Today’s Question: You mentioned the Red Pod bean bag you use for your camera support when without a tripod. I noticed there is also a Green Pod bean bag. The Red is supposed to be for compact cameras with the ¼-20 threads in the center and the green is supposed to be for DSLRs and the ¼-20 stud is off center. They appear to weigh the same so I am curious why you use the Red one?
Tim’s Quick Answer: I prefer the Red Pod (https://timgrey.me/redpod) over the Green Pod (https://timgrey.me/greenpod) because I’ve found the Red Pod provides better support and flexibility for my camera, as long as I’m not using a particularly long lens.
More Detail: When I use a beanbag, I’m generally not using a particularly heavy lens. With the Green Pod you can have the camera mounted at the edge of the beanbag, with a strap around the lens. This works well with a long lens, because it puts the overall support of the beanbag more at the center of the overall mass of the camera and lens setup. However, I’ve also found this provides a little less flexibility in terms of the positions you can place the camera, since there isn’t as much beanbag “behind” the camera.
With the Red Pod mounting at the center of the beanbag, you can “squish” the beanbag a little more in any direction to adjust the tilt of the camera. I’ve found this to be a better solution, as long as I’m not using a particularly big/heavy lens that would extend far beyond the edge of the Red Pod.
You can view photos and get more information about the Red Pod and Green Pod by following these links:
The Red Pod: https://timgrey.me/redpod
The Green Pod: https://timgrey.me/greenpod