At some point in the lifetime of owning a smartphone, you'll want to purchase a selfie stick. The good news is that any phone with a front facing camera is compatible with the product. It's easy to use out of the box, but a little background info is never harmful to have. Selfie products have gone far beyond a trend and are now considered a top accessory for any smartphone owner.
What You Need To Know About Selfie Sticks
Technically, a selfie stick is a monopod that mounts a smartphone at a specific distance from your face. When taking a selfie using the phone's front facing camera, getting the right angle is not always easy. Both high and low angles at a distance requires a lot of creativity. Instead of spraining your arm to get that done, the extendable range of a stick allows you to set it up without looking awkward.
It's important to note that a lot of new smartphones have tried to include similar adjustments in their software and hardware combinations. Even with these improvements, the ease of use and overall stability belongs to the selfie stick. A modern smartphone will even make use of voice commands, allowing you to angle the stick and ordering it to take a photo. When this option is available, it overrides any incompatibility issues related to physical smartphone buttons.
Benefits
The benefits of using a selfie product will vary based on manufacturer, design and of course your current smartphone. Smartphones take pictures that are on par with high end cameras. Think of a selfie product as a way to enhance the features of your phone's technology.
Get The Best Angle Possible - There is an elusive angle (give or take a few inches) that only a selfie camera can get comfortably. These few inches make the difference between a good photo and a great photo. With a stick, you can always ensure you're in the latter category.
Portability - The stick can be collapsed into the size of a small pencil. Stick it in your back pocket and take it out only when needed
No More Asking - Let's admit that sometimes it is awkward to ask people you don’t know to take a photo for you. With selfie stick, you don't need to ask anymore.
Durability - Despite their portability, a stick is very durable. The grip is strong, whether you use a phone case or not. You won't have any 'whoops' moments when trying to get the right angle using a stick
Compatible With Everything - If your smartphone was made within the last ten years, then chances are it has voice control built in. Even if it doesn't, you can always download an android or iOS app that will enable voice controls. That means selfie products that have incompatible buttons to snap a picture can instantly become compatible. There is also a middle ground that connects a wireless remote shutter with compatible software. No matter what, you will always have the right selfie product
Types Of Selfie Sticks And Their Advantages
The stick types below are some of the most sought after by consumers. When you want a feature that stands out, then it will more than likely be one of these. Prioritize which type works best for your photography needs to enhance your purchasing power.
Wireless remote shutter
With a wireless remote shutter, you can forget about hardware button incompatibilities. It is a small remote that works through Bluetooth to command the phone into taking pictures. The shutter remote control is made to be simple, with only a few buttons on its face. Some come with software to further help their compatibility when taking photos. These are the models that will usually have better longevity with the normal cycle of smartphone releases. One of the most helpful features of the controller is a lanyard. Put it around your neck, wrist or belt and never worry about losing it while out.
Tripod
Now this is where things get really interesting for consumers. This selfie product combines the features of a tripod and a selfie product. On paper it seems redundant, since they technically do the same thing. The marriage of these two products makes more sense when you spend a day taking pictures. With family and friends, use the stick function to take great selfies. When you're out on a mountaintop and need a wide view, put in the standing mode. This stick is made to match the needs of multiple users, including hobbyists, casual photographers and professionals.
Find the Top Rated Tripod Selfie Stick with Remote Shutter on Amazon!
Ring Light
With the rise of live streaming, portable light is start trending. In dark environments, a front light helps the video's quality a lot. Front facing lights are still not the norm on most smartphones. To get flashlight functionality, you have to resort to the back LED's. To get around this problem, purchase a selfie product with a light. It isn't exactly groundbreaking, but it does provide a necessary function to make pictures and videos worthwhile.
Find the Best Tripod Selfie Stick with Ring Light for Live Stream.
Anti-Shaking
When the built-in anti-shaking features of phones failed, you can still count on a stick product to produce. These are hardware options that can sometimes supersede the software options of phones. You'll notice a difference between the two whether you have a new or old smartphone. The good news is that sticks don't interfere with the phone's software options. You can safely use both without there being any conflict during pictures.
The Difference Between A Selfie Stick And A Gimbal Stabilizer
There has been some confusion between gimbal stabilizer and selfie stick. The first bit of confusion is how it's marketed. A stick product will often market as being paired with a cell phone, and sometimes small tablets. A gimbal is in a completely different category and can be considered a selfie product on steroids. You can use it with a camera, smartphone, tablet and more. Filming is better, and much more pleasant with this product.
With all of that out of the way, the biggest advantage gimbal is the professional touch. Those special tracking shots you see in movies? All possible with the use of a gimbal product. For example, the DJI Ronin-SC 3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer, it provides a lot of professional level features for serious content maker, like improved sensitivity of each axis processing, infinite 360 degree panning roll, advanced capturing features, dedicated gimbal phone app, etc.
The gimbal app also further extends cell phone camera use, and in many ways is its own thing. You'll spend more time in the included app than in your own phone's camera software. Adding effects, transitions and more is much easier when using the dedicated software provided by the company. Even on high end phones, the difference is noticeable. Panorama capturing has never been easier, and can now be done without any annoying hitches or errors while filming.
Another thing you will notice is the branding. Gimbal is usually the big dog here, but many smaller companies have made their names known. Branding is important for these products since they are considered premium accessories. The materials are of a higher quality, and there are a ton more functions to use. Instead of buying a product that simply extends the normal functionalities of your smart camera, you are buying a product that turns your camera into a professional accessory. This is the main selling point of gimbal and other products in the same category.
For a good idea of how important this feature is, check out any vlogger or YouTuber. More than likely, they employ the features of this product and rely on it to make a good video. gimbal is not really meant to be better than a selfie product, it is just better equipped for high end photography and video.
How Accessories Can Enhance The Experience
Adding an accessory for your accessory is not just an iPhone thing. Selfie products benefit from add-ons that extend their base functionality. This is good news for consumers that were unsure about features they wanted on an initial purchase. Currently, there are no features of a high-end stick that are unavailable to a lower end option. You can add a light, remote, case, extension and more to any selfie-stick. It might get a little overwhelming adding all of these accessories, especially if you want portability. With a little imagination with accessories, you can 'build your own stick' from the ground up to get exactly the product you want.
Other than improving the initial product, you should look at what it will attach to. GoPro cameras sometimes come with special cases for selfie products. Most cameras that focus on active lifestyles will have options that favor selfie products as additions. Smartphones are less fussy, and some smaller tablets have proven to be useful.
With newer iPhone models getting rid of the headphone jack, be wary that some sticks with that attachment will lose a major feature.
Tips On Using A Selfie Stick
Etiquette is required for all products that take pictures or video. Besides common sense, there are a few things required when using a stick product. Some of these you'll already know from normal use, while others take time to get right. The trick is to always have fun without impeding the space of others.
Never use the product while driving or in a crowded place where it can hit people
Selfie products aren't just for selfies. Experiment with different angles to get one of a kind photos
Use the photo software when possible to touch up a photo
Sometimes the selfie light does more harm than good for a photo
Use burst mode if you have a lot of space on your device
Disadvantages
The only time a selfie product is at a disadvantage is when you work outside of its comfort zone. Gimbal and its competitors should be used for film. They work much better at filming, and will give you an advantage when working at difficult angles. Using a stick primarily for filming can lead to phone damage. Windy conditions is also a problem for even the best of sticks. The wind won't knock your phone out of its grip, but it will make your photo or video a jittery mess. This is also a job for the much more stable Gimbal products on the market. And of course, a selfie product should not be used underwater – even if it is an android phone that is waterproof.