review

Joby GripTight PRO TelePod Review Selfie Tripod Combo With Remote

Wednesday, May 05, 2021

From video blogging to casual photography, two must haves in anyone's photography accessory arsenal should be a selfie stick and a tripod or, even better a combo of the two like the one pictured! The Joby GripTight PRO TelePod is a nifty assortment kit of Joby accessories that includes a Cold Shoe PRO mount, GripTight PRO phone clamp holder, Impulse bluetooth remote shutter, GoPro tripod adapter, a wrist lanyard and a GripTight PRO TelePod selfie tripod - the main bit of kit.


The GripTight PRO TelePod selfie tripod consists of a telescopic column built-in to a handle grip that transforms into a neat tripod with three folding legs that have a 45 degree angle spread. The round mid section holding the telescopic column and tripod legs is made of solid stainless steel metal with a glossy plastic finish covering it.

The GripTight PRO TelePod telescopic column is made of three collapsible aluminium sections that retract by collapsing on each other. The telescopic column has a twist lock mechanism that allows you to lock the entire column or each section individually to prevent the column from collapsing accidentally. 

Fully extended, the telescopic column measures 42cm long with the bottom section being the longest (15cm). The middle and top sections measures 14cm and 13cm respectively. At the very tip of the telescopic column, there is a plastic plate with a 1/4 inch male screw and a detachable red rubber ring.

The second main bit of kit, it's the all-in-one phone clamp holder, which has a removable cold shoe mount (on top) and dual 1/4 inch adapters on the side for attaching other accessories such as external lights. 

The phone clamp holder can be swiveled clockwise at different angles (up to 90 degrees) via a knurled clamping knob on the rear. This rear clamping knob has dual functionality, letting you also adjust the height of the clamp holder (up to 9.5cm high). The clamp holder can also be tilted forward (up to 90 degrees) and tilted backward (up to 225 degrees) via a long knurled clamping knob.


The GripTight PRO clamp holder is not spring loaded. Instead, you have to manually slide up the top section of the clamp holder and then tightening it in place via the rear clamping knob. The sliding section of the clamp holder cannot be removed. While not as convenient as a spring loaded clamp, the GripTight PRO clamp holder feels more secure and durable because there is no spring mechanism.

The GripTight PRO clamp holder is made mostly of plastic with a metal inner frame. The knurled clamping knobs consist of a metal screw bolt with a plastic knob, measuring 18mm in diameter. The knobs are easy to grip, even with winter gloves. Both clamping knobs are non-removable. The GripTight PRO clamping arms are rubberized, as well as the panel to minimize metal grinding noise.



The GripTight PRO TelePod handle grip measures 21cm long from the bottom end to the tip of the tripod thread. With the phone clamp holder, the total length of the GripTight PRO TelePod is 35cm. The phone clamp holder dimensions (when fully retracted) are 5.5cm wide and 5cm high.


The tripod legs measure 16cm long, 3cm wide and 1cm thick and have an inward contour on the underside. The tripod legs are reinforced with fiberglass and feature textured rubber that provides excellent gripping surface for the hand. The tripod legs extend out to a maximum 36cm spread, clipping securely into place.


The included wrist strap measures 20cm long (0.8cm wide) and allows you to loop the GripTight PRO TelePod grip around the wrist while keeping it secure in the hand. The wrist lanyard has a small ladderlock and cinch to adjust the strap and/or detach it from the handle grip. There is a small hole opening on the front side of the tripod legs so, you can reposition the lanyard strap.

And last, but not least, it's Joby's Impulse - a neat wireless remote for controlling the electronic shutter of the camera phone. The remote shutter is made of plastic and integrates a single button with a clicky actuation. The remote uses Bluetooth 3.0 to connect to the phone and, it's powered via a 220 mAh coin cell battery (CR2032), which is included.

When not in use, the remote shutter can be clipped on to the tripod legs via a plastic retainer, which has a small plastic notch on the back of it that inserts snugly into the rubbery hole opening of the tripod leg, keeping it very secure. 

The shutter remote slides onto the plastic retainer, slotting into place so, it will not fall out. The shutter remote also comes with a thin red fabric cord that is attached to a small key ring. The remote shutter weighs 5 grams and measures 3cm long, 2.5cm wide and 0.8cm thick.


The GripTight PRO TelePod weighs 376 grams, including the phone mount bracket, which weighs 139 grams by itself. The handle grip alone weighs 235 grams. The included GoPro style tripod mount includes a long metal thumbscrew, which weighs 10 grams. 

The GoPro tripod adapter with a male thread weighs 16 grams, while the female GoPro tripod adapter weighs 9 grams. You can buy the Joby GripTight PRO TelePod from amazon. Check out the Joby FreeHold universal kit and the RangePod full size tripod. Check out the review of the JOBY GorillaPod Kit with GorillaFeet Duck

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