However, I threw caution to the wind and attached the mount to my Canon 20D. It looked absolutely ridiculous, until I secured it and stepped away. Not only did it not fall, but it was very secure considering it was being held by a modified monopod and a magnet. Not only that but the TrekPod is very light, about 27 ounces. The aluminum body also adheres to my rule for tripods, if needs be it can be used as a very sturdy weapon (just in case one of those deep woods muggers happens to take a liking to your camera). It does help to be handy with a bo staff.
The one thing that I thought they could have put more thought into was the way the legs are held together. It is heavy-duty velcro, but it's still velcro. It makes transforming the pod to a tripod into a two handed operation. The MagMount is just so cool and unique, but the velcro around the legs might as well be duct tape.
For day hikes and as a substitute to lighten your load it is the perfect camera multi-tool. I'm not going to be throwing out my six pound Bogen tripod anytime soon. For night shots, portrait work and extreme weather situations I still want a rugged heavy tripod with a mount that has two locks and allows me to just fold up the legs and throw it over my shoulder. The TrekPod will certainly cover a lot of miles with me and I can't wait to fold it up and throw it into my luggage the next time I travel instead of the Bogen.
Trek-Tech now also has a MagMount that they claim will hold up to 13.5 pounds which I would feel more comfortable using my 70-200 zoom lens with (I haven't built up the courage to try it with the current mount). All their products can be seen at their website, Trek-Tech.com and look for them soon on BivWak.
3 comments:
Will this hold a video camera? Like a Cannon GL2 - a pretty large camera. Not sure if it weighs over 13 pounds or not...this would be perfect though for being easy to carry and keeping the camera steady on filmed hunts.
I would definately give them a call before mounting a GL2 on one, but I don't think they are more than 13 pounds. If anything it would offer you a quick steady rest, just in case. They also offer a magnetic rifle rest for steadying those long shots. It' a pretty useful little tool.
Are the feet adjustable at all?
It looks like you could only use this on level surfaces... of which there are not usually many when out hiking :)
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