Unless you’ve got enough dough to shell out on equipment you might only use a few times, you’re probably not willing to save up for a high-priced solution for panorama photography. For the amount of money it costs to really get the panoramic view down pat, you’re probably better off taking 360 degree photos manually and duct taping them together.

The Panamatic Mount straps right onto your tripod, ensuring it’s orientation with a leveling bubble. Once the Panamatic is mounted in position, your camera hooks onto the device as if it were the normal tripod with the Panamatic offering a ratcheted wheel which spins around its axis. Snapping a panoramic shot is as easy as revolving your camera along the 12 different position settings, snapping a picture for each position. You can get your own for $25.

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If you’ve ever been into photography, you know that composition plays a major part in determining whether your shot turns out just right, or ends in the trash pile. While you can buy a level at your local hardware store which will ensure your camera is sitting on a straight plain, now there is an iPhone-led alternative.

Photographer Ben Long whipped up an iPhone app called iLevel which uses the phones built-in accelerometer to determine whether the phone is laying on flat, or at a angle. Strapping an add-on to your camera stand of choice allows for your mobile device to act as you very own level to ensure a winning shot everytime. — Andrew Dobrow

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The Spiderbrace Camera Stabilizer is a nice alternative for movie making novices who don’t yet feel the need spending their lifetime savings on the proper camera gear. Camera stabilization is a key factor to a movies aesthetics, and the Spiderbrace is an effective solution.

The Spiderbrace distributes the weight of a camera through out your body instead of laying most of the weight on your shoulders. The handlebars ensure that all the brunt is not localized, but shared evenly through the upper torso, making a steady shot a much easier action. Not only are you allowed the mobility that a tripod doesn’t accommodate, but for a low price and with correctly angled handlebars. Not something that looks like it was made from the remnants of a trash dump. The Spiderbrace is available for $70 — Andrew Dobrow

Product Page [Spiderbrace, via Cool Tools]

Do you ever want to take pictures from seemingly impossible angles, like walls or trees? No? Well if you did, the Monsterpod would be perfect for you. This tripod for any camera 20 oz or less is actually a tripod that can stick to almost anything, giving you the ability to place your camera in places you never imagined. This plunger-like tripod is supposed to be able to stick to anything, from trees to metal fences, for 10 minutes without falling off. This viscoelastic polymer-based marvel is waterproof and dirt resistant, meaning that if it gets too dirty, you can simply wash it off with water and it’ll work as good as new.

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Don’t ever get caught using this device unless you are in a situation where the ’stick-your-arm-out-and-curl-hand’ method can’t possibly work. If anyone ever sees you, just be ready to be the butt of everyone’s joke. You look like a complete geek (not the fun geek, the weird geek) and the pictures can’t be improved that much. The Extendable Hand Held Tripod (which isn’t really a tripod) is on Amazon for $19.99, a perfect gag gift for that preteen niece of yours who rips through that 2GB SD card in about 30 seconds with self portraits. It can extend up to 18″, which is leaving your personal space, and can close to be 7.5″. Amazon says it’s idea for overly large crowds, the only way I can see this is if your are using it as a bat because in an overly large crowd, no one is wanting you to take your self portrait. — Nik Gomez

Extendable Hand Held Tripod [UberGizmo]