to position my face in the center of the frame. I used my 15” MacBook Air’s QuickTime app to view and record the feed from my stand-mounted iPhone. I used the iPhone Camera app’s Portrait mode to blur the background and hide the clutter in my home office from the viewer of my footage. 

On firing up the Beamo Studio Key Light I had to squint against the glare but was easily able to use its control panel’s buttons to drop the intensity of the light by 7 increments for a less blown out (and more comfortable) exposure. I tapped the color temperature button to choose the cooler 6500K color temperature that was similar to the daylight coming through my office window. 

I placed the smaller Beamo Studio Background Light to the side and rear of my face to add a touch of color and help give my face a less flat and more three-dimensional look. Check out our test video to see the lighting set-up in action. The background light has a mini control panel that you can tap to reduce its intensity or cycle through its 12 different gel colors.

Joby Beamo Studio: Verdict

Joby’s Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit provides an affordable entry-level way to elevate the production values of your video presentations.  The diffuse output of the key light reduces the presence of wrinkles and adds a more engaging sparkle to your eyes. This face-on key light source can make your features look flat, so it's useful to add a splash of extra light and color to the side of your face using the kit’s smaller background ‘modeling’ light. 

Both lights need to be powered by plugging them into a USB source (such as on your PC), so the lack of portable power tethers you to your desktop or laptop (whereas many LEDs have chargeable internal batteries and can therefore be placed with more freedom). 

The background light’s 12 colors can change the mood of your shot, but it would have been useful if it could also match the color temperatures produced by the key light for greater lighting consistency. All in all though an effective entry-level 2-point lighting kit.

Read more: check out our top picks for the best photography lighting and the best lighting for YouTube.

JOBY produce a wide range of the best microphones in their Wavo range, from the budget smart-phone friendly Wavo Mobile to the considerably more expensive DSLR-compatible Joby Wavo PRO. 

The JOBY Wavo PLUS is the latest member of the Wavo family and in terms of price and functionality, it can be placed in the middle of the Wavo range, being classed by JOBY as a semi-professional mic. The Wavo PLUS is a lightweight directional mic that you can attach to a DSLR or mirrorless camera thanks to its shoe mount. 

Shotgun mics such as the Wavo PLUS are great at picking up the sound of an interviewee if they’re relatively close to the camera. They’re also good for quickly picking up audio in busy locations such as a wedding without the need to wire up your subjects. However, if you need to record crisp clear sound from a more distant ‘talking head’ then you’re better off with a wireless mic and receiver set such as the JOBY Wavo AIR.

In our test, we used the mount to attach the Wavo PLUS to a SmallRig smartphone cage carrying an iPhone 14 Pro Max, to see how it compares to the other best iPhone microphones. Check out our accompanying video later in the review to hear the Wavo PLUS in action.  

Specifications

Capsule type: Condenser Electret (line  gradient)
Weight: 0.24g
Polar pattern: Super cardioid
Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHZ
Signal to noise ratio: 75db
Dynamic range: 110db
Output connection: 3.5mm TRS and TRRS connection
Sensitivity: -16 dBV/Pa at 1 kHz (+-3db)
Maximum SPL: 130 dB SPL(1 kHz, 1% THD, 1-Kilohm Load)
High-pass filter: 100Hz
Output impedance: 10 Ohms

Key features

Sound recording is the most likely thing to let down the production values of any video project.  If your subject is too far away from the on-camera mic then they may sound too quiet. When you boost the subject’s sound levels in a post-production app such as Adobe Premiere Pro you may also exaggerate unwanted sounds such as room echo from the side and rear of the camera. 

The Wavo PLUS has a directional super-cardioid polar pattern that enables it to capture the voice of a presenter standing directly in front of the camera, which reduces the capture of extraneous sounds. When shooting outdoors the presence of wind can ruin a perfectly good take. 

Fortunately, the Wavo PLUS has a foam wind jammer that is designed to reduce wind-induced rumbling. As a bonus, there’s also a high-pass filter that you can switch on to reduce the rumble of low-frequency sound.

When recording audio you may not notice problems such as the hum of background machinery or a passing plane. The Wavo PLUS’s built-in headphone jack enables you to monitor audio directly from the microphone so you can spot potential problems and ask your subject to do a retake if necessary. 

If you’re shooting on the move then DSLR cameras in particular can suffer from camera handling sounds being captured on the recording. The Wavo PLUS has a rubber suspension mount that helps separate the mic from the camera thereby reducing the presence of handling sounds. 

Build and handling

The Wavo PLUS’s plastic body looks and feels like a cheaper mic when compared to the Joby Wavo PRO DS, which is made of aluminum. Indeed, the Wavo PLUS costs around $30/£40 less than the Wavo PRO DS (and it's around $70/£80 cheaper than the Wavo with the highest spec - the JOBY Wavo PRO).  

However, the Wavo PLUS looks much more professional than the entry-level Wavo Mobile which costs around $120/£150 less than the PLUS.  The Wavo PLUS’s price and build accurately reflect its position as being in the middle of the JOBY Wavo range. 

Performance

Despite its plastic build, we found that the Wavo PLUS did elevate the production values of our test recording, but only by a relatively small margin. The iPhone Pro Max 14’s built-in microphone did a good job of recording speech from a distance of about 2.5 meters. 

When we plugged the Wavo PLUS into the iPhone (with the help of a 3.5mm jack to the lightning adaptor) the audio track sounded a bit ‘fuller’ thanks to the presence of a stronger bass and there was a reduction in the presence of room echo from the side, top and rear of the camera. However, the differences were subtle. You can compare the sound quality of Wavo PLUS with the iPhone’s mic by playing our test video.  

By mounting the Wavo PLUS on a SmallRig smartphone cage we were able to give our iPhone 14 Pro Max a bit more credibility as a video camera thanks to the presence of the shotgun mic.  The Wavo PLUS powers up as soon as you attach it to your camera and a reassuring green light at the front lets you know that it’s charged and active, which is especially useful if you’re talking to the camera.

Verdict

This condenser shotgun mic will enable you to improve your audio production values, especially when shooting in noisy environments. The combination of the windshield and the optional high-pass filter help reduce rumble and the super-cardioid polar pattern focuses the mic on the main subject while ignoring extraneous sounds. 

When filming yourself you can’t easily monitor the audio quality on headphones so the optional -10db safety track could rescue a shoot if the levels on the main track are too high and distorted.  

As a semi-professional midrange mic, it lacks some of the extra 'bells and whistles' on more expensive mics such as the Joby Wavo PRO (such as a light to indicate if the levels peak too high), but it provides good quality sound for a much cheaper price, making it an attractive purchase for those who can’t afford the Wavo PRO.

Read more:

• Best camera phones
• Best cameras for video
• Best cameras for vlogging

The best mini tripods aim to give you the stability of a full-size tripod, while being lighter, more compact, and easier to carry. Typically, they weigh just a few hundred grams, and you can easily slip them into a pocket or inside a camera bag. They also cost much less than full-sized tripods. But, of course, their stunted size does mean that they don't offer the shooting height of a taller tripod – hence why they are often used on a table, wall, or other sturdy raised surface. They can open up all sorts of possibilities, including long exposures, group selfies, and more. Some are multi-functional and can be converted to a handgrip or selfie stick, offering extra functionality and flexibility when you're out and about with your camera.

It's important to note that mini tripods are also only suitable for lighter camera kit – think a mirrorless with a kit lens, compact camera, or an action cam, rather than a pro-level DSLR with a monster zoom attached. But they are not just for cameras, and are also supremely useful for supporting accessories like off-camera flashguns, light panels, or microphones. Many come with clamps that can also hold a smartphone – though if that's your prime reason for buying one, see my dedicated guide to the best iPhone and smartphone tripods.

Below you'll find my pick of the best mini tripods available today, and precisely which is best for you will depend on how and what you shoot. Some have bendable legs that can cling to protruding objects or sit on uneven surfaces, others have extendable legs or an adjustable central column for extra height, and several come with a ball head for precise angles and positioning. I've noted such features in my recommendations, but for more information, I've included links to our full reviews. Let's get to it…

Best mini tripods 

Best mini tripod for portability

Given Manfrotto's sterling reputation in the tripod market, it makes sense that the firm's mini support would also be impressive – and the Manfrotto PIXI is just that. It's a fairly standard mini tripod in many ways; small enough to slip into a jacket pocket or small bag and capable of holding up to 1kg of kit. It also adds a handy ball head into the mix with 360° of rotation and a simple push-button secure-and-release mechanism. However, it doesn't tilt up by more than 35°, making astrophotography impracticable.

I was impressed most of all by the build quality of the Manfrotto PIXI – its aluminum legs are smoothly curved in a way that just feels premium. What's more, when they close, they form a single rounded column that transforms the PIXI into a pretty serviceable camera grip, which is extra useful for video.

See our full Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod review

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Most flexible mini tripod

The Freewell Vlogpod is a tabletop mini-tripod with flexible legs, designed to be wrapped around various objects, such as posts and branches, as well as used on flat surfaces. The secret to its flexibility is a seven-strand aluminum core inside each leg, encased in durable ABS plastic and polyamide glass fiber. This construction allows the legs to be bent into your desired shape while maintaining the rigidity needed to support a payload of up to 3kg, which is plenty for a DSLR or mirrorless with a standard or wide-angle lens.

But it's not just for cameras. Underneath the sturdy camera mount is a spring-loaded cradle that holds your phone securely. This clever convertible mount sits atop a removable ball head that offers 360-degree panning and has a cutout for vertical shooting.

I was particularly impressed with the Vlogpod's ability to hold its shape firmly, even with heavier loads. The ball head is smooth to operate and secure once locked. While the tripod lacks a center column for height extension, this is compensated for by its ability to attach to elevated objects in the environment. It's a bit too bulky to carry in a pocket, but this is a necessary trade-off for its strength and versatility, and its 456g weight and overall strength make it a good and comfortable-to-hold solution for a flexible tripod.

See our full Freewell Vlogpod review

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Best value 2-in-1 mini tripod

The K&F Concept 62-inch 2-in-1 Selfie Stick Tripod offers a surprising amount of functionality for its low price point, acting as both an ultra-tall selfie stick and a lightweight tripod. Constructed from a blend of aluminum and plastic, it features a sleek 'carbon fiber-look' aesthetic, and the build quality is surprisingly impressive for an inexpensive accessory. Its standout physical feature is a seven-section telescopic center column that reaches an impressive maximum height of 62.1 inches (157cm). The downside is that, when folded, it measures 13.9 inches (352mm), which is rather long, but still manageable for backpacks.

At its lowest height, it is sturdy enough to support a small mirrorless camera (up to its 4.4lb/2kg limit). However, raising the telescopic column introduces significant wobble, making it less ideal for heavy equipment or windy outdoor conditions. It comes with a detachable Bluetooth remote that pairs easily with smartphones, which is particularly useful for remote shutter activation and long-exposure photography.

