VIJIM LS24 Desk Boom Arm is a solid, hollow, three-piece, adjustable, multi-angle aluminum alloy boom arm. Perfect for mounting a camera, phone or microphone (no heavier than 1.5kg) for top-down product shots, unboxing videos, effective voice-overs, moving table cameras, podcast microphones or additional lighting if required. As you can see, the possible uses are only limited by your innovation.
The boom arm is equipped with a careful spring balancing system so that it can be positioned intuitively and stays in place. Most parts are aluminum (arms, mounts and base), while the dials and cable clamps are hard plastic.
The arm attaches to a table, desk or shelf with a screw clamp. The clamp opens to a maximum width of 50mm and is secured to the desk with a screw that tightens the handle of the clamp. The two inside sides of the clamp are covered with a soft, non-slip material that supports the grip of the clamp and minimizes possible damage to the surface.
Each of the three arm sections is of different lengths. The first section (1) (from the base) is 305mm long, measured from the height of the table to which it is attached to the center of the dial. The second arm section (2) extends 370 mm from the center of the lower dial to the center of the upper dial. The last arm (3) between the adjustment wheels is 320 mm long.
The arm part 1 consists of two parts. The lower part of section 1 is attached to the clamp. At 248 mm from the desk there is a connector to which the short upper part of section 1, which contains the first dial, is attached. The purpose of this connection is to allow the entire arm to rotate 360 degrees to suit the user's needs. In this position, a screw located at the top of the lower part can be used to attach the rest of the arm. The two parts are held together by a screw that extends from the upper part and is inserted into a hole in the lower part.
The top dial (between sections 2 and 3) also has an adjustment range of 180 degrees (also not the advertised 215 degrees). This can also be secured by tightening the large, built-in adjustment screw. The two built-in knobs have a diameter of 50 mm. The arm pieces are 24 mm wide and square.
On the top of the VIJIM LS24 Desk Boom Arm, at the end of the third arm section, there is a smaller (38 mm), integrated adjustment wheel that can be used to adjust the angle of the camera/light/microphone mount. The mounting arm measures 70mm from the center of the small dial to the base of the mounting screw. It can be rotated a full 240 degrees in accordance with the axis of the arm.
The mounting itself is quite simple and consists of a ¼ 20" mounting screw that sits in a 360 degree rotating bracket that can be locked in place. It's worth noting that the first limitation of the boom arm is that the mounting screw can only be positioned in relation to the direction the arm is facing.
So you can move a camera or a light in any of the 360 degrees, but only around one axis. If you mount a camera from the base underneath the camera to take a top-down shot and the arm is on the side of your desk, you will only be able to shoot your subject on your desk in portrait orientation. It would be a great asset to this product if it could be positioned 360 degrees on both the horizontal and vertical axes.
Another minor frustration I experienced is that the boom arm is designed to hold a camera weighing 1 to 1.5kg. I found it difficult to securely attach the camera. Once the camera is almost fully screwed in and aligned to the desired angle, the 360 degree rotating mount is tightened. This is intended to secure the camera in position, but I found that it often failed to hold the weight of the camera at the desired angle.
The VIJIM LS24 Desk Boom Arm is equipped with some very useful accessories that make assembly easier. In the packaging you will find a phone holder that has a holder on the bottom and on the back. This allows you to position your phone at any angle for a top-down shot, alleviating the previously mentioned issue with mounting a camera. The phone clamp is spring loaded and can easily hold an iPhone 13 Pro Max. It has a cold shoe on the top so you can also mount a light or microphone to accompany any filming you want to do on your phone.
The set-up also includes a:
- ¼ 20" converter screw with internal thread to a 3/8 external thread.
- ¼ 20" converter screw with internal thread to a 5/8 external thread (good for microphones).
- GoPro mounting adapter and thread.
To finish off this clever little device, on the back of each VIJIM LS24 Desk Boom Arm piece you will find three clip holders that hold cables from accessories such as microphones that you mount. If you use the clips in this way, note that there are no corresponding grooves on the back of the dials to accommodate them. This could be a good addition to future models.
A further improvement would have been the possibility of connecting sections 2 and 3 together, as is the case with basic section 1. This would give the user full creative power in choosing the direction in which the boom arm can be folded up.
It would also be helpful if the boom arm could be easily folded so that it doesn't take up too much desk space when not in use. Due to the spring-loaded arms and the length of the individual sections, you can fold it somewhat, but not completely.
The VIJIM LS24 Desk Boom Arm looks classy and sleek with a modern design, feels sturdy and well-made, secures well to a desk of your choice, and moves very little once locked. At €68.74 this product, found here, will likely solve several problems you may be experiencing without breaking the budget.
