The makers of the Platypod have launched their latest product, and it promises to turn the tripod world upside down… literally. It’s called the Platyball, and it’s an inverted ball head with some really interesting design choices and features.
The Platyball was just announced on Kickstarter yesterday, and already they’ve raised nearly $125,000 on a goal of just $18,000… with 58 days left to raise money. The Platyball is a hit, and it’s achieved this by rethinking all of the “typical” tripod ball head design elements, replacing knobs with buttons and bubble levels with a much more modern LED-based leveling system.
Here’s a quick intro to the Platyball, which comes in two flavors—Elite and Ergo:
The inverted design is made up of three elements: a stainless steel-reinforced 3/8-inch tripod socket, an Arca-Swiss compatible quick-release clamp with a twist-locking collar and safety button, a built-in panning turntable with a locking wheel and 360° markings/indicator arrows, and (of course) a bottom-mounted ball-head that uses “progressive variable tension locking and unlocking buttons” in lieu of your typical knobs.
That describes the Ergo version in its entirety. If you step up to the Elite version, you also get “a patented and incredibly accurate LED-based leveling indicator that makes it stand out from other ball heads on the market.” The level uses a standard A23 alkaline battery for power, works in any orientation, and features three brightness levels so you can use it in a variety of lighting conditions.
No more struggling with a poorly-positioned or hard-to-read bubble level.
The Platyball is currently available to “order” on Kickstarter for $200 for the Ergo model or $250 for the Elite with the LED level, with shipments to backers expected to go out in December 2020.
Given the company’s history on Kickstarter and the amount of money they’ve already raised, we’re pretty confident this product will come to market as scheduled, but the standard “crowdfunding is not a pre-order” disclaimer is warranted.
To learn more about the Platyball or put in a pledge of your own, head over to the Kickstarter campaign.
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