See our full K&F Concept 62-inch 2-in-1 Selfie Stick Tripod review

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Best premium mini tripod

If you're looking for a versatile tabletop tripod that isn't just confined to a tabletop, look no further than the Benro Tablepod Flex. Including a set of flexible legs inside the solid legs is ingenious, as it means you can attach it to any surface when you’re out and about. You can also configure the legs to form a monopod/selfie stick if you should need some extra reach and it comes with a mobile phone adapter so it can be used with either a smartphone, compact camera, or small mirrorless.

If you often use accessories such as a light or a mic, you'll be pleased to hear it comes with two accessory arms so you can attach different devices easily. It's a little on the expensive side for a tabletop tripod. But considering all the well-thought-out features, it's worth spending a bit more.

See our full Benro TablePod Flex Kit review

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Best tall mini tripod

The KraftGeek Variety Tripod is a highly adaptable accessory designed specifically for content creators, including vloggers, influencers, and TikTokers. It seamlessly transitions between a selfie stick, a tabletop tripod, and a full-sized tripod. Made primarily of aluminum, the tripod is relatively lightweight at just 450g and can support a maximum load of 2kg, making it well-suited for smartphones and smaller cameras.

A key feature is its impressive maximum height, which extends to 62.5 inches (158cm), and is super useful for creating professional 'to-camera' video presentations. Multiple cold shoe mounts enable easy attachment of accessories, such as microphones and LED panels. It comes with a flexible ball head for cameras and a rotating universal cradle for smartphones, offering compatibility with a wide array of devices.

While the tripod's extended height is a significant advantage, this comes at the cost of compactness when it's collapsed. It is not as portable as smaller, pocket-sized tripods. However, this tradeoff is well worth it, as the Variety Tripod provides a solid and stable platform and is a compelling and affordable choice for photographers who need a versatile and robust support system for their content creation needs.

See our full KraftGeek Variety Tripod review

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Best mini tripod with remote

The SmallRig SR-RG2 Multifunctional Wireless Shooting Grip is a handheld grip, selfie stick, and tabletop tripod that features a detachable Bluetooth remote control that not only fires your camera's shutter but can zoom in and out with compatible lenses and activate other programmable camera functions too.

While the center column is extendable for use as a selfie stick, it does not extend particularly far and cannot be extended when used in tripod mode, so the shooting height is not adjustable in this case.

The SmallRig SR-RG2 is a convenient, multifunctional support for photographers and videographers, and I was particularly impressed with its wireless remote's functionality, which offers far more control and flexibility than many dedicated remote shutter releases.

See our full SmallRig SR-RG2 review

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Best mini tripod for taking selfies

The Neewer TP38 is a two-in-one desktop mini-tripod and selfie stick that is designed to support both cameras and smartphones. It features a clever and versatile camera plate and phone cradle, which eliminates the need for separate attachments and makes it suitable for photographers frequently switching between using a phone and a dedicated camera.

The robust build quality feels more durable compared to some other tabletop tripod/selfie stick combinations, and the head is well-engineered, supporting a decent load rating. However, the device only offers a limited degree of extension via its non-locking telescopic center column.

I was impressed with the Neewer TP38's compact design and its usefulness in various shooting situations, including vlogging, live streaming, and general photography. It is a portable and practical solution for photographers and content creators who require a flexible support system and who switch between a traditional camera and a smartphone.

See our full Neewer TP38 review

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Best mini tripod for heavy payloads

Able to hold as much as 10kg in weight, the Leofoto Ranger LS-223C can hold its own alongside many larger tripods. That's more than enough to hold a mirrorless setup or mid-sized DSLR, giving you real versatility from a tripod that slips easily into the bottom of a backpack.

It's pleasingly sturdy, with three leg sections, and has plenty of scope for precise angle adjustments. Its maximum height is about 12in (30cm), which is pretty good for a tabletop tripod, and is usually sold with a 360º ballhead. In my tests, I found it a great option for low-level shots of landscapes – and loved that it was much lighter than my usual travel tripod when stashed in my backpack.

However, in comparison to other tabletop models, the main drawback is its weight. It's significantly heavier than other tripods on this list, and arguably heavier than a tabletop tripod should be. However, if you want a sturdy mini tripod that can take a heavy camera set-up, this is a great option.

See our full Leofoto Ranger LS-223C review

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Best mini tripod for on-the-go content creators

If you're an on-the-go content creator, travel blogger or even a fitness coach, I can see the advantages of the KoalaPod: what you can wrap its flexible legs around is pretty much limitless. You can, of course, use it as a standard tabletop tripod, or as a small selfie stick for those moments when you want just a little more background than you can achieve with your arm's length.

Despite its bendy legs, it feels more secure than you might imagine. However, I wouldn't trust it to take the weight of my Sony A7 III with a lens attached, even though it's rated as able to take such a weight. But for smaller-bodied cameras with lightweight lenses, it's perfect.

See our full Benro KoalaPod review

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Best tripod alternative

The Platypod Delta is a mini-tripod alternative for situations where traditional tripods are not practical or permitted. It is essentially a flat, triangular sheet of aluminum alloy with retractable legs, offering a stable base for low-level photography.

At just 6mm thin, it is supremely portable, and easily slips into a pocket or can hang off a camera bag with its supplied carabiner. It only takes seconds to flip out its legs and can support a beefy 10kg load rating. A supplied strap enables it to be attached to posts or trees, and there's even a bottle opener stamped in. However, you will need to use it with a ball head, which does take away from the 'packs flat' aesthetic somewhat, and you can't adjust the shooting height.

The Platypod Delta isn't a replacement for a traditional tripod, but is invaluable for photographers facing situations where traditional tripods are not feasible, offering a practical solution for low-angle shots.

See our full Platypod Delta review

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How to choose the best mini tripod

How we test mini tripods

When we review mini tripods, we look at build quality, portability and vital specs, such as payload capacity. We take the mini tripods out into real-world conditions to assess how they perform in the field with both camera and smartphone setups. We look at the headline features and manufacturers' claims for a mini tripod, and test out how well they work in reality. We use our findings to inform our comments in product reviews and buying guides.

Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World

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I like to travel light, whether I’m walking city streets, trekking across the countryside, or jetting off to the other side of the world. Conventional full-sized tripods tend to be big, heavy, and unwieldy – so I often leave mine at home, making it completely useless. By contrast, the best travel tripods literally take a load off. They’re made to be compact and lightweight, but in the past, they’ve often been notorious for being flimsy, relatively unstable, and too small to offer a useful operating height. The new breed of travel tripod tempts me with the promise of giving me the best of both worlds.

Many modern travel tripods have legs that swing upwards for storage, so that the head is encircled by the feet. This typically reduces the folded height by as much as 4in / 10cm. Some also include as many as five sections in each leg, and a two-section extending center column, reducing the folded height even further, while still enabling reasonably lofty shooting. I find they take longer to set up and fold away, but it’s a trade I’m willing to make for smaller stowage.

These are the best of the best travel tripods, but if you're on a limited budget, you might also want to check out our guide to the best budget tripods, many of which are also travel tripods. I've linked each mini-review to our full reviews so you can get even more in-depth info on the models you're most interested in.

My recommendations of the best travel tripods

Best tripod overall

The Peak Design Travel Tripod may be the first tripod that Peak Design has made, but it's hands-down one of the best travel tripods that I've ever used! While I tried the carbon fiber model, there is an aluminum version that has all the same design features, with a little more weight and less vibration resistance, but is a massive 40% cheaper. A couple of the other tripods here will go higher, but the Peak Design will still go to eye level for an average-height person, and it packs down to just 39cm in length.

I like that it's designed to cut out the dead space between the legs and the column when packed, which means it's not just short when folded but very slim too – I can put this inside my camera bag or cabin bag instead of just strapping it to the outside. The low-profile ball head is simple but brilliant. There's a phone holder hidden inside the center column, and best of all for me, the tripod feels seriously rigid.

Read more: Peak Design Travel Tripod review

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Best for versatility

The Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS is a great travel tripod compromise: it’s sturdy but lightweight, folds down nice and small, and the clever head takes just about anything I can throw at it.

The included Befree Advanced 494 Center Ball Head is super quick and easy to work with, but fully featured, with independent adjustments for the main ball lock/release, plus an adjustable friction damper and a panning lock. Below the head is Manfrotto’s ‘Easy Link’ socket, which is ideal for mounting an LED video lamp, microphone, or other accessories.

You can have the Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS is an aluminum or carbon construction, but I reckon the aluminum option is the best value. It still weighs just 1.51kg / 3.3lb, making the complete kit impressively lightweight for an aluminum setup. What's more, you can also have this tripod with either twist clamps for the leg sections or lever locks, depending on your personal preference. The 9kg load capacity is also generous, and despite the tripod's low weight, it still feels reasonably sturdy, even at its full 150cm stretch.

Read more: Manfrotto Befree Advanced AS review

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Best alloy tripod

I find that all of the Punks tripods from 3 Legged Thing are very travel-friendly, but the Corey 2.0 is the smallest and easiest to pack for the journey. It has the usual swing-up legs to save stowage space, this time with five sections in each, plus a two-section head, enabling a decent maximum operating height but a very small stowage size.

Don’t be put off that this one’s not a carbon fiber tripod. It’s actually made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy, and the upshot is that it’s still lightweight yet very strong, with a hefty 14kg maximum load rating.

It ticks another two boxes on my wish list by easily converting to a monopod and enabling ultra-low-level shooting, with the option of attaching the ball head directly to the canopy (leaving the center column out of the equation). All three legs are removable, and Vanz footwear (sold separately) transforms the Corey 2.0 into a stylish tabletop tripod.

Read more: 3 Legged Thing Punks Corey 2.0 review

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Best tripod for features

Built from carbon fiber and aluminum alloy, the Freewell FW-T1 supports everything from smartphones to medium-format cameras while remaining exceptionally lightweight. Its standout feature is versatility; the quick-release plate cleverly doubles as a phone holder when flipped, allowing creators to switch seamlessly between professional photography and social media content.

One leg can be detached to convert into a monopod, offering flexibility for fast-paced shooting. The tripod also includes a 360° ball head that supports portrait orientation without needing an L-bracket, accessory expansion holes, and a hidden compartment for an AirTag.

The twist-lock legs allow for quick setup with three flexible angle positions (20°, 55°, and 75°), making it adaptable to uneven terrain. The ball head is smooth and precise, though the multiple levers can initially be confusing. While it sits in a mid-range price bracket, the professional build quality and thoughtful engineering make it excellent value for money.

