HOW-TO: 5 easy DIY Tripod mounts for camera phones
- PhotoED Magazine
- Jul 6, 2017
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 9, 2019
Necessity is the mother of invention. You have probably noticed that phone cameras do not have a tripod mount. Not a problem when shooting hand held in most situations, but some situations require a steady camera. Here are some quick & clever DIY approaches that can be assembled with little cost and all the parts listed can be easily found at your local hardware store.
STUFF YOU'LL NEED:
THE BINDER CLIP
What you will need:
• A small binder clip
• 1/4-20 (1/4-inch-20) wing nut
• Pliers
• Thin rubber padding for inside the metal clip (to protect phone)
Procedure:
1. Use a pair of pliers to bend the top of one of the clip handles 90 degrees.
2. Use the 1/4-20 wing nut to attach the tripod and the phone via the binder clip.
3. If the bent clip handle is wobbly, use tape to fasten it securely to the tripod.
NAIL PLATE OR RAFTER TIE
What you will need:
• A nail plate or rafter tie
• Pliers
• Wing nut (1/4-20)
• 1/4-inch drill bit for metal
• Drill
• Hard shell phone case
• Plastic velcro picture hanging strips
Procedure:
1. Use the pliers to bend the nail plate or rafter tie to 90 degrees.
2. Using the 1/4-inch drill bit, drill a hole in the centre of the plate about an inch (2.5 cm) away from the bend.
3. Apply one of the picture hanging strips to the vertical side of the plate and the other to the outside of the hard shell case. Use the wing nut to attach the nail plate to the tripod.
4. Place the phone in the case and connect the case to the plate.
THE L-BRACKET
What you will need:
• L-bracket (3 × 3/4–inch metal corner brace). If you use a
smaller L-bracket, you will need to drill a hole and use a wing nut.
• Hard shell phone case
• Plastic picture hanging strips
Procedure:
1. The 3 × 3/4–inch L-bracket should be just the right size to thread onto a tripod mount.
2. Use plastic picture hanging strips with the hard shell case as in previous procedure.
Using this size L-bracket is a big improvement over using a nail plate or rafter tie since with this size L-bracket no bending or drilling is required and there is no need for a wing nut. Set the L-bracket camera assembly on a tripod and you are ready to start shooting.
THE ADVANCED L-BRACKET FOR SOUND
Recording sound? If you’re finding that your in-camera microphone is less than ideal, attach an external microphone to the phone camera to improve the situation. But, you then discover that the camera phone does not come with an accessory shoe. A hand bracket with an accessory shoe easily solves this problem. The hand bracket also helps to keep the camera steady when you use it without a tripod and makes for easier handling of the phone camera.
BELT CLIP WITH HARD SHELL CASE
What you will need: • A belt clip hard shell phone case (available at most cellphone case vendors) • A plastic velcro picture hanging strip
Procedure: 1. Reverse the phone case so the camera lens sticks out above the belt clip. 2. Attach a plastic hanging strip to the inside of the clip. 3. Connect the belt clip to the L-bracket on a tripod.
The belt clip is versatile and can be used with the L-bracket on a tripod. The clip allows for the rotation of the case from vertical to horizontal. Its big advantage is that it is always with you and can be used without a tripod (which may not always be with you). All you need is something steady to clip the case to.
