Whether you use your DSLR for video or photography, the new Splat flexible tripod from Miggo is an accessory to get hold of. It packs flat inside a backpack and gives you support for your camera, but also for flashes or LED panels.
First things first: although Splat can hold a DSLR, users should be aware that the weight limitations for the product – maximum camera weight is 1200 gr. or 2.6 lbs – suggest it is better to not get your professional DSLR and a long lens over the three blue legs that can be contorted and adjusted to hold DSLR cameras. It simply does not work, and it will be your fault if you go ahead with the experience, and get into trouble.
A DSLR with a small lens will do fine, and for those that hate to carry any kind of tripod around, the Splat may be the best thing coming out to the market recently. As mentioned above, it packs easily in a backpack. Lightweight – weight 111 gr. or 0.24 lbs -, thin and flat when returned to the original position, it works both as a support to a camera or accessory and – give it a try – as a way to get a more stable video shoot (see image published above). While it is in no way a stabilizer, Splat can also be used in video as a way to support your LED panels, if you use them.
Although the height of the tripod is not much, at only 13 cm. / 5.1 inch, it gives enough distance from the ground or surface where it is placed for better control of the light, as I try to show in the “studio like” shot published with this article. When it comes to placing LED panels around a subject, the Splat does a nice job. And it should be remembered that one of the legs as a hanging eyelet, meaning it is possible to hang the tripod from a nail.
The legs can be contorted and adjusted in multiple positions around different elements, including branches and fences. Miggo states that “Splat’s three-legged structure is made of 80% rubber and 20% stainless steel, making it both pliable and durable; it can hold more than 1.5 lbs. The Splat is lightweight, making it easy to carry on the go, whether fastened onto purse straps, belt loops, or thrown into a bag.”
A standard ¼ 20” screw with locking ring at the center of the tripod fits all cameras and allows the connection, through adapters, of different accessories, like the LED panel and flash I used during this test of the
product. This means that the tripod, in my case, is both used inside, with LED panels, as that’s where I use them most, but will travel quite a bit outside, to support my flash.
If you use flash away from the camera a lot and are always looking for ways to support or keep it at a safe distance from the ground, the tripod from Miggo might be your best friend. I especially liked the fact that it would help me keep the flash above wet grass in the morning or would make it easy to place the tripod on top of rocks. The blue coloured legs are covered with rubber, that does not slip and is easy to clean. The non-slip dots at the end of each leg give extra grip to the Splat. The legs even resisted the testing bites from Yellow, my new company at the office, a curious cat that keeps exploring – and testing her own way – the products I receive for testing.
With a recommended price of $24.99, the Splat flexible tripod is a good investment if you want to carry around a small tripod that supports your camera and short lens, but for me it is mostly a smart way to put my lights where I need to have them without having to carry a – usually, bulky, even if small – accessory around. The fact that it is flat makes it easy to pack it in the notebook compartment present in so many of today’s backpacks. Or you can fold the legs and secure it somewhere else, like an external belt on your bag.
Visit Miggo to know more about the Splat flexible tripod. And with Christmas coming round soon, give yourself a useful gift.