TrekPod Go!
Monopod, Tripod & Hiking Staff
with MagMount AR/i
The TrekPod
Go! is a monopod, tripod &
hiking staff. There are three models
available. The carbon fiber TrekPod XL™
is the top
of the line decked out with a
MagMount PRO ball head, and is the
lightest at 22.5 oz. The TrekPod Go! PRO
with a MagMount PRO ball head, and the
TrekPod ll™ with a MagMount AR/i
ball head.
I have been testing the TrekPod Go! with
the original MagMount AR/i ball head
with excellent success. This model is
the
predecessor to the TrekPod Go! PRO.
The PRO model has the improved
MagMount PRO ball head. It is rated to
hold heavier equipment and has the new
Trek Lock rotating locking system.
My first test with the TrekPod Go! with a
Canon VIXIA HF100 High Definition
Camcorder using the 'Mag Adapter - Light
Force' to attach the camcorder. While
using most videocameras is possible,
it's not going to give the same results
that you can achieve when using the
Video KIT. The Video KIT will allow you
to keep the video camera level as you
pan and tilt. It is also helpful when taking
panoramic still photos. The Video Kit
comes bundled
with the TrekPod Go!
PRO and includes the Video pan and tilt
head and arm and the versatile T-Pod
with the MagMount STAR ball head.
Touring Japan in 2008 and 2009 was the
perfect time to test many of the features
of the TrekPod Go! It was a very
impressive test and I was very pleased
with its performance, especially with
stills. I also tested the tripod and
monopod features using a 'point &
shoot' camera. I tried it at many of the
temples in Kyoto, on Mt. Fuji and around
Tokyo, as well as on the beach in
Okinawa. It performed flawlessly for
stills and reasonably good for video.
I was able to sit comfortably in the
bleachers at the giant aquarium in
Okinawa without disturbing anyone else
siting around me, while using the tripod.
With other tripods I would always have to
stand in
the back row. In most cases in
the past I would be singled out and told
that I couldn't use a tripod. The Trekpod
has a kind of stealth quality about it.
It looks like a kind of cane. Once I sat
down in the bleachers I opened the legs
and installed
the camera with the click-on
magnet already attached to my camera,
and zip-zoom I was in business with no
one the wiser.
I also did miles of walking in Kyoto on
the
streets and sidewalks testing the
hiking staff. It has a high quality ski pole
type web strap. When using the strap like
a ski pole it feels like a natural extension
of your arm
and wrist. The three rubber
feet of the tripod legs stay firmly
locked
together and form a non-slip solid
support perfect hiking, whether on
sidewalks or trail hiking.
Testing the tripod with the added support
of the Safety
Clip, and the 'Mag Adapter -
Heavy Force' which holds the camera to
the MagMount AR/i ball head mounting
system, It was able to hold a DSLR Nikon
D70 Camera, which weighs a lot especially
with a large zoom lens (80x200 2.8f)
hanging off the camera and still it held
the
Nikon well enough that I could let go of
the camera and it stayed where it was put.
In order
to have it hold heavy cameras
and heavy camcorders you MUST use the
Safety Clip, which is part of the MagMount
system. Of course this
test was done with
the MagMount AR/i, which now only
comes with the economy model and
would be supported more firmly with
either of the Go! models which use the
MagMount
PRO ball head, which is more
versatile and sturdy.
The fact
that it comes with a ball head
means that although you can't adjust the
legs to level the tripod function, you can
use the ball head to level the camera.
So as long as the tripod and camera are
not leaning over too far you can either
use the tripod to support and steady a
camera as you shoot or if it isn't leaning
too much, you can use it as a tripod.
I will be replacing
the MagMount AR/i ball
head that came with my TrekPod Go!
with
the new and improved MagMount PRO
ball head, essentially creating a TrekPod
Go! PRO.
With the further inclusion of
the The Video KIT I will be creating the
Go! Pro Video Kit.
With this setup, I will be testing still
photography with a 'point and shoot'
camera and my DSLR Nikon D70 with
my 80/200 lens. For my tests with the
Canon VIXIA camcorder I will swop out
the MagMount PRO ball head for the
Pan and Tilt Video head.
Once
these new additions arrive I will be
able to start reporting my results.
I tend
to shoot a lot of panoramic stills and
will now have the opportunity to create
better, easier
and faster stills for my
Photoshop stitching.
Check back to see my updates.
(The following text if from TrekPod's
website.)
A revolutionary multi-purpose tripod
system that is the most exciting and
innovative new outdoor recreation
product to come along in years!"
TrekPod provides a unique multi-
function solution that is portable,
stable and quickly interchangeable.
The TrekPod light-weight
tripod/monopod/hiking
& wading
staff converts from hiking mode to
tripod in seconds, and attaches your
camera or observation
optics via
the fully integrated quick-release
MagMount system instantly.
TrekPod with MagMount allows
you
to take your outdoor experience to
a new level. Enjoy more comfortable
hiking, fatigue-free photography
and observation and get the shots
never before possible!
