Snoppa Atom: Camera in one Pocket, Gimbal in the Other?
Introducing the Snoppa Atom.
We’re getting used to the idea of having your 4k movie camera in your pocket (with room to spare, depending on the size of your pocket). But how about a gimbal that fits in your pocket too?
A smartphone gimbal that can fit in your pocket?
That’s the claim being made of the new Snoppa Atom gimbal. But can you really fit it in your pocket?
Jeven Dovey shows you that you can.
The Snoppa Atom achieves this feat by a clever folding design. On their IndieGoGo campaign they are listed as retailing for $149. If you were a backer you could have got one for $79.
From the demonstration videos, it certainly looks like a neat design. The motor arm is off to the side, which makes for easier monitoring and hopefully removes some issues using wide angle lenses.
No more counterweights
With simple balancing, it’s easy to mount your phone to a Snoppa Atom. You just place your phone somewhere in the middle, rather than playing with a extending-arm and fastening screw. So, even when mounting lenses, simply place your phone on the gimbal so the weight is evenly distributed.
Wireless charging
The gimbal wirelessly charges your phone. A function which could really help out with those long shoot days. The gimbal itself has a 20 hour battery life, which means there’s going to be extra juice to feed your phone.
That makes the Snoppa Atom a great backup battery, as well.
External mic jack
There’s an external mic jack on the handle. This allows you to add external microphones. Many gimbals make adding an external mics awkward, if not impossible. So this is another great design feature for those of use wanting to keep our kit as light, small and portable as possible.
Also, by connecting the mic to the gimbal rather than the phone, you don’t have to worry about the extra weight on your phone causing balance issues.
Vertical video
For vloggers who want to shoot vertical, for your Facebook or Instagram stories for example, the Snoppa Atom has a very simple design for switch from horizontal. You can just flip the phone 45 degrees and that’s it.
Software
The software connects easily using bluetooth. The Atom comes with a camera app with basic camera controls, if you wish to use it that way. You can set picture resolution, quality, there’s focus grid mode. In manual mode, you can set ISO, Shutter speed, focus and white balance.
There’s a zoom control on the handle. I don’t recommend using smartphone zoom if you want to retain the quality of the image, however.
There’s settings for “walk” or “run”. Plus there’s a whole list of other video and photo settings as well.
Face-tracking
For those vloggers who want the camera to be focused on them and nothing but them, the face-tracker function works really well.
And there’s even a “beautifier” settings which can make you look even more beautiful. Personally, I think you all look beautiful enough already. However, if you like to look like your face has been attacked by a jeweler’s polishing wheel, then this could be another reason for you to purchase the Snoppa Atom.
Check Price of Snoppa Atom on Amazon
Read Next: Best Smartphone Filmmaking Kit 2019.
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