Photos don’t improve when you’ve either chopped everyone’s heads off or rendered them so fuzzy that it looks like they’re drowning in a vat of lemonade, do they? So why do you carry on being a slave to bad snaps? If you don’t know the answer, then we do: it’s as simple as popping a cap on a bottle.
Access all angles
The Bottle Cap Tripod is a genius device to make your photos as clear and crisp as they possibly can be by stabilising your camera. And you don’t need expensive bits of kit or a hand as steady as an SAS man under fire either – just a standard screw-top bottle.
This pocket-sized gizmo pops on top of the bottle cap, gripping the plastic firmly, then screws into the tripod hole that you’ll find on 99% of cameras. Presto – you’re ready to shoot some amazing pics with all the clarity of a Rankin or a Snowdon. The Lord, that is, not the Welsh mountain.
Pop on the lid, then screw it!
The reasons you’ll need this are simple – you’ll be able to take shake-free photos in a trice. Loads of cameras have timers that you can use, but this means that – apart from having to arrange your mates in a row like a school assembly – you can put the camera wherever you want without having to stress about finding a stable surface with just the right angle. The tripod pivots round 360 degrees, and tilts 15 degrees too, so once you’ve landed your bottle down somewhere you can tweak away until you find just the right frame.
Like a tiger, it works even better in the dark. When you have to take photos at night your camera will want to take a longer exposure time to soak in whatever light it can get. If you try taking the snap by hand, your smallest movement will render the results a blurry mess – even if you’ve not drunk a drop, your visual memories of the evening will suggest otherwise!
So stabilise your snaps with one of these and you’ll be able to perform crystal-clear recall of the best moments – even if you’re three sheets to the wind.
Please Note:
Camera not included
Please ensure the bottle is at least half full with liquid to ensure a steady base
I got a quick question. Can anyone tell me how big and small a bottle is recommended. All the pictures show big bottles. Could a small bottle of water do the job? Angela, London - 26th January 2011
For large, heavy cameras or just more stability generally you need just ONE more item in your pocket ... A decent-sized heavy duty rubber band! Use it to clasp 3 bottles together for extra weight and stability. Smart thinkers will also be able to tweak the bottles for extra tilt - ensure the camera is mounted on the upside of the tilt pointing towards the low side. For more height use a 2 litre bottle with extra smaller (or same size) bottles. Remember 6 litres of water weighs 6Kg - that's almost a stone (13. 2 lbs actually). Adhesive tape (instead of the rubber band) around the bottles can be used for an even more stable platform. Sheesh! Nobody able to use their noggins any more? No elastic band or adhesive tape? Use a belt, shoelace, string!! C'mon people get inventive. Max, Reading - 10th December 2010
My step-dad is quite the camera enthusiast so I thought this would be an unusual buy for his birthday. They went on holiday not long after so took it along to try out. He loved the idea that you could just pop it in your pocket rather than carrying an actual tripod. The only problem he encountered was that depending on how big the bottle was and how much water it had depended on how upright it stayed. However he still likes it and will use it again so a thumbs up from him. Caroline, Aberdeen - 16th September 2010
Will this work for a Samsung ES17 camera? Abbie, - 14th September 2010
Firebox says: As long as your camera has a tripod mount then it will be fine.
Will this tripod be ok for a Olympus Digital 500? Anna, Bromsgrove - 13th May 2010
Firebox says: It sure will!
Hi, will this tripod support an SLR camera with a lens? Thanks. Ed, - 5th December 2009
EST. 1998
