As someone with a bit of a camera support system addiction, I have used Platypods for years. If you haven’t seen them before, these deceptively simple devices are a plate you mount a tripod head to for low shots, and they can be placed or mounted via screws or straps on something for other points of view. For transparency, I paid for this at the launch on Kickstarter.
I already own a Platypod Pro and Max, which are great, but I saw one area for improvement: the feet are really fiddly to use and can slow you down. So when Platypod announced the Platypod Extreme, I was happy to see that they addressed this with a clever rotating mount design. The feet are the same screws used on the Max but set in a rotating mount at each corner. The feet can rotate to five different positions; stowed, straight down, angled slightly forward or back, and at a backward angle roughly opposite the stowed angle.
There are threaded holes for mounting the feet in other positions or to mount things like goosenecks or magic arms to hold lights, etc. I’ve used magic arms for lights and used them to mount GoPros or phones. There are also four countersunk holes for wood screws for a more permanent mount.
The Extreme is about the same footprint as the MAX, actually, a little bit narrower. The feet are set as wide as the Max in the back, and wider in the front. Front to back, the feet are mounted a little closer than the Max. The strap mount is also open from the sides so it can be attached faster than the closed slots on the MAX. This all adds up to a significant update to the larger Platypod platform.
The Platypods are an excellent option for many photographic situations, from tabletop to landscapes, cities, travel, etc. The Extreme is still in pre-order from platypod.com. You can also get the other Platypods on Amazon or Adorama (affiliate links).