JOBY is well known for its GorillaPod tripods but it also sells other accessories for mobile videographers and photographers. The company recently sent me its GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit. It has a tripod for your iPhone, an LED light to make sure your face is well lighted, and a microphone. You can buy each of these components separately, too.
GorillaPod
The GorillaPod tripod is nice because the legs (there are five of them) can be bent and twisted into various configurations. You can wrap them around a pole, handrail, etc. to give you a hands-free experience. The Beamo LED light and Wavo microphone each attach to a leg.
Wavo Mobile Microphone
The microphone plugs into a headphone jack, but have no fear iPhone owners because it comes with a Lightning adapter. It also comes with a dead kitten so you can record videos outside without having to worry about the audio affected by wind.
It’s great for vlogging because it uses a cardioid pattern to pick up sound from the front and sides, but not the back. This helps it cut out ambient noise. These types of microphones are great for studio recording, public speaking, and live musical performances.
It comes with TRS and TRRS cables, and the microphone is locked in place with a cold shoe and 1/4-inch 20 mount. It has a frequency response of 35-18KHz, a signal-to-noise ratio of 76db SPL, and a sensitivity level of -31. All of that means the microphone delivers crisp, clean audio for virtually any situation.
Beamo Mini LED
The LED comes with a diffuser to soften the light which makes your skin look fantastic with a color rendering index of 95 and color temperature of 5100 K. It’s lux measurement at one meter is 470, which is roughly the lighting equivalent of sunrise or sunset on a clear day. In other words, since the kit is specifically designed for vlogging, you won’t have any lighting issues holding it in front of your face.
It charges wirelessly or with a USB-C cable, and the bottom is magnetic so you can mount it on certain surfaces other than the GorillaPod. It’s also shock resistant and water resistant up to 30m, so you can vlog in the rain if you want.
Conclusion
Overall, I was really pleased with each product in the kit. Since I’m more into photography than videography, I particularly liked the GorillaPod and Beamo LED (not that there was anything wrong with the microphone). Each one is made with high quality materials that won’t easily break. Each one can withstand shock, wind, and rain.
The diffuser is great for your skin tone in selfies, and having a bright light in general makes your selfies look more professional. The GorillaPod makes your iPhone stable, which means it works well with sensitive captures like long exposures and using Night Mode where you don’t want your arms and hands to move.