I’ll start this review with the fact that I am a Platypod Pro. I receive gear at no charge and do work for them. Fortunately, this fact gives me an inside track when a new product comes to market. I’ve been working with the Delta for a while. I had one of the prototypes and saw the improvements made before the final model came out.
What is the Delta?
If you have been a user of Platypod products you know there have been subsequent improvements from original models. The latest was the eXtreme which is a great base with foldable legs. It’s the fastest low level camera base easily deployed and packed away. If there was one thing that could be better, it would be to make it smaller. Larry accepted the challenge. He took the unit down to pocket size, still with all the features of the eXtreme. On the KickStarter page, he said: “Think of Delta as your incredibly compact tripod legs. Just add a tripod head or phone mount to angle or position your equipment any way you like.” Kickstarter price is $59 plus shipping. Retail will be $79 after the Kickstarter deliveries. Other rewards are available.
Pros
- Pocket-sized
- Legs deploy quickly
- Can be strapped to tree or pole
- Hang from belt or backpack
- Bottle opener
- Supports 22 pounds
Cons
- Spikes are very sharp (although covered with screw-on covers)
Platypod Delta Travel Tripod — Technical specifications
- Length: 5.8 inches – 14.7 cm
- Width: 3.9 inches – 9.9 cm
- Thickness: 1/4 inch – 6 mm
- Weight: 4.2 oz – 119 grams
Platypod Delta Travel Tripod — Ergonomics
This little unit is solid. Made of 6 mm aircraft grade aluminum it can support up to 22 pounds. Add any ball head to the 3/8ths mount. If you don’t have a spare or need to remove a head from your main tripod, the Platypod Traveler is a perfect small ball head. Use the Delta facing either direction but if you have a heavy lens, place that over the two legs side. It took me a few times out to realize that made the camera stable. My instinct was to put the camera over the single leg.
As with all Platpod tripods, there is a number of attachment areas. Four 1/4 inch threaded sockets, three countersunk holes for semi permanent attachment. Two open belt hooks allow for ease of using the included mounting strap for poles and tree limbs. Hang the Delta from your belt, bag or backpack. with a three inch carabiner. It clips through the designed bottle opener.
Platypod Delta Travel Tripod — In the field
In testing, I made a couple images using the Platypod Traveler ball head. Even though you have a tripod that can be right on the ground, it doesn’t HAVE to be that low. For my image of the star trails, I set the Delta on a rock cairn which gave me a comfortable height with which to work. For the red rock sunset a column made a great place to rest the camera. You can place this on your car as well without a scratch. There are extendable silicone covers for the spikes.
The inventor
Inventor Larry Tiefenbrunn is a pediatrician of 40 plus years with a love for photography, tinkering and making things easier for photographers. Larry is involved with photography for over 50 years. One of the things that makes Platypod work is Larry queries photographers about his ideas. He works with them on concepts, and takes that into engineering design. Models made are sent out to professional photographers and put through paces. Here’s the main thing: he LISTENS. Any issues discovered are addressed before final production. That sets him apart from other manufacturers which I have worked where feedback was requested, and then ignored.
Yours in Creative Photography,
Bob
