ZGrip iPhone Jr. available August 15th

Dave Caolo tempted TUAW readers in early July with news about Zacuto's ZGrip iPhone Pro, a handy (no pun intended) articulated grip for taking steadier video with the iPhone 3GS. While the US$295 price tag was a bit out of the realm of possibility for all but well-heeled iPhone geeks, there was a tantalizing bit of news at the end of the post stating that a "low-cost consumer version" would soon be released.

That news was very accurate, as you'll be able to buy the US$69 ZGrip iPhone Jr. starting this Saturday, August 15th. While it doesn't offer all of the features of the Pro model such as the rotating grip head, it holds an iPhone 3GS securely in a set of fingers, has a handle grip to steady your hold on the device, features an accessory mount on top for a light, and even has a standard mount on the bottom of the handle for attaching your iPhone to a tripod. Check out the video in the 2nd half of the post for details and a look at an early production model of the ZGrip iPhone Jr.

If you pre-order the ZGrip iPhone Jr. before Saturday, you can take another US$10 off of the purchase price. If you're still not tempted to buy one, what's your favorite way of keeping your iPhone 3GS steady while you're shooting video? Leave a comment below.

Here's the video:

View Tags

Source: http://www.zacuto.com/zgrip-iphone-pro

Categories

Accessories Hardware Video Odds and ends iPhone

Dave Caolo tempted TUAW readers in early July with news about Zacuto's ZGrip iPhone Pro, a handy (no pun intended) articulated grip for...

Add a Comment

Sign in »

28 Comments

Filter by:

loocodnom

Why would anyone spend $70 for this shit? It'd cost almost nothing to just make your own.

August 14 2009 at 5:40 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Somatiknyc

If they add a Scrotum tickler attachment, I might be interested.

August 14 2009 at 12:02 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Viva La Snake

iGun?

August 13 2009 at 9:33 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Bill Mac

For those of you with other suggested "stabilizers" - how do you attach the iPhone to those tripod heads anyway?

I think that's one thing the ZGrip seems to solve. - but a SteadyCam of any kind it is certainly NOT.

August 13 2009 at 6:09 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

coyo t

Manfrotto ModoSteady ~$40

http://www.google.com/search?q=modosteady

August 13 2009 at 4:49 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

starq

My favorite iPhone holder located here.

http://www.iphonesavior.com/images/2008/06/30/telstra_iphone_3g.jpg

It;s just a prototype - but I think it'll be pretty popular.

August 13 2009 at 4:30 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Kev orng

It's not a bad idea; As video cameras get smaller and lighter and attached to cell phones, they get less and less stable if you want to do any kind of pan or move. Ask any video professional, they'll tell you that weight and size is key to smooth movement. But if you don't have that, you can approximate it by having a pistol-grip for your video camera.

I have a small consumer video camera for family stuff, and it drives me crazy, but I don't do enough family video to shell out for a mini steadicam, so I found a compromise: I put the camera on a monopod, but instead of extending the monopod out, I just use it like a pistol grip. The weight of the lower end of the monopod counterbalances the small camera just right, and it goes a long way towards stabilizing those moving shots.

August 13 2009 at 4:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

macmonkeymark

It's quite simple - the quality of the iPhone's image and video does not warrant this type of thing. I could spend $249 on a camera that would give way better quality, with real camera like features.

August 13 2009 at 4:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

donotflame

Wait... you will see this in the bargain clearance racks at Best Buy before too long for $9.95. If one really needed this to hold the iPhone still then they need Xanax to calm their nerves. I mean really people! I agree this has to be the stupidest iPhone accessory I have seen yet. It would seem less stupid at $9.95 - but who in their right friggin mind would spend $249 for the "PRO" model? I want to find those folks to see if I can sell them some property in South Beach.

August 13 2009 at 3:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to donotflame's comment

jason

This product seems prime material for www.woot.com.

August 13 2009 at 4:37 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Lee (UK)

I present to you 30 seconds work with a tripod head grip, super high tech attachment. Cost me nothing as i has it all in the house but to buy a tripod head with an iphone holder $20 total max.

http://twitpic.com/drfly

August 13 2009 at 3:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to Lee (UK)'s comment

KaneBaker

From what i'm finding about the Z grip, it doesn't actually do any stabilization. So it's kind of pointless to me. I was hoping it stabilized.

I use this for my Lumix GH1 and Canon 5D
http://www.glidecam.com/product-x-10.php

Mind you you can use the system without a vest, but it gets heavy quickly. The footage is definitely something I couldn't get anywhere close to without the rig.

August 13 2009 at 4:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply