Smartphone cameras have easily replaced traditional point-and-shoot cameras. Unless you are an avid lensman, you likely don't miss any of the added features of a proper camera. It'south too bad your old tripod isn't compatible with your smartphone. Or is information technology?

Following a quick trip to the hardware store, we came up with three DIY tripod mounts that are cheap, very easy to build, and nearly importantly, quite sturdy.

1. The Super Simple DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount

Maybe 1 day smartphones will come with a compatible female thread adapter. But in the meantime, it looks similar you lot're stuck with purchasing an adapter like the Glif by Studio Nifty. That is, unless you lot dare to build an adapter yourself.

You can start with the most uncomplicated DIY smartphone tripod model yous can possibly build. These are your basic components:

  • Two large binder clips
  • Three rubber bands
  • A tripod

Attach the binder clips on opposite sides of the tripod base and see whether your smartphone fits in.

In instance your phone is smaller and doesn't fit, fifty-fifty with the handles upright, you can also prune 1 binder clip onto the other.

diy smartphone tripod

Adjacent, ready a rubber ring to the handles of the folder clips to hold your phone in identify. We used two safe bands on each end to agree a third one that stretches beyond the tripod base. Make sure the cardinal rubber band is crossed over at least in one case.

diy smartphone tripod mount

Finally, mount your smartphone and fix information technology with the rubber band. The event should look something like this:

diy smartphone tripod mount

Experience: We didn't have to buy any supplies, information technology was extremely easy to build, and the event was a very stable and versatile smartphone tripod mount. The only catch is that the camera lens isn't centered over the tripod's center, i.due east. the pivot betoken. This can be a trouble when taking videos. Every bit you motility or rotate the smartphone, the position of the camera lens volition be slightly off-axis.

Verdict: Super easy. However, the camera isn't centered over the tripod'due south pin point—and some people might observe that irritating.

2. The One-Minute DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount

This is some other super quick and piece of cake DIY smartphone mount. Here is what y'all need:

  • I binder prune that's large enough to concur your phone
  • 1/4-inch hex nut or whatever nut fits your tripod spiral thread
  • Pliers
  • Duct record
  • Tripod

Have the folder clip and bend one of the handles at a xc-degree bending.

diy smartphone tripod mount

Tape the binder prune with duct record to soften the edges and to secure the bent handle to the clip. Afterwards that, you can screw the clip to the tripod by pushing the binder handle through the screw.

diy smartphone mount

One time you've completed the steps above, try plumbing fixtures your smartphone between the binder clip to meet how it sits.

diy smartphone mount

Experience: It's easy to build, but it poses a few practical concerns. The clip is easily stiff enough to concord the phone in an upright and tilted position. However, the prune either covers part of the screen or at least the dwelling house button. With this setup, nevertheless, you tin bring the camera lens very close to the pivot point of the tripod.

Verdict: Easy to build and can be positioned very close to the pivot point. However, the clip covers access to the Dwelling button and partially overlaps the screen.

Here is a video demonstration of a similar build:

three. The Semi-Professional DIY Smartphone Tripod Mount

Finally, the well-nigh time-intensive, expensive, and hardest projection of all three, one that fabricated our visit to the hardware store worthwhile. Despite being somewhat more challenging, this tripod mount is still very much on the fast, cheap, and easy side of DIY projects. Let's intermission down what y'all need:

  • A steel bending with holes big plenty to fit your tripod'south spiral thread
  • A wing nut that fits your tripod's screw thread
  • I inexpensive or spare phone instance
  • Velcro or Duct tape
  • A tripod

We originally set out to mucilage a hex nut to the outside of the steel angle. However, nosotros ended up simplifying this project considering my superglue wasn't strong enough. Every time we tried to mount the bending on my tripod, the nut came off.

So, instead of gluing the nut to the angle, place ane of the steel angle'due south holes over your tripod'southward screw thread and fix information technology with a wing nut. Since we started out with a different idea, nosotros only had a hex nut for this project. This was a picayune harder to spiral on.

make your own smartphone mount

Next, y'all accept two options. Either tape a spare phone case to the steel angle or apply Velcro for a more than flexible pick. We went with Velcro so nosotros could re-position the phone if we needed to later.

Before attaching the telephone to the steel angle, we made certain to marshal the photographic camera lens with the pivot signal on i axis at the very least. Nosotros marked the center of the lens on the case and aligned the mark with a matching hole in the steel bending.

make your own smartphone mount

This is what the mounted telephone looks similar:

make your own smartphone mount

Experience: Every bit mentioned above, the superglue approach didn't work and we had trouble finding the correct screw. Our advice is to bring your tripod with you to the hardware shop to avoid multiple trips. Other than those initial bug, the project was straightforward and provided the most satisfying effect of all iii.

Verdict: If planned well, this is easy to build and provides the most professional person result. With some tweaking, you can even center the camera lens exactly over the pin point.

Tips for the Hardware Store Visit

If you decide to build i of the two models that depend on screwing something onto your tripod, be certain to bring the tripod or the screw thread with you to the hardware shop.

Cameras and tripods typically have an inch-based Whitworth screw thread, rather than a metric ISO spiral thread. This is great for readers in Northward America as you volition easily find a matching one/4 inch hex nut (or fly nut). In a European hardware store, however, you volition be hard-pressed to find a matching nut for an inch-based screw thread.

diy smartphone tripod

Fortunately, our DIY smartphone tripod had an ISO spiral thread (left) in a not-critical position which nosotros could use to replace the original Whitworth one (right). At the hardware store, we got two matching M4 hex basics (4mm inner diameter).

Alternatively, you could get whatever other screw and nut combination that fits through the base of your tripod. Notation that unless you lot want to experiment with superglue, information technology must also fit through a hole in the steel angle.

Inexpensive DIY Smartphone Tripod

With a little fourth dimension and effort, an awesome DIY smartphone tripod mountain can exist yours in no fourth dimension. For the habitation user, at that place is definitely no need to purchase a commercial product, especially if you have a few spare basics and screws lying around your house.

Don't fancy edifice yourself? Here are the best tripod alternatives for taking photos.