Read more: Freewell FW-T1 review

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Best for height range

The Neewer LiteTrip LT38 travel tripod is constructed from high-quality carbon fiber, but rather than traditional circular tubes, the legs have a flattened profile for compact stowage. It features five-section legs and a two-section center column, and offers three locking leg angles, which enable a really versatile range for shooting up high and down low, with a maximum operating height of 155cm and a minimum operating height of 15cm.

Some five-section tripods are a bit on the flimsy side, but not so the LiteTrip LT38, which boasts a substantial 10kg load capacity and effectively minimizes vibrations and unwanted flexing. What's more, the 12 leg-locking levers are quick and easy to operate, enabling quick setup times. All in all, this Neewer tripod makes for an excellent choice, combining a high-end carbon fiber build with a robust and adaptable ball head, delivering outstanding performance.

Read more: Neewer LiteTrip LT38 review

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Best design

The Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod comes as a kit with Benro's FS30 Head, and the pair makes for a great combination that stands out for its innovative design and performance. Unlike many typical travel tripod designs, this forgoes swing-up legs, thus allowing for quicker setup and breakdown, but rather than being completely circular in shape, the legs are made of oval, curved leg sections that wrap around a triangular center column, minimizing its stowed size to a still-very-compact 45.5cm. The supplied FS30 ball head offers similarly innovative design solutions, with the panning section located at the top of the head rather than the base, which makes leveling the tripod for panning particularly easy.

Despite its lightweight construction – tipping the scales at a shade under a kilogram – it offers impressive rigidity and stability, offering solid support for loads up to 4.5kg, even at its maximum height of 150cm, effectively resisting vibrations and ensuring stable shots. While this carbon tripod is priced higher than the hybrid version (which combines carbon fiber and aluminum), its clever design and attention to detail justify the cost, and it's a worthwhile investment for photographers and videographers seeking a compact, lightweight, and high-performing travel tripod.

Read more: Benro Cyanbird Carbon Tripod + FS30 head kit review

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Best lightweight tripod

With five sections in each swing-up leg and a two-section center column, this Vanguard folds down to just over a foot long yet gives a reasonable maximum operating height. I find it can easily fit into my daily bag or backpack. It’s also very lightweight, although, as expected, the alternative aluminum version is a little heavier. The bottom leg sections are quite spindly, with a diameter of just 11mm, but stability is pretty good even at full stretch.

As well as giving a typically quick and easy change to monopod configuration, the Vanguard is more unusual in coming complete with a smartphone adapter. I like that it works well as a monopod and even a selfie stick, so I only need to take one support for the journey rather than two or three.

Read more: Vanguard VEO 3GO 235CB review

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Best for sturdiness

The 3 Legged Thing Leo 2.0 is no ordinary tripod. It folds down to just 35cm in length but opens out to offer a maximum height of 146cm and a huge payload capacity of 30kg. That far exceeds the weight of any of my camera and lens combinations, but the net result is great rigidity.

I like that it has a detachable monopod leg that can also be used as a microphone or camera boom, a Tri-Mount system for adding accessories, and an innovative two-section center column. That helps it to fold down really small yet reach a decent maximum operating height. You can buy the legs on their own, but I’d get the complete kit with 3 Legged Thing’s new and improved AirHed Pro Lever ball head.

The Leo 2 is not the lightest travel tripod you can get, and not the cheapest, but its ratio of folded length to maximum height, combined with its all-around versatility, makes it one of the best.

Read more: 3 Legged Thing Leo 2.0 + AirHead Pro Review

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Best with 3-way head

The Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced is a lightweight photographer’s travel tripod paired with a three-way head. Although ball heads have become hugely popular, I actually prefer a 3-way head for the likes of architectural and close-up shooting, where precise adjustments can be critical. The 3-way fluid head in this case uses a hydraulic damping system to make it easy for smooth, fluid camera movements, so I find it also works well for shooting video.

The tripod, meanwhile, provides a good balance between capacity, weight, and price. It’ll take 6kg of kit and only weighs 2kg itself. I’ve tested lighter and stronger tripods, but they tended to be more pricey than this one.

It’s not as tall as some of the other tripods in this guide, and doesn’t fold down particularly small, the latter not helped by having a 3-way rather than ball head. But, for the vast majority of purposes, this is an impressive all-around package and merits serious consideration for any traveling photographer or videographer.

Read more: Manfrotto Befree 3-Way Live Advanced tripod review

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Best compact tripod

A plus point for me when space is at a premium is that the Benro Rhino 05C VX20 (also called the Rhino Zero Series VX20) is the smallest in a group of four recently launched Rhino travel tripods. Compactness doesn’t equate to flimsiness, though, and I’ve found that it’s remarkably rigid and robust for such a compact tripod. Another nice touch is that Benro’s companion VX ball heads have a secondary pan axis just under the camera plate. It’s great for taking sequences of panned shots to stitch into a panorama, and shooting video, as the panning axis remains on the level without the need to meticulously level the legs as well as the head.

I find that travel tripods have limitations, including a lower maximum working height and longer ‘unfolding’ time, but this goes with the territory, and I can’t criticize the Rhino for that. Sure enough, this Benro doesn't extend to a particularly tall height, and outright rigidity can feel a little compromised if I fully extend all of the leg sections and both of the center column sections. When it’s not at full stretch, though, I find this Benro is as rigid as much bigger and heavier tripods.

Read more: Benro Rhino 05C VX20 review

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How to choose the best travel tripod

It’s good to be choosy when picking your perfect travel tripod for your needs and budget. Here are a few things to bear in mind…

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How we test travel tripods

We measure the maximum operating height of each tripod and its folded height for carrying, complete with the head attached. We also measure the combined weight of each set of tripod legs and head, using electronic scales, and measure the diameter of all leg sections, from the widest to the thinnest, using digital calipers.

We check the ease of use, smoothness, and precision of all available adjustments in each set of tripod legs and heads. This ranges from adjusting leg sections and pivot facilities (where available), to the locking mechanisms of the head, as well as independent pan and friction damping adjustments, where fitted.

To check overall stability, we shoot with a range of camera bodies fitted with wide-angle, standard, telephoto, and macro lenses. We look for good resistance to flexing and vibrations throughout the whole range of operating heights, including the tallest available settings, with the legs and center column fully extended.

Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World

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Today's prices compared

JOBY has teamed up with YouTube sensation, Casey Neistat, in the launch of the Ultimate Creator Contest, with aims to Showcase the JOBY Wavo PRO Mic as well as providing the next generation of storytellers with the chance and opportunities to thrive in the industry with the tools for success. 

Renowned as a brand that supports its creators, JOBY in partnership with Neistat is launching the competition of a lifetime that will reward hundreds of creatives with not only the latest gear and discounts, but five lucky top prize winners are to be whisked off to an exclusive location to film a video with Neistat, that will be posted to his current 12.4 million subscriber YouTube channel.

• These are the best 4K cameras for video

The Ultimate Creator Contest from JOBY x Casey Neistat launches today and will run until the deadline of October 17, 2022. Anyone from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and India is able to enter, and share their most creative and original video ever realized! 

The collaboration with the YouTube personality is also in the promotion of JOBY's newest extensive suite of Wavo microphones, but especially the flagship JOBY Wavo PRO shotgun mic released in January 2022. This latest addition to the brand's mic lineup offers best-in-class audio quality, combined with broadcast-level audio performance and superior voice intelligibility. 

JOBY says it has created this contest with the intent to give storytellers around the globe the chance to achieve their dream and potential to become the next top creator, thanks to the ultimate prize for the selected five winners being not only the opportunity to co-create with social titan and multimillion-subscriber, Casey Neistat, but in addition to have the video featured on his fiercely popular YouTube channel.

The Ultimate Creator Contest is now live and you can share your most creative and unique video by via JOBY's website to enter. Applicants must then follow JOBYinc on Instagram to stay up to date and be in with the chance to co-create with Neistat. Winners are expected to be announced on October 28, following the deadline.  

The top 5 winners selected will receive an all-inclusive trip to a secret location in the United States, and be given the life-changing opportunity to be working alongside Casey and create a video with JOBY's Wavo PRO to showcase all of its features. The video will then be featured and uploaded on Neistat’s YouTube channel on November 23.

To further connect creators with JOBY products, the next best 95 creators selected by the brand will win up to $100K worth of products and discounts, in an aid to help them upgrade their gear and take their content creation to the next level. In addition to the 100 winners, JOBY will also select an additional four bonus winners for five consecutive Wednesdays, starting on September 19, 2022, to deliver weekly prizes.

 The on-camera Wavo PRO shotgun mic is the latest flagship product of the JOBY Wavo lineup, and has been built specifically with storytellers, filmmakers, and content creators in mind. The mic is said to offer maximum customizability with a much crisper and more precise sound for pro-level content creation.

Be sure to enter the Ultimate Creator Contest now to be in with a chance of having your work seen by JOBY, with the potential to receive thousands of dollars worth of JOBY equipment, and five lucky creators will win the chance to meet and collaborate with Casey Neistat in a secret filming location. 

• You may also want to check out our guides to the best microphone for vlogging and filmmaking, as well as the best boom arms for your microphone, and don't forget the best microphone isolation shields. While you're here, be sure to take a look at our JOBY Swing Complete Kit review.

The Joby Wavo Pro DS tackles the other half of the video equation – audio. When shooting with a DSLR or mirrorless camera you’ll capture high quality 4K HD footage. However it’s unlikely that the accompanying audio will be comparably excellent . The sound captured by your camera’s built-in mic is likely to sound flat rather than full bodied. It may also suffer from handling noise as you adjust various camera knobs and dials. 

Unless you get the camera close to the subject their sound levels will probably be too low to produce a strong clean track and their voice may even be obscured by wind noise buffeting the built-in mic.  You may also record distracting ambient sound from the sides and rear of your camera.  

Fortunately, the JOBY Wavo PRO DS is available to overcome these common sound problems and help your audio production values match those of your footage. This on-camera shotgun mic can be attached via the classic shoe mount found on many DSLR and mirrorless cameras. By plugging its supplied 3.5mm jack cable into the camera’s mic input socket you can instantly improve the audio quality of your recordings.  

The JOBY Wavo PRO DS has a slightly more expensive sibling – the JOBY Wavo PRO. The Wavo PRO boasts a few extra features such as ANR (Active Noise Reduction). This helps reduce the rumble of handling noise. The Wavo PRO also has an additional mic input socket which is useful if you want to record  two people – one via the shotgun mic and another via a lavalier mic such as the JOBY Wavo Lav PRO. The more expensive Wavo PRO is also bluetooth enabled, so you can control its sound recording levels via the JOBY Wavo smartphone app. 

The cheaper JOBY Wavo PRO DS lacks an effective way to control sound levels so you need to rely on using your camera’s internal level controls to capture healthy (and undistorted) sound. The Wavo PRO is only £30 more expensive than the Wavo PRO DS, so it might be worth paying a little more for the Wavo PRO’s extra hardware and software features. 

