Smartphones and cameras have not only advanced greatly in recent years, but also shrunk in size to a point where their handling may become a bit of a pain. For everyday normal use, using your mobile device for its intended purpose – to check your Facebook, may be fine, but when it comes to shooting video or taking snaps – you may need some extra grip. Hong-Kong based Komodo Gear, are looking for community support on Kickstarter for their latest multi-purpose accessory for your small form factor camera and/or smart phone called Lokee. The gadget features a modular design, which can be changed according to your shooting needs, morphing from a cage to side monitor grip handles and even more.
To get a firm and steady grip for filming with a small compact camera like the Sony RX100 IV or the BMPCC can get quote tricky as typical shape and ergonomics of those devices have not changed much over time, even though the internal image processing has made quantum leaps.
Lokee works with many different devices – such as mirrorless cameras, DSLR Camera, BMPCC, and even smartphones. You can check compatibility with your device based on size here.
The device was predominantly designed for small and light weight cameras, however many small mirrorless cameras or compacts can fit. The maximum distance from screw to right side edge and back side edge is 9 cm and 3 cm respectively.
Designed for multi-functional usage with 8 main modes of use, Lokee can also be customised by users even further. It doesn’t matter if you are just using a normal compact camera to shot stills, video or in conjunction with a monitor, Lokee can be fitted to your style.
Here’s some of the modes displayed below:
There are hundreds of ways to setup Lokee to suit your shooting requirements. BMPCC owners in particular can benefit from the Butterfly mode, as the camera has a notoriously poor screen in bright sunlight (and for focusing too), so an external monitor is almost always required. Sony A7s shooters can mount an Atomos Shogun or any other 4K recorder on top and get the most out of their camera.
Here are a few setup videos for various modes.
Komodo Gear are partnering with USA based Pro-Media Gear for the manufacturing process of Lokee, which is to include high-quality CNC machining from T6061 aircraft grade aluminium, which is of high enough quality to deal with stringent tolerances required for a high-quality multi-purpose, modular product like Lokee. The finished Lokee is expected to weight in just about 170 grams and will be in scratch resistant black piano finish.
The Lokee sounds like a good idea on paper, combining a camera cage and monitor handles into one, with the added benefit of modularity and adjustability, potentially saving you money in the process of buying separate kit, and whether the same will hold true in practice we’ll have to wait and see until December 2015 when Lokee is expected to start shipping.
Basic Mode starts at $89, while the Lokee Cage mode is $229, Butterfly – $299 and Monitor mode – $389. Complete Kits start at $439.
To claim yours head over to their Kickstarter page.
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