Customer Reviews

XShot 2.0 Camera Extender for Most Cameras XS2379-F

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Xshot 2.0 competes for the space occupied by Quikpod. Both units merit consideration.

Briefly, the Quikpod Pro comes with a set of tiny tripod legs which convert the unit into a surprisingly useful tabletop tripod. The Quikpod also comes with a useful case and belt clip. It has a mirror like device that permits some attempt at composing your frame. It is a worthwhile unit.

The Xshot, however, has some advantages. First of all, the Xshot will hold a slightly heavier camera, up to 24 ounces as opposed to the Quikpod's 15. More importantly, the Xshot extends to 37", twice the length of the Quikpod. That extra distance has a great impact on how much of the background you capture in the shot, especially with the wide-angle lenses of many recent point 'n shoot cameras. The extra length also makes a big difference with cameras that have the equivalent of a 35mm lens. (The much more expensive Quickpod DSLR will handle cameras up to 8 pounds and extends to 53".)

The Xshot is made of telescoping tubes, which permit you to easily choose the amount of extension you want. The camera mount has a rubberized surface and a thumbwheel for tightening. The head itself has a substantial wing nut for tightening. I had trouble getting the unit absolutely tight, though the slight play left did not allow the camera to flop forward from the position I set it in.

The Xshot collapses to about 9" long. At that length, it lends itself handily to be used as a camera grip in the left hand, with the right being used for zoom and shutter controls. Extended out by one or two sections, the unit can also be used - if you are careful - as a chest pod, which could come in handy for longer exposures. But be careful: the tubing sections collapse easily.

Overall, the Xshot is a nice unit and a strong competitor to the Quickpod Pro. The Quikpod has more features and more secure extending tubes. The Xshot, however, offers longer reach. Both serve the purpose of allowing you to include yourself in your pictures on your terms, rather than trusting to the mercy of strangers.

Jerry

My fiancee and I travel every other month to places far and near. Very often, we find ourselves in front of the Trevi Fountain, Haleakala summit, or Eiffel Tower wondering, "Who should we ask to take our picture?". The XShot makes self picture taking so easy, but be warned, you will attract attention. I can't begin to count how many times I've heard whispers of, "Ask her where she got it" or "That is so cool!" It is so simple to learn, you don't need an instruction manual. It takes great pictures and works with any camera that has the tripod screw insert below. The only drawback I can think of is its inability to take vertical pictures, unless I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I love my XShot and will take it with me on every trip. 5 STARS!

After my QuikPod broke in a week due to cheap plastic parts, I bought this. It is MUCH better. Twice as long. Very sturdy. Great for video too.

I took this on a 2 week trip down to Argentina and it worked great. For situations where you don't have time to setup a tripod or if there's nobody else around to take a photo of yourself for you, the XShot comes in very handy. It collapses to a manageable length and is light enough to throw in your backpack. I wouldn't put any camera heavier than 8-10 ounces on this, but it should have no problem handling a compact point & shoot camera.

I find with the 28mm (35m equivalent) lens on the Canon SD870, I do not have to extend the arm to its full length. Holding it steady gets harder the longer it is extended anyway. It might take a couple of shots to learn how to get the right angle for your shot, but with some practice, it'll be hard to tell that your pictures were taken with the XShot.

The look and quality of the XShot Camera Extender were the primary reasons I chose to purchase it, over the other monopods listed on Amazon. The XSHot is made of lightweight steel, while the others are made of plastic. After reading other reviewer's comments on the lower quality plastic, I decided not to risk an accident with my point and shoot. I purchased the XShot to take with me on a two week vacation to Asia. Traveling alone, I can not even begin to describe how well this product performed. It was quite fantastic not having to bug someone to take my picture in front of a particular landmark or scenic background. I can honestly say that without this camera accessory, I would have been in far less pictures and had fewer memories of my adventure. The XShot is also a great conversation starter - everyone wanted to know where I bought it.

I was so excited when I first saw this item on TV. I went running to the store to buy it but had to get it online. My main purpose for this was to use it with my mini hp camcorder. It's a flip camcorder/camera. I was able to get it attached but was skeptical because it didn't feel snug. I made one video. Then as soon as I went to take the camcorder off ...it fell off. In the process of it falling off it seemed to have damaged the threads on the inside of the screw part in the camera. After that one initial video I was not able to attach it to the xshot.

Now in all fairness I will say that it does work on my digital camera so all is not lost. But I really wanted it for my mini flip camcorder.

In my opinion what it need is a bigger screw. I was able to get my camcorder to attach to my full size tripod which has a bigger screw. I am now on a quest to find another camera extender.

people think I'm crazy for actually having the xshot but they think it's cool and fun at the same time. after the initial what is that and why do you have it phase, people like to jump in to have their picture taken.

now I can actually be in some of the pictures which is nice too.

I enjoy this product and think you would too.

Now I'm just waiting for the first person to invent one where the shutter button is on the handle. If that happens I'll be the first one in line. Until then the self timer will do

The X-shot camera extender is really very useful when you want everybody in your group (4-7 people) to be in the picture. It is very handy, you can just put it in your jacket's pocket or in your bag. Once you have attached the camera, you can position the camera at any angle you want. When taking family pictures, what I did was pull the extender to my desired length and let somebody hold it while I focus the camera, then pressed the self-timer button and ran to the group to be included in the picture. It also made holding the camera very convenient and light while shooting a video. The only thing that I would say needs improvement about it is, it does shake/wobble/wave when pulled to its longest position. Overall, it is a great product.

XShot Camera Extender - Black (XS2379)

This works better than I could imagine. Got this to make it easier to include everyone in photos when wanting to remember something special. Such an incomplete photo to not have the people that are sharing your memory with you. What is a fun surprise is the amazing photos you can get by being able to take photos of objects, pets, people at angles you couldn't without this extender. so much fun! no shadows of yourself in the photo and i had no idea what my basset hound looked like from the ground with her head, jowls and ears hanging over the side of the couch! We have had so much fun with this and never have to ask a stranger to take a picture of us again. Works great in terms of keeping camera safe and stable. Great item.

The Xshot 2.0 Stainless is a great aid. I have tried several aids to photograph myself on trips. This tool is very useful because it requires no table or surface to sit a tripod - even a micro tripod - on. Until now, most of the pictures of our family events have one characteristics. Everyone is in the pictures - except for me. Now the picutes include me. I have found two things. One is how to take a timed exposure with my new digital computer. The second is that my self portraits work best if I do not use wide angle position on the zoom. Wide angle can give my face some distortion unless I extend the xshot to its longest extention and my arm to a full extention. Since I have a heavy camera, my arm gets a bit wobbly when I am trying to photograph myself. That fault is with my arm and not the xshot. It performs perfectly at whatever extension level.