Specifications

Capsule type: Condenser Electret
Polar pattern: Super cardiod
Frequency response: 20Hz – 20KHz (+/-3dB)
Signal to noise ratio: 96 - 100 dBA
Gain adjustments: Up to +20 dB gain boost on camera output
Output connection: 3.5mm TRS, USB Type-C
Indicators: Battery level, Audio level metering LED
Battery life: 60 hours
Material: Aluminium

Key features

The acronym GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) certainly applies to sound recording.  If you get the levels on your camera set incorrectly you can end up with a distorted sound track that’s impossible to fix in a post-production app such as Final Cut Pro.  

One welcome key feature of the Wavo PRO DS is its ability to record two separate audio tracks. By tapping the Safe button at the rear of the mic it will capture a lower level version of the input sound on a separate channel. If the main audio channel peaks and distorts you have a second safety channel to call upon in the editing stage.  This belt and braces approach could be a real life saver – especially if you’re shooting something like a wedding where there’s no opportunity for a ‘take two’. 

An additional low cut filter button reduces sounds below 100Hz (such as traffic noise or certain electronic hum sounds).

Build and handling

The Wavo PRO DS’s aluminium body feels satisfyingly solid and it comes fitted with a removable foam shield. It’s black metallic look complements the body of many digital cameras so it doesn’t look out of place. The shotgun mic is attached via a Rycote shock mount to a plastic unit that contains +10dB and +20dB gain boost buttons to boost the strength of your sound levels. 

You can attach a USB-C cable to charge the mic’s internal battery so that it’ll record for up to 60 hours – which is more than enough to keeping shooting till the end of an event such as a wedding.

Performance

To test the Wavo PRO DS we attached it to our FujiFilm X-S10’s hot shoe mount. A quick  rummage in the camera’s menu gave us a level indicator so we could see if the sound peaked during our recording session. Before we spoke directly to camera we flipped the viewfinder to check our composition and keep an eye on those sound levels.  

The shotgun mic’s super cardioid polar pattern helped reduce unwanted ambient noise as it only picked up the presenter’s audio from directly in front of the camera.  When we unplugged the Wavo PRO DS the audio from the X-S10’s built-in mic was comparably inferior.  We could hear unwanted ambient sound and the the presenter’s voice had less impact. 

Check out our test video above to hear the difference that the Wavo PRO DS can make to your sound recordings.

Verdict

The Wavo PRO DS can certainly improve the audio production values captured by your DSLR or mirrorless camera. It’s perfect for bloggers who need to talk directly to camera and it will pick up more of the banter in busy locations such as a wedding. 

The LED at the back will flash orange if the sound input level is too loud, but this doesn’t help if you can’t see the rear of the mic when talking into the front of it.  To capture subjects further away than a couple of meters from the camera you may want to consider a wireless mic such as the JOBY Wavo Air. 

The Wavo PRO DS lacks some of the extra features of the more expensive Wavo PRO, so it’s designed to appeal to those on a budget. However, it's still pretty expensive for a shotgun mic and we feel that the £30 price difference between the two isn’t big enough to make the Wavo PRO DS a must buy, so we’d probably recommend the Wavo PRO as a more attractive prospect at this price level.

The Joby Beamo is a modern solution to a modern problem! Today's cameras and smartphones are pretty good at shooting stills and clips in low light, but the results can sometimes look disappointing. A high ISO setting will make a camera more sensitive to light but it can add ugly digital noise to your footage. 

Professionals can rig up lamps on stands to help their camera to capture noise free shots, but this is not always practical (especially if you’re shooting in a crowded location where a light stand could topple over). The JOBY Beamo, however, is a compact LED that you can mount directly on your DSLR’s hot shoe mount.  

On the other hand, the light from a camera-mounted Beamo can make a subject look flat as it sits directly above the lens. Fortunately, the Beamo can also be threaded onto a tripod head which is useful for providing off-camera light sources. Having additional portable Beamos on tripods can give the subject  a more ‘modelled’ and three-dimensional look. A Beamo can also give your smartphone’s camera a brighter flash source,  helping it illuminate more distant objects when taking snaps. 

Specifications

Weight: 0.13 kg
Dimensions: 4.7 x 5.1 x 5.1cm
Battery: Built-in Lithium
Waterproofing: 30 m
Material: Aluminium, ABS Plastic, TPU
Lumens: 1500
Battery Life: 40mins @100% brightness, 100mins +/- @50% brightness hrs
Color Temperature: 5100 K
Mounting Method: 1/4"-20 tripod mount, cold shoe mount x 2
App: iOS / Android

Key features

The JOBY Beamo can clip onto a smartphone mount such as the JOBY GripTight Pro2 (which is what we used in our test to team up the Beamo with our iPhone 13 Pro). Despite its compact form (it’ll fit happily in your palm) the JOBY Beamo LED beams out a blinding 1500 Lumen, which is enough to reveal a subject’s colours and details in a dark location. 

The Beamo also has a brother – the Beamo Mini. Although they are identical in build, the Mini’s LED emits a weaker 1000 Lumen. 

You can dock up to four of the Beamo and Beamo Mini lamps together to create a more powerful lighting array. While the Beamo can be charged wirelessly, the Beamo Mini needs to be charged via cable, but it compensates for this by being magnetic instead. It’ll clamp solidly to the bonnet of a car for example. Both Beamo variants are waterproof for up to 30 meters which should make them attractive to underwater photographers and videographers.  

Build and handling

The Beamo’s aluminium body feels sturdy and solid. It can also feel very hot after prolonged use. Simply press and hold on one of the Beamo’s two buttons to turn it on. You can then use the buttons to increase or decrease the strength of the lamp by 5 increments. By using the free MY JOBY app for smartphones you can adjust the intensity of the lamp through 100 increments which gives you much greater control.  The app uses Bluetooth to quickly detect and pair with active Beamos. You can control them individually and save a group of Beamos’ intensity settings as a Scene for later use. 

For example, if you have three Beamos one could be a key light set to 100% brightness, the other a fill light at 60% and the third a backlight at 45%. You can save these brightness settings as a Scene in the app and activate all three lamps in a tap which helps you work more quickly and effectively. The app also enables you to make the lamps flash, shine constantly or even strobe (though we’re not sure how useful the last option is).

Performance

Being a very compact LED, the naked light source from the Beamo can look a bit too narrow and focussed. This can lead to burnt-out hotspots on your subject. You can alleviate these hotspots by popping the supplied diffuser over the lamp. This creates a wider and softer beam of light that is more flattering to the subject.  

At a color temperature of 5100 degrees Kelvin skin tones don’t look too warm either. The diffuser can easily get knocked off the lamp, though as it’s made of soft rubber it shouldn’t get damaged if trampled on at a busy location. 

We took the Beamo for a test drive at the Beamish museum. Many of the rooms were unlit or dimly lit so the LED proved invaluable in teasing out more colour and detail in the gloomy locations to reveal fascinating objects from bygone eras.  Check out our supplied video to see the results of our test, plus learn how to control a group of Beamo LEDs via the MY JOBY app.

Verdict

A JOBY Beamo (or three) should be a valuable asset for videographers who have no control over available light in a range of rooms (such as at a wedding location for example). 

The Beamo also extends your freedom to shoot in dark locations without adding nasty noise to your footage. The free MY JOBY app gives you extra control and the option to create presets for groups of Beamos (though you can still use the Beamo as a light source when recording via other apps thanks to its physical buttons).  

A Beamo won’t hog valuable space in your kit-bag but it could save the day when you need an extra light source.

The Joby Spin is an electronic panning tripod head that was recently released alongside the Joby Swing.  Both gadgets do similar jobs in that they move your tripod-mounted smartphone electronically.  

The Swing enables you to make slow and short tracking moves with your smartphone. The Joby Spin, on the other hand, has a much wider range of movement, enabling you to electronically pan your smartphone up to 360º.  This enables you to capture smooth and professional looking pans from one object in the scene to another. It even eases in and out of the pan like a professional camera operator would (rather than starting and stopping with a sharp cut).   

Specifications

Weight: 0.13 kg
Interface: Bluetooth 5.1
Time For 360° Travel: 26s
Compatibility: iOS 12 / Android 8.0 and later
Dimensions: 7.2 x 7.2 x 4.3 cm
Max Speed: Panning 14 °/s
Tripod Mounting: Female 1/4"-20 thread
Battery Life Time-Lapse: 3 hrs
Battery Life Video: 3 hrs
Charging Time: 2.5 hours

Build and handling

After downloading the Joby Motion app we could quickly and easily control the JOBY Spin via our smartphone, which we attached to the Spin via the supplied GripTight PRO phone mount.

When controlling control the Spin via bluetooth the app has three modes – Video, Timelapse and Panorama. In each mode you can position the Spin at the start and end of its desired move. You can also summon a Settings control wheel to adjust the panning speed or add a recording delay if you want to include yourself in the panning shot. 

In Timelapse mode, the Settings control wheel offers a handy selection of one-tap presets so you can choose a timelapse interval speed that suits specific subjects such as Clouds, People, Traffic etc.

Although the Spin uses the same Joby Motion app that controls the Joby Swing, the app looks and behaves slightly differently when synced to the Spin. To set the Joby Swing’s start and end points, you need to press and hold on + and - icons and make it track. 

The Spin, on the other hand, can be controlled more intuitively. Simply swipe left anywhere on your smartphone’s screen to pan the Spin right. Tap the START icon to set an in-point. Then swipe left to pan the Spin to the right and tap END to set the out-point. Tap Go to record a panning video or timelapse sequence between the defined points. 

Performance

The Spin takes 2.5 hours to fully charge and its battery life is 3 hours – which sounds a lot. Indeed 3 hours, will give you plenty of footage when shooting video clips. However when shooting timelapse sequences the Spin has to take its time as it pans imperceptibly over many minutes to produce a few seconds of timelapse footage, leading to much less video content. So if timelapse is your main interest it will be worth taking a charger with you to plug into the Spin’s USB-C port. 

The Spin pans smoothly and with a consistent speed, so you could capture a series of pans and mix them together in a smooth flowing montage. It has a less useful Panorama mode which is in currently in Beta. This pans the smartphone to create a series of stitched stills. In our test we found that there were some noticeable joins between some of the stitched stills, so you’ll get better results using your smartphone Camera app’s Pano mode.

One niggle we had was with the supplied GripTight PRO phone mount. This attaches the smartphone to the Spin. The mount is designed to tilt up, but will only do so if the smartphone’s lens is facing away from the mount’s clamp. However, to interact with the Joby Motion app you need to insert the smartphone with the lens facing towards the clamp (so you can see and interact with the smartphone’s screen). This means that the lens can only tilt down when you adjust the angle of the clamp. For timelapse sequences we want to be able to angle the smartphone upwards to include the clouds. 

