BAND.IT™, the RDM flagship and our very first product as a team, provides a silicone grip that enhances a photographers’ control over the camera lens zoom and focus adjustments and resolves an age-old problem that photographers refer to as lens creep. With over 500 camera lens variants, our engineers developed over 50 prototypes to create a universal solution that would work on any lens.

The story of BAND.IT began when Tom Bender, a photojournalist who has been in the field for 35 years kept having his camera’s zoom and focus rings fall apart. Every time this happened, it would take weeks to ship back to the manufacturer to have the lens repaired. He wanted an accessory that kept the zoom and focus rings from wearing and tearing over time.

In 2016, Tom approached the RDM team after being intrigued by the mission and accomplishments of the high school students who were building a business. He came by the RDM Headquarters, which was inside the garage that the team had turned into an office space, and while giving him a tour, Tom noticed the in-house 3D Printer. He asked if the 3D printer could print soft materials, such as rubber or TPU, and after he found out that RDM’s 3D printer had those capabilities, he began explaining to the team the idea he’s had in his head for over 15 years.

After a lot of conversation that turned into consultations, the BAND.IT started to come to life. Through many hours of computer-aided design, the first BAND.IT prototype was 3D printed and injection molded. The prototype was neon yellow and strategically made that way to stand out against the black body of a camera and catch the attention of other photographers. When Tom brought the prototype to a professional baseball game, he was stopped by other professional photographers and was asked many questions such as what the product does and how they could buy one. It was after this game that both Tom and the RDM team realized the potential band.it had.

Shortly after in Fall 2016, the RDM team realized they needed to raise money to turn BAND.IT into a business, build a manufacturing process, and begin marketing the product. But the story doesn’t stop there- stay tuned for the next post in this series about BAND.IT.