Joby has announced a new tablet tripod mount which promises to hold your precious slate sturdily in position whether you are shooting photos, or using it to follow a recipe in the kitchen. We recently got the chance to test the GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro for Tablet ahead of its release.
We've used Joby's GorillaPods with our cameras for some time now, and recently our smartphones too with the firm's line of GripTight mounts, which featured in our round-up of the best smartphone camera accessories. Now Joby has announced a mount capable of holding tablets up to the size of the iPad Pro 9.7.
The GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro for Tablet consists of two parts. First, and the most familiar, are the bobbly and bendy legs which make up the tripod element of the stand. This is exactly the same as other GorillaPod tripods, and does a great job of standing on uneven surfaces, or wrapping around an object to give a secure hold.
Attaching to the top of this tripod (or others thanks to a standard thread) is a clamping mount which holds devices from 12.7 to 19 cm (5 to 7.5 inches). That covers most tablets (with or without a case) other than the likes of gargantuan iPad Pro. Screws on the mount allow it to be tilted vertically up to 150 degrees, and rotated between portrait and landscape orientations.
The new mount feels much more solid than previous spring-loaded GripTight mounts. Screw-locking stainless steel plates give the mount a premium feel, while the points at which the mount makes contact with your tablet are made from a soft plastic, so you don't have to worry about it scratching your precious tablet.
However, the screw locking system means the mount loses some of its convenience because users have to manually turn the screw to lock it, rather than simply letting go and it automatically tightening. That said, the three seconds of extra hassle is worth it, because you know your tablet is secure, and you have the ability to change orientation.
During our test with the GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro for Tablet, we used it in a number of situations we'd normally have simply balanced our iPad in position. The bendy legs and adjustable mount mean you can position the tablet exactly where you want. This makes it much more practical when using it as a second screen on the desk, or watching Netflix on the bedside table, and not propping it up at an angle with books.
While we wouldn't normally advocate using a tablet in place of a regular camera, the GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro for Tablet can come in handy for some shooting situations. For example, it feels secure and solid enough that I was happy letting my son use the iPad to make a stop-motion animation (he also liked it as an artist's easel).
If you're fed up of leaning your tablet against other objects when you want to use it hands-free, the GripTight GorillaPod Stand Pro for Tablet seems a good option. While there are obviously plenty of other tablet stand options out there, this one give more movement freedom than most. You can also use the legs as a standard GorillaPod tripod for your camera too, which is no bad thing.
The GripTight GorillaPod Stand PRO for Tablet, with the mount and GorillaPod stand is available now for US$70, while the GripTight Mount PRO for Tablet on its own costs $40.
Product page: Joby
