Tech Tuesday: Joby's Action Clamp & GorillaPod Arm Preview

I’ve been a big fan of Joby since I first saw the original GorillaPod, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that yet another product from the same company has caught my eye.

One of several just-announced Action Series products, the Action Clamp and GorillaPod Arm is a $30, three-part accessory that combines the convenience of a clamp with a GorillaPod Arm and a tripod 1/4″-20 (or removable GoPro) mount.

This little device offers a good alternative to the many attachment options for small action cameras like GoPro, Sony’s Action Cam and the Contour as well as smartphones with the optional GripTight Mount.

The adjustable clamp fits around poles and other round or flat surfaces less than two inches thick. The GorillaPod Arm attaches to either side of the clamp and its five ball-and-socket joints can be twisted and bent into just about any position you need.

While some of the hottest videos from these little cameras are generated by skydivers, surfers, mountain bikers and other high energy sports’ enthusiasts and professionals, sometimes you don’t need—or want—that first-person POV. Instead, maybe you want to do a behind-the-scenes video of a fashion or portrait shoot to post on your website. Perhaps you want to grab some video footage of a sporting event while shooting stills, or maybe you want to capture frames for a timelapse or stop motion video?

Sure, you can set up a tripod or even a standard GorillaPod for some of these situations, but the combination of clamp and bendable arm provides both stability and flexibility.

All together, the three components (clamp, arm and tripod mount for GoPro) weigh a little more than 4 ounces. The clamp measures 2.72 x 1.25 x 5.1 inches, while the arm’s dimensions are 0.98 x 0.98 x 4.8 inches, so the device is easy to toss in a small bag along with your action camera and you’re good to go. And, it’s only $30.

Also visit the Joby site to check out the other new products in the Action Series.