The Wimberley Plamp Review

If you are into macro photography, The £30 Wimberley Plamp may be for you. It’s a highly flexible device to help photographers in the field. The Plamp has a heavy duty clamp at one end to attach to a sturdy fixing point, even the leg of your tripod. At the other end is a much lighter clamp for holding stems or supporting reflectors. Between the two is 22 inches of a lightweight, segmented and flexible arm that can be readily positioned just how you want it.

In the field
Use the Plamp in the field and you will certainly get a few strange looks from passers-by. It’s not a common sight in Hertfordshire. The Plamp is very easy to use. The best clamping points are those not connected to the camera. Unless you weight your tripod, vibrations may be transferred and cause unwanted camera movement. A sturdy fence or such like makes the best anchor point. If you don’t want to risk damage to delicate stems, you can use something soft, but non-slip around the stem and attach the ends to the Plamp. It's highly effective at preventing the movement of stems in a breeze and will permit flower or other macro photography in less than perfect conditions. Keeping the arm as short as possible will reduce vibrations. It's possible to remove some of the segments and shorten the arm.

The large clamp is compatible with most tripods from the major manufacturers, including the Gitzo range. Clamping the Plamp to the tripod is a good way of transporting it between potential subjects.

Verdict
Call it a flexible friend. It can make a big difference to photography on days when there’s a nuisance breeze blowing. It can also be used to support a reflector to throw a bit of soft light onto your subject. It’s highly portable and with a little bit of practice, is easy to use.

In summary, the positive points of the Wimberley Clamp are:
Simple but clever design
Flexibility
Secure

The negative points are:
Can transmit vibrations

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Test by Joanne Mead