To get round this problem we took the Ballhead 1K that ships with the JOBY Swing and mounted that to the Spin. We could then happily tilt the Swing-mounted smartphone up or down.

If you do buy both the Spin and the Swing you can control them through the same Joby Motion app. However it’s worth closing the app and then re-opening as you flit between devices because the app can get confused as to which device it is attached to. 

Verdict

Here's a video showing how the Joby Spin works and the kind of results you can achieve:

The JOBY Spin is perfect for video makers of all kind and will be of special interest to stock videographers who want to add motion to their short video or timelapse sequences.

The panning movement produced by the Spin is much more noticeable than the slow short and subtle tracking shots captured by its Swing sibling, so if you can only afford one of the devices we’d happily recommend the Spin (which is also the cheaper of the two).

If you’re completely strapped for cash then it’s worth hunting down the Veho Muvi X-Lapse Time Lapse Accessory. This is a clockwork panning tripod that does a similar job to the Spin when it comes to capturing timelapse sequences. However unlike the Joby Spin, the X-Lapse will only pan in one direction and at one speed, and you can’t set in and out points, so you get what you pay for. 

Read more:

• Best camera sliders
• Best gimbals
• Best iPhone tripods
• Best selfie sticks

The Joby Wavo Lav PRO is part of JOBY’s recently released suite of sound recording equipment. You can plug it straight into a DSLR’s mic port and instantly improve the quality of the sound that it captures, though it won’t work if you plug it directly into a smart phone’s headphone socket.  

Although the Wavo Lav PRO can be used on its own to capture sound for ‘talking heads’ interviews, it will also work in conjunction with other newly released audio products in the Wavo range. 

For example, the Joby Wavo AIR is a wireless bluetooth set that boasts two mic transmitters and a receiver. Although the Wavo AIR ships with its own lavalier mic, that version is considerably larger than the ultra small Wavo Lav PRO’s capsule (which is a mere 5 mm in diameter).  As a result the Wavo Lav PRO is easier to conceal on your interviewee, making it more suitable for drama and documentary productions.  

If you own both the Wavo LAV Pro and the Wavo AIR kit, then you can plug a lavalier mic into both of the transmitters and capture sound wirelessly via the receiver that’s attached to a recording device such as a smartphone.  This is the set-up we used to record the sound for our test video below:

Specifications

Capsule diameter: 5mm
Frequency range: 20Hz - 20kHz
Polar pattern: Omni directional
Sensitivity: -45 dB +3dBB
Cable length: 2.5m, diameter 1.4mm
Weight: 17g
Connector: 3.5mm plug

Key features

You can attach the ultra small Wavo Lav PRO lavalier mic to your shirt or lapel courtesy of a little crocodile clip and plug its 3.5mm jack straight a camera (such as a DSLR), delivering a full natural sound with low ambient noise.

The Lav PRO sports a small removable foam shield to reduce wind noise when shooting outdoors. Due to its 3.5mm, plug the Wavo Lav PRO is compatible with another newly released Joby mic – the Joby Wavo PRO shotgun mic. That attaches to a DSLR or compact camera via a shoe mount. 

The problem with an on-camera shotgun mic is that it can end up being too far away from the interviewee, resulting in poor quality sound. You can plug the Wavo Lav PRO into the Wavo PRO’s additional external mic socket and then attach the lavalier mic to the interviewee for much better and more intimate sounding audio. 

The Wavo Lav PRO has 2.5 meters of super thin (1.4 mm) cable, enabling you to record from a distance from your subject but still hear them clearly. The sound from the distant shotgun mic and the close-up audio from the Wavo Lav PRO are recorded on separate channels so you can choose the best audio track in the edit suite (which in most cases will be the sound from the closer Wavo Lav PRO). 

The Lav PRO also ships with a small leather drawstring bag to keep it safe and free from snagging other objects in your kit bag.

Performance

We compared the Wavo Lav PRO with the lavalier mic that ships with the JOBY Wavo AIR. The AIR’s lavalier is noticeably larger and harder to conceal when clipped to the subject. The AIR lavalier’s cable is also much shorter than the Lav PRO’s 2.5 meter cable, but that’s to be expected as it only needs to plug into a transmitter clipped to the subject’s belt. The  Wavo Lav PRO is designed to be hard wired between the subject and a camera so it needs to have a much longer cable. 

When it comes to comparing sound quality from the two lavalier mics we found that they sound very similar. The larger lavalier from the Wavo AIR kit sounds slightly sharper than the Lav PRO, which gave it more distinct ’s’ sounds compared to the slightly less sharp sibilants captured by the Wavo Lav PRO. The differences are very subtle but check out our supporting video to compare the two mics for yourself. 

Verdict

The wireless Wavo AIR’s bright red microphones (with their large, fluffy wind shields) are designed to draw attention on social media feeds, making them attractive to Vloggers and influencers. The Wavo Lav PRO lies at the other end of the film making spectrum. Due to its ultra small size it is much more discrete and can easily be hidden on an interviewee so that we can concentrate on what they’re saying rather than being distracted by flashy bits of on-screen audio kit.

This should make the Wavo Lav PRO attractive to film makers who want to elevate their audio production values to a higher level. It also increases the functionality of the JOBY Wavo AIR and the JOBY Wavo PRO, making it a valuable addition to your audio kit bag.

Read more:

• Best microphones
• Best shotgun mics
• Best USB mics
• Best audio recorders

The Joby Wavo PRO takes care of the other, often forgotten, half of your video capture – the audio. When shooting with a DSLR or compact camera you’ll probably get great looking footage. However it’s unlikely that the accompanying audio will be up to scratch.

The sound captured by your camera’s built-in mic is likely to sound thin and tinny. It may also suffer from handling noise as you adjust various knobs and dials and move the camera around. Unless you get the camera close to the subject their sound levels will probably be quite low and their voice may even be obscured by wind noise buffeting the on-camera mic. It’s also difficult and fiddly to adjust the sound levels of a DSLR’s built in mic as you need to dig down into menus and sub menus. 

Fortunately, the JOBY Wavo PRO is available to overcome these common sound problems. This on-camera shotgun mic can be attached via the classic shoe mount found on many DSLR and compact cameras. By plugging its supplied cable into the camera’s mic input socket you can instantly improve the audio quality of your recordings.

It also has lots of tricks up its sleeve to help you capture cleaner and stronger sound signals such as the ability to set sound levels via a smart phone app. More on that in the Performance section below. 

Meanwhile, take a look at our sample video, recorded using the Joby Wavo PRO:

Specifications

Noise reduction: ANR (Active Noise Reduction) cleans up bumps in sound from camera handling
LED indicators: Built-in LEDs notify battery and audio levels in real time
Control: Via the Joby Wavo app
Second mic input: Yes
Safe track recording: -10 dB

Key features

One of the key Wavo PRO features promoted by JOBY is ANR (Active Noise Reduction). This is designed to remove low frequency noise (such as wind) on your sound track or vibrations caused by handling noise. When we turned ANR on in a quiet indoor location we could hear an unwanted background rumble that wasn’t present when ANR was turned off. Outside, ANR did reduce the presence of wind noise but it also thinned the quality of the subject’s voice. We found that we got better results by turning off ANR and attaching the supplied wind-jammer instead. 

The acronym GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out certainly applies to sound recording).  If you get the levels on your DSLR set incorrectly you can end up with a distorted sound track that’s impossible to fix in a post-production app such as Adobe Premiere Pro.  One very welcome and effective key feature of the Wavo PRO is its ability to record two separate audio tracks. By tapping the Safe button at the rear of the mic it will capture a lower level version of the input sound on a separate channel. If the main audio channel peaks and distorts you have a second safety channel to call upon in the editing stage. This belt and braces approach could be a real life saver - especially if you’re shooting something like a wedding where there are no second chances.

The Wavo PRO also has an input socket for an additional external mic such as the Wavo Lav PRO. This enables you to get a lavalier mic closer to your subject, with is perfect for recording interviews.  More on that in the Performance section below.

Build and handling

The Wavo PRO’s compact metal body feels satisfyingly solid and it comes fitted with a removable foam shield (plus a more effective wind-jammer that you can pop over the foam shield). It’s attached via a Rycote shock mount to a plastic unit that contains an external mic input socket and +10 and +20 gain boost buttons to give your sound levels more ‘oomph!’. 

You can attach a USB-C cable to charge the mic’s internal battery so that it’ll record for up to 60 hours – which is more than enough to keeping shooting till the end of a wedding day. A metal mount keeps the Wavo PRO securely attached to your camera.

Performance

You can plug the Wavo PRO mic into the camera and set the levels using the camera menu, which gets you up and running in a few minutes. You also have the option to control various mic settings via the dedicated  JOBY Wavo app.

This is a great idea in theory but a bit hit and miss in practice. We struggled to pair the mic via bluetooth with the Joby Wavo app on our iPhone 13 Pro Max and once we got them paired it took 30 minutes to update the mic’s firmware. When re-connecting to the mic the app often found it difficult to find, forcing us to pair them again and again.

When the app and the mic are on speaking terms they’re a great double act. You can control the Wavo PRO’s sound levels, activate ANR, boost gain and even tweak the mic’s EQ settings from your smart phone’s screen. When plugging in an additional external mic such as the Wavo Lav PRO you can use the app to control its sound levels independently from those of the  Wavo PRO. Both mics inputs are on separate sound channels so you can choose the best sounding one in your non-linear edit suite. One word of caution – don’t press the Safe button when recording with an external mic plugged into the Wavo PRO or you’ll mono the two sound channels and will not be able to separate them in post.

To test the Wavo PRO we used it to record a promotional video for a website (see supplied video at the top of this review for the result). Outdoors the Wavo PRO recorded clean strong sound even from a distance. The wind-jammer kept wind noise at bay (which was a relief as we recorded the footage between Storms Dudley and Eunice in the UK). 

For the test video’s interior footage we plugged the Wavo Lav PRO into the Wavo PRO’s external mic socket which enabled us to capture clean sound from closer to the interviewee. The Wavo app enabled us to set the levels on both mics but then lost connection, so we had to switch to monitoring the levels from our Canon DSLR’s menu and hope for the best! Fortunately the sound results were good and the client was happy (though losing the connection with the Wavo PRO via the app was quite stressful during the shoot).

Verdict

As you can hear from our test video, the Wavo PRO gives a DSLR the edge when it comes to recording better quality audio. Features such as Active Noise Reduction help reduce handling and wind noise to a degree but you get effective results using a tripod and wind-jammer.

The Safe audio track is a major bonus as it gives you a second chance if your main channel’s audio is clipped.

The well-designed JOBY Wavo app is fantastic – when it manages to connect to the Wavo PRO – as it enables you to control both audio tracks’ levels, EQ settings and gain boost values independently of each other.   

