iPhone Grip

Discussion in 'My Work In Progress' started by mygadgetlife, Nov 5, 2013.

  1. mygadgetlife
    mygadgetlife Well-Known Member
    Having not long got an iPhone 5s I was struck by the potential for mishap - particularly in my butter fingers - while using the camera, especially for shooting video.

    There are various hand grip type mounts and even steadicam type assemblies available to aid the iPhone videographer, but they tend to be expensive. There is AirClip, which I found after setting out my design, but seems only available on Amazon US.

    I will confess I used the downloadable iPhone 5 case that Shapeways make available here, and added the rings to the model.

    The rings are placed so that your thumb is right over the on screen shutter release button.

    This prototype needs some work however, particularly to make the frame stiffer in the horizontal axis; the phone does wobble quite a bit and the frame flexes enough to allow gravity to do its dirty work.

    Apologies for the dull outdoor shots; it is, as they say around here, a rather dreich day...

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    Last edited: Nov 5, 2013
  2. bartv
    bartv Member
    Clever! The bottom picture looks especially brilliant, until you figure out how the case works. One thought struck me: I'm always a little worried that I drop my phone during regular use, or that someone yanks it from my hand and runs. How about you make the finger grip so you can rotate it and it aligns with the screen? Then you can also use it during regular operation.

    Cheers,

    Bart
     
  3. mygadgetlife
    mygadgetlife Well-Known Member
    Hey Bart,

    How are you?

    I'm intrigued by your suggestion, although I'm not sure my technical abilities are up to the challenge! However it has given me an idea, so watch this space. I've so far built my own iPhone case model which is far more adaptable.
     
  4. bartv
    bartv Member
    Cool, I can't wait :)

    Things are slowly getting more hectic (even more hectic than usual ;) with xmas approaching. How are you? Would you like to do another event? :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2013
  5. Youknowwho4eva
    Youknowwho4eva Well-Known Member
    Looking at how I hold my phone, what if you use 2 circles on each side and turn them 90 degrees. When I hold my phone I usually rest my ring and pinky fingers here, and pointing back towards me. This will reduce your distance from the device and give you 2 points of contact instead of one for better stability.
     
  6. mygadgetlife
    mygadgetlife Well-Known Member
    Michael,

    Thanks for the suggestion; actually it's an interesting study in the ergonomics of how to hold a phone while shooting video. The thing that struck me with the iPhone more than my previous (Android) phones was simply that feeling of letting the device slip from my fingers, seeing as you can't really 'grasp' the phone in any meaningful way without interfering with the screen or lens.

    There are simple clip on finger holds already available for iPhone if you google around and I'm not out to plagiarise someone else's idea. That, coupled with the idea of turning a case (and there are many fantastic cases here on Shapeways) into something with some extra utility is what's driving me.

    Besides, I have a refinement of the original concept (above) plus a couple of offshoot designs already on order. :D
     
  7. Youknowwho4eva
    Youknowwho4eva Well-Known Member
    Awesome, can't wait to see. I have a Note 3 myself, all I want is a voice command to take a photo :)
     
  8. mygadgetlife
    mygadgetlife Well-Known Member
    Well I got my re-worked models the other day, they're just awesome!

    I decided to create a case from scratch in Sketchup - it was just easier to do that than mess with the imported STL geometry from the Shapeways downloadable case. I don't usually blow my own trumpet, but this case fits perfectly. :D

    grip back.JPG

    The camera grip is now much less flexible - the only wobble is that introduced by your closed hand but you can use your free hand to steady the phone of you want. Overall, the phone feels properly anchored which was the design intent.

    Moving on to the second case, this was inspired by Bart's comment above. What about a case that prevented opportunist thieves from snatching your phone? With a simple loop for your fingers, this case ensures that in crowded urban areas you can be sure you phone will stay with you as you use it.

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  9. bartv
    bartv Member
    Brilliant!! So glad to be an inspiration ;)

    I'd like to try and promote this product a bit with some iPhone blogs, but I was wondering if you had set the markup correctly? At €12.47 it seems *very* cheap?

    Bart
     
  10. mygadgetlife
    mygadgetlife Well-Known Member
    Hi Bart,

    Re:Markup - Noted! :)

    I'm happy you like the idea and any promotion is welcome!

    Kind regards,
    Steven