Useful Accessory

Shooting at different angles

If you have a need to shoot portrait/vertical shots or if you want shoot vertically downward, then the Tall Boy Extender can be just the tool for you. Swiveling the Camera If you use the tilt mount to turn your camera on end, the camera lens will swing down. If you are using a resting plate for safety, the resting plate may enter the photograph because it extends within the field of view. This is likely if you are using a DSLR and a wide angle lens. You have the choice of removing the resting plate or pushing the camera up a few inches, and we definitely favor the latter. This photo shows a Canon DSLR with the aluminum tall boy extender. The camera is up high enough to keep the field of view clear. Shooting Downward Some photographers need to shoot straight down. This might be a home inspector taking photos of a roof or researcher documenting an open field. We knew of one director of photography has used our equipment in music videos to shoot a singer who is lying down on a bed looking up and singing to the camera. Whatever your need, you want to minimize the appearance of the pole in the photo. This photo shows a standard tall boy extender with a Canon G12. The pole is coming up at an angle; the extender pushes the camera away from the pole and helps to keep it from appearing in the photo. We manufacture our tall boy extenders in two different materials. The standard extender is a very hard plastic, with a stainless steel rod through its center for strength. It is strong, gets the job done, and is inexpensive. The aluminum extender is made of an anodized aluminum tube with an anodized aluminum top and bottom. It is a slightly smaller diameter in order to minimize the weight, but it is extremely strong. Both extenders come with a standard 1/4 inch camera thread on the bottom (fitting the Pole Pixie Adapters), and a 1/4 inch camera thread on top for tilt mounts and cameras. The professional aluminum extender also comes optional with a 3/8 thread. Standard TB Extender Anodized Aluminum TB Extender Height 4 inches 4 inches Diameter 1.375 inches 1.25 inches Weight 5.9 ounces 4 ounces Thread 1/4-20 (standard camera thread) 1/4-20 or 3/8-16 (large format thread) Pros Cost Center steel rod All Aluminum Stronger Base Less Weight Price $15.00 $34.95 Recommended Use Upright to lift camera above a resting plate. Horizontal use with lightweight cameras. Horizontal or vertical use Other Included in Pro Kit Complete Available as an upgrade or separate purchase You will find these on the Ordering page.

Strength Testing
We decided to do some testing with the standard and aluminum extenders, and here are the results. First, in the photo to the left, you will see that we loaded 20 pounds on to a tilt mount screwed on to a standard extender. Please note: We don't recommend loading more than 5 pounds on the standard extender, but we wanted to test it with a lot more than that. We left it there for hours, and there were no visible signs of wear and tear.

Drop tests
We also conducted drop tests with the two adapters. For this test, we used a more realistic amount of 5 pounds on the same setup as in the photo. We raised the pole at an angle and then dropped the tip. At 4 feet, both extenders held up just fine with no signs of wear. (For an example of what will happen to an 10 ounce point and shoot camera at 4 or 5 feet, see our crash test page.) At eight feet, the all-aluminum adapter performed wonderfully, showing absolutely no signs of wear despite the very strong impact. The standard extender, however, suffered with the eight foot drop, and the steel nut sheared in half under the forces.

Recommendations: If you are planning to use the extender horizontally a lot, or if you have an expensive camera, the all-aluminum version is preferable. While you should never drop your pole with a camera on it, you may also damage your standard extender tube if you do drop your pole.