Read more:

• Best microphones
• Best shotgun mics
• Best USB mics
• Best XLR mics
• Best audio recorders

The Joby Swing is an interesting gadget for smartphone filmmakers. Video makers can make their clips look more interesting by adding movement to them.  Professional directors often track the camera left or right to reveal something new in the scene or simply add a little life to a shot. The JOBY Swing enables you to make your smartphone track smoothly from right to left or vice versa. 

Thanks to the JOBY Motion app you can choose the Swing’s start and end point for precise composition.  As well as adding tracking moves to video clips, you can set the Swing to capture a tracking timelapse sequence. The Swing Complete kit comes with all the accessories you need to produce smooth tracking shots. Check out our accompanying video to see the Swing in action.

Specifications

Slider: Electronic
Accessories included: GripTight ONE Phone Mount and BallHead 1K
Mounting: Various supports, including supplied GorillaPod 3K Stand
App: JOBY Motion app for iOS or Android

Key features

At 17 cm in length the Joby Swing is small enough to fit comfortably in your kit bag. It has a female tripod mount so you can attach it to the supplied GorillaPod 3K Stand’s male thread. 

Initially, we struggled to mount the Swing onto the stand until we realised that we had to remove a thread adaptor from the tripod’s head to access the smaller thread below. 

After downloading the Joby Motion app we could quickly and easily control the Swing via our smartphone, which we attached to the Swing via a supplied GripTight ONE phone mount.

When controlling the Swing, the app has two modes: Video and Timelapse. In both modes you can tap and hold + and - icons enable to position the Swing at the start and end of its move. You tap START and END icons to set in and out points for the move. You can also summon a settings control wheel to reduce the tracking speed or add a recording delay if you want to capture a tracking selfie shot. In Timelapse mode the Settings control wheel offers a handy selection of one-tap presets so you can choose a timelapse interval speed that suits subjects that include Clouds, People, Traffic etc.

Build and handling

In its closed state, the Joby Swing looks a bit like a Swiss Army pen knife due to its shape and colour. Once it springs to life by pivoting on the supplied GorillaPod 3K Stand, you realise it’s less versatile than a Swiss Amy pen knife, but what it does, it does well. 

As the Swing’s red and grey arms scissor apart via a smooth electronic motor, the attached smartphone travels from left to right (or right to left) – continuously facing in the same direction.  

Performance

The Joby Swing enables your smartphone to track smoothly up to a maximum distance of 42 centimetres. When recording video it tracks at a maximum speed of a centimetre a second, so the maximum video clip length that it produces is 42 seconds long. This means it’s not really suitable for shooting dramas, as the recording may stop before the actor has finished delivering their lines. However, it’s fine for capturing short walking and talking intro sequences such as the one we recorded for this review’s supporting video.

Due to its slow speed and short travel span, the Swing’s tracking move is barely noticeable when filming distant subjects. However, by placing an object in the foreground the tracking move is much more noticeable as foreground objects move more quickly relative to those in the distance. Check out our accompanying video to see what the Swing is good at – such as tracking from some foreground flowers to reveal a vintage railway engine for example.

The Swing aways tracks at a consistent speed. This enables you to create a montage of shots that where the camera tracks at the same speed in each – something that would be difficult to capture with a handheld or gimbal-mounted smartphone. By setting the Swing to repeat the tracking move in a single clip you have a motion-control camera. This enables you to use an editing app to mix from a tracking scene that contains people to the same location without any people present, creating a ghostly special effect. Check out our accompanying video for examples.

When mounted on the GorillaPOD with its flexible legs, the Swing can occasionally vibrate a little as it tracks. By pressing a finger down on a tripod leg, we were able to smooth out unwanted vibrations during a take. When fully extended, the Swing could cause the small tripod to topple (which gave us cause for concern when filming on the banks of the River Thames!). Fortunately, placing the GorillaPod’s flexible legs in the right position ensures a safer and more stable tracking shot. 

Verdict

The Joby Swing has a limited tracking span and moves slowly, so the resulting movement in a video sequence is very subtle. The requirement to feature a foreground object for a more noticeable tracking move forces you to be creative with your composition (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

It’s more versatile and flexible when it comes to adding motion and perspective to timelapse shots as you can change the recording interval to create slower or faster moving sequences. 

The Joby Swing isn’t a ‘must have’ gadget for every videographer but it should be attractive to the creators of stock videos, product videographers and Vloggers who want to add a little movement to otherwise static selfie clips. Documentary and drama makers will enjoy the creative ability to mix between motion controlled clips to produce creative effects (see our supporting video for examples.)

Read more:

• Best camera sliders
• Best gimbals
• Best mini-tripods
• Best video tripods

The Joby Wavo POD answers a real and growing demand from content creators. Thanks to social media apps and podcast delivery platforms we can easily share our opinions or showcase our hobbies and interests in audio and video formats. We can broadcast straight from our Mac or PC thanks to its built-in mic and camera.  However it can be a challenge to capture good quality sound. 

A podcast or YouTube video that suffers from flat tinny audio produced by a computer’s built-in mic or has sound diluted by a wash of roomy echoes will soon have its audience moving on to other content. Fortunately Joby has launched the Wav POD – a USB large diaphragm microphone that looks great, won’t blow your budget and will boost your VLOG and podcast’s sound levels from amateur to pro.

The Wavo POD is JOBY is a budget alternative to the similar but well established Yeti range of plug and play USB microphones that are already popular with podcasters, voice-over artists and other content makers.  The entry-level Yeti Blue will set you back £119 compared to the Wavo POD’s £89.95 but you do get what you pay for. We’ll talk about some of the differences between these competing mics in the Build and Handling section below.

Specifications

Audio sampling rate: 24bit/48kHz
Recording patterns: Omnidirectional and directional
Controls: Volume, mute, gain controls
Headphone port: Yes
Pop filter: Yes

Key features

The Wavo POD ships with a USB Type-C to Type-C and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable so you can plug the mic directly into a PC, laptop or Smart Phone and start recording or streaming your sound. It has two selectable polar patterns that change its sensitivity to sound. The most useful Cardioid (heart-shaped) pattern makes the mic sensitive to sound from the front of the mic. This minimises unwanted background sounds such as the whir of your computer’s fan, leading to cleaner audio tracks. If you need to interview someone on the other side of the mic you can tap the Pattern button to switch to an 360º Omni polar pattern and make the mic sensitive to sound from all angles. 

A pre-attached orange pop shield adds some colour to the black Wavo POD, which should help make the device an eye-catching co-star in your YouTube productions.  The pop shield is designed to soften harsh bangs caused by plosive consonants in sentences such as ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers!’  In practice we found that if you place the mic at a sensible distance from your mouth (about a foot ) then it was difficult to make it ‘pop’ even without the pop shield – though the pop shield did reduce wind noise when we blew on the mic. The pop shield provides an additional function of telling you which side of the mic to talk into thanks to icon arrows that indicate the direction of the Cardioid and Omni polar patterns.

Build and handling

Compared to the Yeti Blue’s metal body and mount the plastic Wavo POD looks and feels cheaper – which of course it is. The Wavo POD is much lighter and also about two thirds of the size of the Yeti Blue, but this could be a bonus if you need to record audio on the go with a light and compact with a laptop and quality USB mic. The weighted stand is the only Wavo POD’s metal component but this solid section gives the mic stability. The Wavo POD can be detached from its weighted metal stand and attached to a tripod (such as the GorillaPod) or fixed to an adjustable boom like the Legato Wave Mic Arm.

Performance

Despite being cheaper, smaller and lighter than the Yeti Blue the Wavo POD captures comparatively excellent sound quality thanks to its 24bit/48kHz audio sampling rates. We found that the Wavo POD’s sound quality was indistinguishable from that captured by a Yeti Blue. 

The multi-function knob/button on the front enables you to adjust the volume if you decide to monitor the sound via the built-in headphone jack. A two second press changes the blue light to purple, which indicates that you’re in gain control mode. You can then twist the knob to capture louder or quieter sound levels on your USB attached recording device. Short-pressing the knob activates a red light, indicating that the mic is muted (which is a handy option for when your kids gatecrash a live Zoom call!)

Verdict

The Wavo POD is the perfect entry-level USB desk mic for those wanting to improve the quality of their sound recordings. The combination of the pop shield and the Cardioid recording field enable you to capture clear broadcast quality audio tracks that suffer less from room echo and other unwanted background noises (though as with most mics you’ll benefit by placing some sound absorbing tiles around your home studio). 

However, compared to the Yeti Blue the Wavo POD has a more limited collection of polar pattern settings. The Yeti boasts an additional Hypercardioid setting. This ‘figure of 8’ shaped recording field enables you to capture sound from the front and rear of the Yeti mic (but not unwanted sounds from the sides of the mic.) The Wavo POD’s Omni pattern will let you record an interviewer and interviewee sitting opposite, but it will also add unwanted noises from the sides due to its 360º sensitivity.

All in all, though, it’s an excellent addition to any home recording studio and we highly recommend it.

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The Joby Wavo AIR wireless microphone provides a solution to a common problem. Thanks to ongoing technological advances we can capture high quality video footage on a range of devices including our smart phone. However our 4K high dynamic range content can be let down by poor audio quality. The further a person is from our camera’s built-in microphone the poorer the audio will sound. 

The JOBY Wavo AIR wireless microphone, however, enables you to capture crystal clear broadcast quality sound from an interviewee who is talking up to 50 meters (over 50 yards) away from your video recording device.

Key features

The Wavo AIR ships with two transmitters and one receiver. Each lightweight 2.4GHz wireless transmitter has a microphone built into the top of the device. These mics have an omnidirectional polar pattern so they can capture sound from 360º around the subject. This can lead to the addition of some background noise but we found that this was negligible in our test recording. 

You can attach a transmitter to a magnetic necklace/pendant that ships with the kit, enabling you to get the mic in close proximity to the speaker’s mouth for a strong audio signal. A clip-on wind shield helps reduce take-ruining wind noise and this worked effectively when we tested the microphones in an open park location. Some wind noise was noticeable using the lavalier mics in a windier country lane but we defy any clip-on microphones to be wind-free in those circumstances.

The magnetically mounted red and black mic transmitter is eye-catching (especially when it’s wearing a furry wind shield). This kit's visibility may suit the needs of social media content creators but for a more discreet and conventional recording you can plug in a supplied traditional cavalier clip mic into the transmitter and hide the cable inside the subject’s shirt. The transmitter can then be clipped out of sight on the subject’s belt thanks to a supplied belt clip.  

The receiver can be attached to a camera or smart phone using supplied TRS and TRRS cables. During our test we needed to supply an additional headphone jack to lighting cable adaptor to attach the Wavo receiver to our iPhone 13 Pro. We picked up a UGREEN Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for around $15/£15.  Perhaps one of these adaptors could be included in future Wavo AIR releases due to the popularity of iPhones as video recording devices.

