#Digistick #SelfieStick Selfie Monopod #Review

     I tried not to like it, I did.  When Selfie Sticks became all the rage, just like any other trend, I try my best not to involve myself and be a sheep.  Then one day, I thought I'd try to get one and see what it;s all about.  As a product tester, I often think that.  And when days and weeks went by and no one wanted to let me test one, I felt a bit rejected, but also determined.  Instead of trying to see if one or two companies might let me try one out, I just asked all of them.  And by golly, I really wanted one, just to see what all the fuss was about.

     So HUGE thank you to TechSavvy for once again showing me how much happier I could be if I just gave in to fads already.  Yup, that's right.  Just like Twilight, just like rainbow colored hair, just like The Walking Dead... this too, I love.  And I did try so hard not  to.  But the Digistick has so many applications beyond enabling someone's vanity.

      The whole idea behind one of these is to get the phone further away so that you can properly take photos that include yourself.  You know how sometimes you will be at an event, say a hay ride... and you REALLY want a photo of you and your kids or of you and your boyfriend, but you don't want to pose while some stranger uses your phone to take an awkward photo of you..?  THAT is the situation that these were created for.

     I like to think it was also created for us moms who just like to be in the photos with our kids.  A little proof that we were actually part of their lives, you know?  That's what I plan to use it for.  Day at the beach?  Group shot!  Apple picking?  Group shot!  Need a new Facebook cover photo?  Yup, group shot!

     Now, don't get me wrong, I love taking photos of my kids.  They are my favorite subject.  But sometimes I go to grab a good photo of me and one of my kids just to realize that the last good one is over a year old.  So to be able to be in the photos that I take is awesome.  What I love most is that in most of them, it doesn't even look like a selfie.  It looks like someone else took it.

      Now, I will warn you... getting the Digistick to work was frustrating as heck.  Turns out that most selfie sticks can't work directly with the original camera on the cell phone.  All it does is turn the volume up or zoom in.  So I had to download a couple different camera apps before I found one that worked.  And this one does crash on me from time to time, but that's the app's fault.  Or maybe it's my phone;s fault.  The app is called SelfiShop.  In that app, you can go into the camera settings and choose to set the volume up button as the shutter.  So as soon as I did that, it worked perfectly.

      I also love that the kids can use it themselves.  Just today, I looked over to see my 2 year old taking selfies, it was the cutest thing.  And Streaker took one of herself while hanging upside down on the swings.  Baby Bee had some trouble holding it up, but even she managed to take a pretty cute one of herself.  God forbid that anything should ever happen to any of my children, those will be the photos that I cherish the most.

     Since I haven't mentioned it yet, here's a quick run down of how you use it.  First you do that irritating thing with the app, unless you are lucky and have a camera that has setting adjustments already in it.  After, you press and hold the camera button on the Digistick for three seconds until it blinks blue and turns on.  Then, you go into your Bluetooth settings and make sure that the phone is connected to the Digistick.  When that is done, place the phone into the holder, pull the telescopic monopod to the desired length, point and press the camera button once quickly to take a photo.   When done, press and hold the camera button for another three seconds until it blinks and shuts off.

     I also haven't mentioned what comes in the box.   You get the Digistick, an extra wrist strap, a carabiner, and instructions.  Personally, I don't think we really need the extra strap or the carabiner, but I'm not complaining, my phone now has a cool strap.

     In all seriousness, the Digistick is my new favorite take-along possession right after my DSLR.  I love it, I double love it.  And I don't even really use it for selfies, not in the traditional sense.  I recommend it for sure.  Do you have a selfie stick?
     To learn more, check out TechSavvy Co. on their website or on Amazon.


Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.