Unboxing The XShot

We just received an XShot, the cool little extension device that you attach to your still or video cam that allows you long and/or panoramic shots without the aid of an extra person. Its stainless steel shaft is indeed lightweight and extends 37-inches. The screw is a standard one used on tripods and it has the tilt capability of 180º. The company claims that it will fit in your pocket when closed (9-inches,) but those would have to be some pretty big jeans to accommodate it. It does, however, have a nice lanyard for carrying and a very comfortable rubber grip. Full review and demo after the jump.

The most important point to remember about the XShot is that you cannot use it on any cam weighing over 12 oz. Mike Wrathell, artist and photographer, offered to take it on a test run. His Minolta was too heavy and he had to physically brace it. That pretty much defeated its purpose. We then attached it to our Flipvideo. Although we don’t have an adapter, we did have enough packing tape to jury rig it.

We wanted to be able to duplicate the special effect that others have discovered when using the XShot, so we asked him to do a 360º turn, which he cleverly reversed after a time. (We told you he was an artist.)

A bit eerie, we think it would be entertaining if used for traveling in front of a huge background like Times Square, inside a volcano, or on the bridge of the Titanic. Just think of its usefulness when you are in the cheap seats at a concert or competing with paparazzi. We were so jazzed at the results that we wanted to recreate a scene out of “Heaven’s Gate,” just for another excuse to use it.

Mike also mentioned that not only was it fun for him to play with, it seemed to him so “super-ultra-easy” to utilize that it might get kids interested in filmmaking as well. At the reasonable price of $24.95, you have to get an XShot if for no other reason than that your vacation stills and videos will never be the same. Definitely an A+ in our books, we can’t wait until a heavy-duty version comes out. By the way, if you decide to take the plunge, they would love to have your experiences and samples on their website.

(Thanks, Todd)

 

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