One of the key challenges faced when recording sound is to capture sound levels that are strong enough to be loud and clear without distorting the subject’s voice. The Wavo AIR transmitters have an LED wheel that lights up in increments when you tap the + button to increase the recording levels. This is no substitute for a proper sound level indicator that gives you a visual peaking warning (such as an animated level bar shooting into the red). However, by recording the Wavo AIR’s output onto the FiLMic Pro app we were able to view a professional sound level indicator and adjust the levels on the Wavo AIR’s transmitter with precise control.  

We also monitored the sound during the recording on Bluetooth headphones to help identify potential problems such as drop out, distortion or unwanted background noise. 

Build and handling

The Wavo AIR transmitters, receiver and accessory mounts are made of lightweight plastic. The Wavo AIR works straight out of the box as the transmitter mics and receiver are paired.  Documentation demonstrates how to pair the devices if required using a supplied pin (identical to the ones used to open an iPhone’s sim drawer).  

We found that the transmitters’ clip-on wind shields were a bit fiddly to fit to the units, but they stayed attached once clipped in. Sound levels are controlled with a tap of the + and - buttons on each transmitter. After setting the mic sound levels we found that it was easy to accidentally tap these buttons and change the audio levels as we clipped the mic onto our belt. 

Performance

Joby claims that you can record audio from the transmitters from up to 50 meters with obstacles – basically. as long as the transmitters and receiver have a clear line of sight. This proved to be the case during our test. Our sound was clear as a bell as when we faced the receiver at a 50 meter distance but it dropped out when we turned our back to the camera (losing line of sight.)  We only had one instance of drop out during the test when we were facing the camera from a distance, and this only lasted for a fraction of a second.  

We were also able to record subjects walking away from the camera to a distance of around 24 meters, a little shorter than the Joby claim of 30 meters with obstacles. 

The two supplied transmitters enable you to record an interviewee and interviewer at the same time, though you can’t separate the audio into separate channels.  This shouldn’t be a problem if you test and set the two subjects' levels before you start recording. Battery Life is documented at 6 hours which is more than enough for most shoots (and we had no issues with battery life in our test).

With bluetooth recordings you can get the problem of latency, where the sound is slightly out of sync from the video. As the sound from the Wavo AIR was only 3 frames out of sync it is a simple matter to detach the audio from the video in an app such as Final Cut Pro or Premier Pro and nudge the audio by 3 frames. The end result was perfectly synced high quality video and audio.

Verdict

The Joby Wavo AIR enables you to capture broadcast quality sound with the freedom to wander wirelessly. It’s perfect for capturing audio for both social media content and traditional ‘talking heads’ interviews. The build is a little plasticky, however, and there was a small latency via the wireless connection that left the audio slightly out of sync with the video – a common enough issue with wireless mics and not difficult to fix in editing software.

Read more:

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Aimed at video creators, Joby's five new Wavo microphones include a Wavo PRO Shotgun mic, Wavo AIR wireless mic and Wavo POD streaming and podcasting microphone, all designed for easy to use, plug and play operation.

The new Wavo mics update Joby's existing microphone line-up, which was first introduced at Play List Live 2020. Joby sees its new mics as a complement to its existing range of GorillaPod supports and Beamo lights. The brand wants to be a 'one stop solution' for content creator gear.

Joby Wavo PRO

At the top of the Wavo range is an all-new Wavo PRO shotgun mic, equipped with a hybrid analog/digital system with active noise reduction (ANR), a sound management app for iOS and Android for remote audio monitoring, and a second 3.5mm mic input for dual channel recording or interviews, for example. It's designed to offer pro-level audio quality and control for videographers.

The high-end Joby Wavo PRO is available now at a price of $299.99/£257.95 (around AU$429), but coming in March 2022 is a cheaper mid-range version called the PRO DS, which will sell for $249.99/£228.95 (around AU$357). This has most of the pro-grade components of the flagship Wavo PRO, but is designed to deliver high-quality audio with simpler plug and play operation, a high-pass filter to cut low-frequency noise, 'safe track' for mono or dual channel recording and battery and audio level LEDs.

Joby Wavo AIR

The new Wavo AIR is a wireless lavalier mic kit with double transmitters and two lave mics, with cable adaptors for both cameras and phones. Like the other Wavo products, it's designed for ease of use and ‘instant-pairing’.

The AIR kit offers 2.4GHz audio capture, hands-free operation via a magnetic lanyard, belt clip or cold shoe mount, TRS and TRRS compatibility and a wireless range of up to 50m (164ft). The two mics allow audio recording from two different locations. Available now, the Wavo AIR costs $249.99/£214.95 (around AU$357).

Joby Wavo POD

Where the Wavo PRO and Wavo AIR are designed for location filming, the new Wavo POD is more for desktop streaming and podcasts. It's a large-diaphragm, USB condenser microphone with both cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns and 24bit/48kHz high-res sampling rates. 

In addition, the Wavo POD has a 3.5mm jack for headphone monitoring and along with a volume and gain knob with a mute function. Also included is a pop filter accessory to take out voice 'plosives'  and a desk stand. Connection s via USB Type-C for use with laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones, and there are two 1/4-inch mounts either side of the stand for fitting accessories or attaching the mic to a boom arm.

Available now, the Wavo POD is a more affordable option than the Pro and the AIR, costing $99.99/£85.95 (around AU$143).

Joby Wavo Lav PRO

Last but not least, the Wavo Lav Pro is a wired lavalier mic (as opposed to the wireless AIR model above), and it comes with a 2.5m long cable with a TRS connector for connecting to a camera. Also included is a foam windshield and an aluminium mounting clip. The Joby Wavo Lav Pro is available now and costs $79.99/£68.95 (around AU$114).

Read more:

• Best microphones
• Best USB mics
• Best XLR mics
• Best iPhone mics

As more and more people get into content creation, competition to provide the best tripods for vlogging is hotting up. Now Joby has launched not one, but two new ranges for this market, targeted respectively at newbies and the more experienced.

For beginners, the San Francisco company has developed the Joby PodZilla range. These flexible tripods, designed specifically for creatives starting out on their journey, are basically an update on the GorillaPod, replacing the ball joints with fully articulated legs. Coming in medium and large configurations, they boast a mobile phone holder and cold-shoe attachment points for portable lights and microphones.

For seasoned content creators, meanwhile, Joby has launched the Compact range of full-size tripods featuring four models: the Compact Light, Compact Action, the Compact Advanced, and the 2in1 Monopod. Read on for more details of both ranges.

• 7 ways video tripods are different to regular ones

The Joby PodZilla range

Joby's new Podzilla tripods sport a functional flex design based around an aluminum core, covered in a grippy rubber outer, making them flexible and easy to position. Each leg is fully articulated, to allow vloggers to achieve a stable, level platform for recording, whatever surface they're placed on.

The Joby Podzilla Medium measures 9.8 x 1.8 x 2.1 inches (25 x 4.8 x 5.4cm) and features a ¼-20 inch locking wheel mount with push-button adjustability. It's designed for supporting lights, mics and cameras and smartphones, with a special GripTight 360 Phone Mount for the latter. Spring-loaded rotation makes it easy to swap from portrait to landscape format, and the tripod is available in grey, red, teal and yellow.

Its bigger sibling, the Joby PodZilla Large, measures 12.4 x 2.1 x 2.8 inches (31.5 x 5.5 x 7.3cm) and its ¼-20 inch mount is designed to support loads of up to 2.5kg. It also features a built-in bubble level to help you fine-tune your platform level.

The Joby Compact range

Joby Compact is a new range of lightweight tripods (and one monopod) for vloggers on the go. There are four models, each designed for different shooting styles, locations, and types of content creation.

The Joby Compact Light is the lightest and simplest in the range, sitting somewhere between a mini- and full-size tripod. Weighing just 0.81kg, it can support a load of up to 1.5kg, and features a mobile phone mount. You can also attach lights, mics and your camera via a universal 1/4'-inch attachment, and there's a built-in ball head and single adjustment knob to lock it into place. 

The Joby Compact Action is aimed, as the name suggests, at generating action footage. Featuring the same QR plate as the BallHead 3K, found on the GorillaPod 3K Kit, it also boasts an ergonomic joystick head with a scroll-wheel locking mechanism, and a knob for switching from photo to movie mode.

The Joby Compact Advanced takes compact mirrorless and DSLR cameras, up to a combined weight of 3kg. The three-way head allows for smooth tilting and rotating, while the QR BallHead 3K is the same as the one used on the GorillaPod 3K kit. The kitted version of this tripod (and the Compact Action Tripod) adds a rotating phone clamp, with cold shoe mounts on both ends.

Finally, the Joby Compact 2-in-1 Monopod provides a slimline solution when space is tight. It can support up to 1kg in weight capability and features a compact BallHead for when you need a selfie stick, plus a pin-Joint mount for action shots. The four-section design includes lever-lock legs, and the whole thing weighs just 0.28kg.

The new tripods and monopods are all available to buy now, from Joby's website.

The Joby Beamo 12-inch ring light is designed to deliver flattering light for your face in the simplest possible way, with space in the center for your smartphone or camera, and cold shoe attachment points for microphones and other vlogging paraphernalia.

Whether you’re streaming, videoconferencing, vlogging or FaceTiming, you’ll be better off with some kind of lighting for your face (unless you have the sort of face that shouldn’t be lit). And while regular rectangular LED panels have all the power you need, they deliver a pretty harsh light source that doesn’t always look great.

A ring light does it differently. The light doesn’t come from a small flat panel but a large illuminated ring that throws light on to your face from a much wider angle for an altogether softer effect.

Ring lights can be complicated and pricey, but not this one. The Joby Beamo 12-inch ring light costs just $29.95/£24.95, yet still has a ten-step adjustable dimmer and three different color temperature settings.

What you don’t get is any in-built power, though. It actually runs off USB power, so you’ll need to hook it up to a laptop or other USB device, or plug in a USB power bank, we guess.

Measuring 12 inches across, it’s also quite a size to pack into a camera bag, though it does come with its own carrying bag. You also get a cold shoe adaptor, but you will have to provide your own tripod or stand – unless you go for one of four kit versions which include a GorillaPod (with or without Wavo mic), HandyPod or TelePod respectively.

Read more:

• Best ring lights
• Best camera phones
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Smartphone photography is here to stay, but few get the most out of even the best camera phone out there. Why? They don’t keep their phone still. Cue Joby’s StandPoint, an innovative case for iPhone 11/11 Pro/X/Xs and Google Pixel 4/4XL smartphones that has flip-out aluminium tripod legs. 

Sure, you could go all-out and get yourself one of the best iPhone tripods and smartphone supports, but this all-in-one case is as fuss-free as it gets. Useful for creative and long exposure photography such as milky waterfall shots, low light photography or long exposure night photography, the StandPoint is also useful for producing stable video content and hands-free vlogging. 

