Phontography Week: Got Tripod?
Welcome to Phontography Week here at Symbian-Guru. If you’ve purchased one of the latest S60 3rd Edition smartphones, such as the N95, N82, or even the N73, there’s no doubt that you’re at least interested in snapping photos with your phone, and likely have been for quite a while. The cameras on our phones are increasing in quality with each new model, and there are alot of people, like myself, who either don’t even own a stand-alone camera, or who only use it in rare occasions.
So, you’re using your phone as a camera – great. But are you really using it to its full potential? Of course you are, but we’d like to help those who aren’t quite yet. This week we’ll be checking out various tools that we use to get the most out of the cameras on our phones. The first tool that any photographer needs is a good tripod. While this is really helpful for timed shots, it’s also a must-have if you’re planning to experiment with stop-motion, and can help you get a more crisp photo, since it holds your phone steady.
Since none of our phones have the standard tripod screw-port on them, though, we need something designed specifically for phones to attach to a tripod. Enter the Nokia DT-22. I’ve written about it before, but this is one indispensable little tripod. It’s not super tall, but the real handy part of it is the clamp that screws into the top, anyways.
As you can see above, the clamp on the Nokia DT-22 features 2 thickly padded arms that you can tighten around your phone to hold it steady. On the bottom of this clamp is the standard screw-port, allowing you to use it in conjunction with the bundled tripod, or any other camera tripod. Unfortunately, the DT-22 is incredibly difficult to find, and there are even reports that it’s been discontinued.
No worries, as there is already a cheaper alternative on the market – the Sunpak Versipod. Available on Amazon for as little as $15, this tripod works just like the Nokia DT-22. Matthew Bennett from Nokia Daily News (great video podcast, btw, and one that’s listed on the Symbian-Guru OPML file) owns this particular replacement.
My Nokia DT-22 is standard equipment in my gadget bag, and should be the same for anyone planning to do some serious photography with their S60-powered smartphone. It’s small enough to fit in a gadget bag without taking up too much room, and you can use the clamp from the tripod on any professional camera mounts, as it uses the same standard screw-port. Brilliant.
Do you use a tripod when you take photos with your phone? Did you find one that works even better? If so, let us know and we’ll be sure to check it out! Stay tuned the rest of this week for more phontography coverage here at Symbian-Guru.com!
If only that DT-22 fit my E61i…
@AC – agreed. I would *LOVE* to see Nokia start offering the clip on its own, and in a new format that would not only accomodate the widebody models like the E61i, but also be able to hold the others in landscape mode, since that’s how photos are taken. I’m constantly juggling my DT-22 a bit to hold the N95-3 appropriately without toppling over.
Tripods are very fun when mixed with Nseries!
[...] on the heels of the last Phontography Week post, I wanted to cover the QuikPod, a tool that’s really similar to the DT-22 or Sunpak Versipod, [...]
Hey, Ricky
Thanks for the plug! I means a lot to get linked to from the Guru!
I do have the Sunpak Versipod, and it’s ok. Both the versipod and the dt-22 are tough to get working with an N95-3. There’s just too many buttons on the outside of that phone. I searched on Flickr, and found a couple new ways to hold an N95. Here’s the way that Steve Garfield loads his N95: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevegarfield/2476266538/
Phontography! It’s good enough, and it’s in your pocket. TM. : )
hey i got some concerns – the clamp on the Sunpak Versipod (since DT-22 is not available commercially) is it lined with some kind of soft material inside of the clamp? Do you think over time it will manage to scratch the phone?
Before i order it i wuould definetly like to know about whether it scratches the phone or not? and what about the Go-Go tripod from Gorillapod, supposedly for mobile device? does it have a clamp too?
@matthew – i think thats a very risky way of phonography…what if the clamp manages to scratch the screen? i think i will pass that technique…
[...] Guru – Phontagraphy Week! First up, the Sunpak Versipod, next up the [...]
thanks for telling me… No wonder you are the guru! :)
(please delete my earlier post… some typing gremlins hypnotized me!)
[...] now that you have the physical tools you need to snap great photos, you’ve been snapping away – a regular shutterbug, you [...]
Man i searched the net like crazy but can not find Nokia DT22 anywhere. Guru where did you get yours from? Its silly of me asking this question because you have been to every flagship store right? :-)
I got my DT-22 on Ebay over a year ago – and paid $40, mind you. Matthew says that the Versipod quality doesn’t seem to be too bad, and it’s FAR cheaper than the DT-22.
[...] we’ve helped you find tools to take better pictures, and showed you how to edit them directly on your phone, but now [...]
[...] Ricky has covered a couple of brilliant items that will help mobile photography along a bit; a couple of tripods, a tutorial on how to edit your phontos on your phone- and he’s covered a couple [...]
Ordered Versipod in blue color with carrying case. i should have it early next week. I think it will help me a lot because i have been tired of holding my phone infront of my face and making videos of myself for my family. :)
[...] week we’ve covered several ways to help phontographers keep a steady hand, how to edit the resulting images on your phone and then upload them to the Internet or [...]
[...] Phontography Week: Got Tripod?Phontography Week: Quick, Get Your QuikPodPhontography Week: Editing Photos On Your DevicePhontography Week: Uploading Your PhotosPhontography Week: Resco Photo Viewer- Never Open Your Gallery AgainPhontography: What Are You Going To Do With All Of Those Photos?Phontography Week: The Awards and Contests [...]
[...] a big proponent of the Nokia DT-22, specifically the clamp attachment, as it connects to any standard photography tripod and holds my [...]