Love the GorillaPod, but wish it was bigger and sturdier? The Joby RangePod Smart is ideal for cameras and phones
(Image credit: James Artaius / Digital Camera World)
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.
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.
The Joby RangePod Smart comes with an Arca-Swiss plate and phone clamp, for camera or smartphone shooting (Image credit: Joby)
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.
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The Joby RangePod Smart is available now for £124.95 / $149.95 / AU$234.03.
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