Specifications

Weight: 60g
Dimensions: 147x824x156 mm
Materials: case – polycarbonate and silicone, tripod legs – aluminium
Wireless charging: Qi compatible (with legs extended)
Phone compatibility: iPhone 11/11 Pro/X/Xs, Google Pixel 4/4XL

Key features

The tripod legs on the StandPoint aren’t extendable and nor is there much to them. Each one has a flat profile, and together they’re sunken into the rear of the case. However, even when they’re tucked-in they cause the centre of the StandPoint’s rear to bulge out slightly. 

The case includes moulded-in covers for buttons on the various models of smartphones it’s compatible with, though on the sample we had for the iPhone 11 the design encouraged a lot of ‘ghost presses’.

Build, handling and performance

Considering that its tripod legs are only millimetres thick, they supported an iPhone 11 well in our tests. It’s essentially a one-leg operation; you unfurl all three legs through 180º, bring the outer legs even further back, then adjust the middle leg to change the angle of the phone. The aluminium used in the legs proves essential, with the kind of stability that plastic wouldn’t offer – though only on flat surfaces – while rubber caps on the ends add plenty of grip. It’s also possible to use the tripod legs to get some stability on a railing or somesuch. 

However, the StandPoint isn’t perfect. You don’t get much of a range to play with; the StandPoint stands your phone up, but that’s about it for wide-angle photography. However, the middle tripod leg does have a decent range so can flexibly position a phone for close-up macro photography. Sadly there’s no chance to do anything in portrait orientation. 

The only other issue we encountered in our test was that although the tripod legs lie pretty flat when tucked-up, they did occasionally catch when we tried to yank it out of a pocket. 

As a bonus, when you’re not being creative with your smartphone’s camera the StandPoint works really well as a simple kickstand on any flat surface for watching movies. 

Verdict

A tripod for carrying around permanently with your smartphone, Joby’s StandPoint is a well-made product that works well on flat surfaces. With just enough range and grip, it adds some useful and fuss-free stability for creative photography and hands-free video. However, it’s also a great accessory for the commute and for travel since it works well as a kickstand on desktops, and on train and airline tray-tables. 

Read more:

• Best smartphone supports
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The new Joby RangePod Smart is the first full-size tripod from Joby, which made a name for itself in the vlogging and content creation community with the versatile GorillaPod line of mini tripods. 

This lightweight, travel-friendly Joby RangePod Smart is designed for the speedy and streamlined shooting that influencers and Instagrammers need, while delivering essential functions like support for both cameras and phones out of the box – as well as the ability to mount your phone upright for vertical shooting.

• Read more: Best mini tripods

Made of aluminum for toughness and durability with minimal weight, the tripod weighs just 1.69kg (2.7lbs) but can support a payload of up to 8kg – meaning that it's perfect for pairing with your phone if you want to stay light, or a heavy duty DSLR or mirrorless setup for higher end work. We used the RangePod Smart with a Canon EOS 5DS R and some chunky DSLR lenses, and it worked perfectly.

It collapses to an extremely convenient-to-carry 42.5cm, and extends to a very useful maximum height of 160cm – which makes it meaningfully taller than many other travel tripods, so you can shoot pieces to camera at head height much more easily. 

The Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release plate makes it easy to switch between handheld and tripod shooting, and the RangePod Smart includes a Joby Phone clamp with two quarter-inch attachment points. This enables you to mount your smartphone horizontally or vertically, so you can record vlogs and seamlessly switch to vertical video for Facebook and Instagram stories or TikTok shenanigans.

There is also a useful cold shoe, so you can attach your Joby Beamo LED lights or Joby Wavo microphone, and a detachable hook on the central column can be used to attach weights or your camera bag for extra stability. 

The Joby RangePod Smart is available now for £124.95 / $149.95 / AU$234.03. 

Read more: 

The best mini tripods: tabletop camera supports that'll fit in any kit bag
The best travel tripod: from full-size supports to bag-sized mini tripods
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For content creators, YouTubers, vloggers, videographers, and run-and-gun shooters everywhere, Joby has released a dynamic duo to solve your mobile light and sound needs: the Joby Beamo and Joby Wavo. 

We got hands-on with the new products in The Photography Show: Burst Mode studio. Not only were we very impressed with what the Joby Beamo and Joby Wavo have to offer individually, but also how they seamlessly combine with each other (as well as accessories like the Joby Gorillapod) to create an all-in system that pairs perfectly with the best vlogging cameras.

The cube-shaped light comes in two varities: the Beamo and Beamo Mini. The former is positively pocket-sized at 47 x 51 x 51mm, and weighs just 134g. It boasts 1,500 Lumen output (750 Lux at 1m, with a 95+/- color rendition index), is waterproof to 30ft / 100m, lasts up to 40 minutes at 100% power or 100 minutes at 50%, and can charge either wirelessly or via USB-C. 

The Beamo Mini is a tad tinier, at 39 x 51 x 51, and is magnetic, making it absolutely perfect for travel, so you can always stick a light somewhere even if you haven't brought a stand. As noted, it delivers more light than the Lume Cube Air (they're both 1,000 Lumens, but the Mini achieves 470 Lux at 1m compared to the Air's 400) and features the same waterproofing as its big brother.

Both products feature dual cold shoes, so you can mount them to a Gorillapod, to your camera, add a Wavo, or even assemble a "Beamo Wall" of four lights to create an LED panel with quadruple the output. 

The Joby Wavo is an extremely lightweight, compact but capable on-camera microphone – and like the Beamo, it comes in two flavors. The regular Wavo measures 93 x 75 x 71 mm, steps on the scales at just 40g, features a super cardioid polar pattern, Rycote Duo-Lyre double shock mount, and boasts 35Hz-20KHz frequency response, -38dBV sensitivity and 78db SPL signal to noise ratio.

The Joby Wavo Mobile is an even lighter kit, ideal for smartphone shooters, at a tiny 81 x 22 x 22 mm and a scant 17.4g. It features a cardioid pattern, Rycote Lyre single shock mount, and 35Hz-18KHz response, 31dBV sensitivity and 76db SPL signal to noise ratio. 

Both microphones can sit directly on your camera using the cold shoe, or can be mounted via the ¼ -20 thread. And, of course, they can mount onto one of the dual cold shoes on the Beamo, combining like Voltron to create a single connected audiovisual support system. Or you can attach them to a Gorillapod to provide targeting sound capture wherever you need it.

All the Beamo and Wavo varieties are available now. For more information, visit the Joby website. 

Read more: 

The best LED light panels in 2020: portable lighting for photography and video
The best microphone for vlogging and filmmaking in 2020
The 10 best pro video accessories in 2020

Looking for ultra small yet ultra powerful lights? Meet the Joby Beamo and Joby Beamo Mini – a pair of new products that promise professional lighting that fits in your pocket. 

While their ultra-compact size makes them perfect for content creation, our experience with a certain similar rival product attests that Joby Beamo will also provide useful all-purpose lighting for stills as well. 

Yes, the Beamo and Beamo Mini are quite similar to Lume Cube 2.0 and Lumecube Air. There are a few key differences, though, namely that the full-size Beamo offers wireless charging capability and the Mini is actually brighter than the Air – and not only are both products more affordable than their Lume Cube counterparts, they're designed to pair with Joby products like the GorillaPod and Wavo mic.

Let's start with the Beamo, which is positively pocket-sized at 47 x 51 x 51 mm and 134g. It boasts 1,500 Lumen output, for 750 Lux at 1m, with a 95+/- color rendition index (all the same as the Lume Cube). It's waterproof to 30ft / 100m, lasts up to 40 minutes at 100% power or 100 minutes at 50%, and can charge either wirelessly or via USB-C. 

The Beamo Mini is a tad tinier, at 39 x 51 x 51, and is magnetic, making it absolutely perfect for travel, so you can always stick a light somewhere even if you haven't brought a stand. As noted, it delivers more light than the Lume Cube Air (they're both 1,000 Lumens, but the Mini achieves 470 Lux at 1m compared to the Air's 400) and features the same waterproofing as its big brother.

Both products have been optimized to work with Joby's GorillaPod, creating a seamless system for content creators whether they're shooting with GoPros, smartphones, DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Both products feature dual cold shoes, so you can even assemble a "Beamo Wall" to create an a LED panel with quadruple the output. 

Both models start shipping this week, with the Joby Beamo retailing for $89.95 / £79.95 and the Joby Beamo Mini for £69.95 / £59.95 (Australian pricing and release info to follow).

Pre-order Joby Beamo / Mini from Amazon US

Pre-order Joby Beamo / Mini from Amazon UK

Read more: 

The best LED light panels in 2020: portable lighting for photography and video
The best photography lighting kits in 2020: for studio, location and video
The 10 best pro video accessories in 2020

Joby’s famous bendy-legged tripod can wrap itself around branches, posts and other handy bits of nearby scenery, but it’s just as useful as a flexible tripod you can bend and twist to fit any kind of terrain. It’s all achieved with the unique leg design, made up of a line of firm but flexible ball and socket joints which can be bent to any angle and then stay there until you bend them back.

The new GorillaPod 3K Pro steps up to anodised aluminium construction to make the new model more durable, stronger and smoother. It also comes with a new BallHead 3K Pro head, with a separate panning movement and a numbered scale on the base for accurate 360 pans.

The new head also has a 90-degree tilt movement and a full 360-degree pan, and has a small-scale Arca Swiss compatible quick release (QR) plate suited to the smaller footprint of today’s mirrorless cameras like those in our best cameras for vlogging guide. It’s designed with vloggers and content creators in mind and timed to meet higher demand for lightweight ‘travel’ supports that are quick and effective out in the wild.

It's probably a bit heavy duty to make it on to our list of the best iPhone tripods and supports, but it's certainly an alternative in the best travel tripod category if you like to travel light and move fast.

Vlog in to the future

Don’t be confused by the ‘3K’ model name. The GorillaPod 3K Pro is not designed for 3K video (that isn’t even a thing), but for a maximum payload of 3kg (3 Kilograms). (The next GorillaPod series in the range is the 5kg GorillaPod 5K.)

You can use the GorillaPod 3K Pro with or without the head to hold more than just cameras, including lights, microphones, monitors and other accessories up to the 3kg limit (3.3kg, to be exact.

There’s even a GorillaPad 3K Pro Rig option which adds in a Hub Plate and GorillaPod arms to mount all the add-ons you need for your vlogging adventures. It also makes it look like some weird vlogging robot from the 1960s, which is arguably the best bit.

The GorillaPod 3K Pro will be available from the summer of 2019 at prices yet to be confirmed.

Read more:
• The best iPhone tripods and supports
• The best travel tripod
• Best cameras for vlogging