Peak Design is a San Francisco based company producing high-quality and well thought out products for the indie filmmaking community: bags, camera straps, and tripods (Peak Design travel tripod article here). Now they are back on Kickstarter with a whole new line of products: Peak Design Mobile is a complete ecosystem with no less than 13 individual products. The aim is to mount your phone in any way you want, wherever you want but without adding any unnecessary bulk.
For me, it’s still a bitter pill to swallow but the reality is that mobile phones are quite capable these days when it comes to using them as filmmaking tools. But maybe the pill isn’t that bitter since this fact opens up many possibilities, although I still find it a bit weird to just bring a phone. I like using techy stuff, huge cameras with lots of accessories attached but who am I to judge?
Peak Design Mobile
Peak Design is known for very nicely designed, very well made accessories and the new Peak Design Mobile line of products seems to be no exception here. It all starts with either the Everyday Case or the Universal Adapter and both feature the so-called Slimlink Mounting System – the center piece of the whole ecosystem.
The Everyday Case fits the Apple iPhone 11 (all models), the upcoming iPhone 12 (all models) and the Samsung Galaxy S20 (all models). For anything else you’ll need the Universal Adapter, which mounts with strong 3M VHB adhesive to any flat surface such as the back of your phone. Both products sport weatherproof Blusign certified nylon canvas and a very slim profile.
Once your phone is rigged with the Slimlink Mounting System on the back of the Everyday Case or the Universal Adapter you’re good to go, the ecoystem offers all kinds of different mounts and applications.
There are two different, yet similar methods of mounting the below lineup of accessories: hard-locking and soft-locking (magnets only). The soft-locking options are compatible with Apple’s new MagSafe technology for iPhones, the hard-locking ones require either the Everyday Case or the Universal Adapter.
Mobile Tripod and Mobile Creator Kit
I’ll reverse the order of the official Kickstarer video a little bit since I think the most interesting mounting solutions within the Peak Design Mobile lineup for us filmmakers are the Mobile Tripod and Mobile Creator Kit. Both attach to the Slimlink Mounting System, of course.
The Mobile Tripod comes in the shape of a slim attachment to the back of your phone. But it still is a fully-fledged tripod: it works in landscape or portrait, it sports a proper ball head, it can act as a grip and when folded up against the back of your phone it fits in your pocket. Pretty neat I’d say.
The Mobile Creator Kit expands the Peak Design Mobile lineup since it offers a bridge to other systems, such as Arca tripod heads, any 1/4-20″ mounts, the popular GoPro mounting system or Peak Design’s own Capture Camera Clip.
It also features a hard-locking interface to the Slimlink Mounting System, so it’s not only magnets here, it clicks into place and you need to push in order to release it again. That’s good for intense action shoots, trail running and all kinds of outdoor activities.
Car Mount
The Car Mount comes in two flavours, a charging one and a non-charging one. The only difference is an additional cable which is needed for the charging one, obviously.
Both versions attach via 3M VHB adhesive to any flat surface and both models are made of anodized aluminum and sport a ball head for easily adjusting the viewing angle.
Bike Mounts
For riding your bike, the Peak Design Mobile ecosystem offers two variants of bike mounts: The so-called Out-Front Bike Mount attaches to any handlebar and positions your attached phone front and center. It is made of weatherproof anodized aluminum and also features the hard-locking mount for securely attaching to your phone.
The Universal Bike Mount uses a flexible strap to attach to any handlebar. It also offers the hard-locking mechanism.
Motorcycle Mounts
Again, there are two mounts to choose from when it comes to motorcycling: The Motorcycle Bar Mount attaches to any handlebar (7/8″ – 1.25″ diameter), it is made of anodized aluminum and it can be rotated and locked into 24 different positions. It also sports the hard-locking mechanism, of course. Furthermore, you can remove the arm for low-profile mounting.
The Motorcycle Stem Mount attaches directly to the hollow steering stem nut (12.5mm – 24.4mm diameter). It offers two pivoting points, so you can easily adjust the viewing angle. It is also made of anodized aluminum and offers the hard-locking mounting mechanism.
Wireless Charging Stand and Wall Mount
For home use, the Peak Design Mobile ecosystem offers a variety of handy gadgets: The Wireless Charging Stand basically is a hinge with some nice tricks. It wirelessly charges your phone once it is magnetically connected to it. Use the hinge mechanism to adjust the viewing angle.
The Wall Mount comes in two colors (bone and charcoal), in a set of two. The Wall Mount attaches to any flat surface via 3M VHB adhesive or via magnets. Your phone attches to it magnetically.
Kickstand Wallet
The Kickstand Wallet is exactly that: A kickstand and a wallet. It attaches magnetically to the Slimlink mounting system and offers space for 7 regular-sized cards plus a dedicated ID sleeve. An addititional friction hinge converts your wallet to a phone stand in both portrait or landscape orientation.
Pricing and Availability
The Kickstarter campaign for Peak Design’s Mobile ecosystem is in full swing and will run until December 18th. Since this is Peak Design’s 10th Kickstarter, they are already veterans, really. They know what they are doing and the community supports them. This campaign just started but it is already funded by almost 750% (goal was $100.000, $731.424 were funded at the time of writing this article).
Since the campaingn runs until late December this year, don’t expect actual shipment before May 2021 (everything but charging accessories), or before July 2021 (charging Car Mount and Wireless Charging Stand).
For pricing, please check the Kickstarter campaign page.
We are saying this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: Please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the crowdfunding platform’s terms of use. Keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.
Links: Peak Design homepage | Kickstarter campaign
What do you think of this? A neat ecosystem of mobile phone accessories? Do you think this is any good for the indie filmmaking community? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
