The XShot – So Mom Can Be In The Pictures Too
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Miss Britt in Tech
If my photo albums are to be believed, I’ve never been around on Christmas morning.
I’ve also never attended a birthday party for my kids, stayed home for their first day of school, or gone on a family vacation.
As far as photographic evidence is concerned, I don’t exist.
I am not a neglectful mother. I do, in fact, relish these memories with my children. I just happen to be the only one who relishes them enough to take pictures. As the person behind the camera, it’s rare to find me in our family photos.
It’s also rare to find pictures of me traveling. I have hundreds of pictures of buildings and landscapes and interesting tourist attractions. But few of those photos feature me in any capacity other than “unseen photographer”.
But all of that is about to change thanks to the XShot.
The XShot is a camera extender – which is basically a handheld tripod. You attach your camera to the end of the XShot, set the timer, and take a picture.
Like so:
picture provider by XShot
That’s a photo from XShot’s press kit. You can tell it’s not my family because the dad is holding the camera.
Using the XShot takes a little practice.
At least you can see me. Kind of.
Aside from getting used to figuring out how told hold the XShot so that the camera would point at me, I had to learn how to use the timer on my camera. That’s not a huge deal – it took me about 15 seconds to figure out to press the button that looked like a sun dial. I got the hang of the XShot pretty quickly.
picture taken with XShot
The Details:
The XShot is lightweight and extends from 9″ to 37″ – giving you a wide range of options for how many people you get into a shot or how much of the background you want to include. The tripod adapter is pretty universal and should fit any compact digital camera. It also works with the Flip video camera.
The XShot is made to be used with point and shoot cameras. It holds a camera weight of up to 1.25 lbs. It is not meant to be used with a heavy SLR camera. You’ll have to stick with a regular tripod or asking a stranger – or your husband – for help with the SLRs.
I’ve had the XShot for a few months now and it’s become a permanent item on all of my packing lists. I insist on bringing it with me for all of my vacations, road trips and evenings out. Actually, I almost always have it in my purse because it’s pretty lightweight and compact when it’s completely folded down.
There’s a group on FlickR featuring pictures taken with an XShot that will give you an idea of the different ways you can use it.
You can buy the XShot here for $21.95.
(It looks like the XShot is available in the US and Canada as well as several other countries.)
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Posted on June 10, 2009 by Miss Britt in Tech
I love that picture of you!
Also, I am not in any of our pictures, either – for the same reason!
Wow! What a good idea! I never have pictures of me either!
Thanks Miss Britt for you nice review.
Your pictures look great and I have to say that I love the one with the big blue sky and a little bit of you!
Not just a practice shot, it is quite artistic.
I forgot to tell you that there is a special offer right now for Father’s day with Free shipping and more http://xshotpix.com/xshot-fathers-day-2009.php
So Mom and Dad can be in the picture too…
I kind of like being the mystery woman, but I suppose there should be some evidence that I actually did exist.
My question: Is there any problem with shaking? Because that seems awfully long and I can just picture it bouncing a bit.
@Finn, I haven’t noticed a problem with it. Most of the pictures I’ve taken with it have been in the sunlight, but I have a couple taken indoors at night and the picture is just as good as if I had taken it without the XShot.
This is a great way to get some better self portraits. And under $25, it’s a good deal.
And it looks like men could use this, too. At least those men who want better self portraits.
I would love to have one of these! Cause apparantly, I’m never there for my kids, either.
How far away from you is it, and how does it attach? I ask because I know EXACTLY what my husband would say – couldn’t someone run up and grab the camera while you’re holding it out on a big stick for them? This wouldn’t be a problem lots of places, but we’re going to Italy next December, and Rome and Venice are just notorious for petty thieves.
@Katie, how far it is from you depends on how far you have it extended. At most, 32″, but I usually use it a little closer than that.
The camera is screwed on the same way you’d screw it on to a standing tripod. You have to unlock and unscrew it to remove it. You should be safe.
Oooh, when I get another point-and-shoot (I haven’t had one in years!) I may have to get one of these. I had a Gorillapod before anyone really knew what they were but this is pretty awesome for places that might not have a railing or some other place to attach the Gorillapod.
I have a bunch of cheesy “fake” candid pics of me that I took with my camera set up on a “tripod” (aka the nearest flat surface) so that I could prove that I do exist. This would be a whole lot easier. I think I’ll add it to my want list! (but bummer it can’t hold my D60)
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