Tablet Stand for Reading, Photographing, and Video Shooting
Review by Erik Vlietinck
IK Multimedia is probably best known for its mobile audio hardware and applications, but the company also sells sturdy smartphone and tablet stands. Their newest product range is the iKlip 3, available in different versions, of which I tested the iKlip 3 Deluxe.
Tablet stands allow musicians to read sheet music, and videographers to shoot movies on their tablet, while it’s clamped on a pole or mounted on a tripod. The iKlip 3 Deluxe comes with two mounts, the iKlip 3 and iKlip 3 Video. I tested it with an iPad Air 2.
The tablet grabbing arms with rubber gripping are spring-loaded to hold multiple tablet formats ranging from an iPad Mini to an iPad Pro—with or without cover. The arms require considerable force to open them.
The grabbing part has a friction ball at the back. The ball is held by the mount’s cleverly designed socket, which firmly grabs the ball once it’s screwed tight. The pole mount has a clamp to hold tube-formed poles of up to 30mm, the other one has a 1/4″ tripod mount. Once you attach the tablet clamping mechanism to one of the two mounts, the ball and socket joint provides a 360° viewing angle and free rotation between portrait and landscape orientations.
To move your tablet, you’ll need to pull the ball socket toward you, setting the tablet free from the position it’s in. As with the arms, this requires considerable force. That’s reassuring, as your tablet won’t start to wiggle or move by itself.
The system allows for easy image and video shooting. You can even use the tripod mount for handheld video shooting. ■
