The merit of a Gorillapod

[John Saxton]

Anyone used these Gorillapods and if so how have they found them?

From what I have seen of them they come in various weight mounting capacities similarly priced as well.Wondering whether or not to add one to take thru the haunts of Alaska or stick with small tripod I have.

TIA

cheers

[rsser]

Good question.

Are there trees or street signs where you're going? ;-}

FWIW I tried a walking pole cum monopod with a 300mm film equiv lens and it was hopeless.

[John Saxton]

Ern, gotta reckon there will be trees in the areas we visit in Alaska/Canada .I know that these Gorillapods are classed with various load ratings and I'm thinking of adding one to my kit to travel with.

I have a Monopod and I would'nt use it with much more than perhaps a 50mm lens.

Cheers

[ian]

Ern, gotta reckon there will be trees in the areas we visit in Alaska/Canada .I know that these Gorillapods are classed with various load ratings and I'm thinking of adding one to my kit to travel with.

I have a Monopod and I would'nt use it with much more than perhaps a 50mm lens.

Cheers

Hi John

don't be too certain re trees. You quite possibly will be above the tree line in places.

I've got a Leki Sierra walking stick cum monopod that I've used successfully with a Nikon F90 / 80-200 F2.8 combo -- all up mass of camera and lens about 3 kg

I've also have a Manfroto 676B monopod which is pretty sturdy.

personally I'd go with either a decent monopod or heavy weight tripod before I used a gorilla pod with a long lens

I don't recall if your new lens has a tripod bracket, but if it doesn't it might pay to get an aftermarket tripod bracket for it -- that way the monopod will be under the approximate centre of mass.

[joe greiner]

A bag of rice (or double bag for safety) works almost anywhere, including venues that prohibit tripods. If the bag breaks, critters can clean up the waste. Buy local instead of including in luggage.

Cheers,
Joe

[steverc]

I highly recommend the gorilla pod. But make sure you buy the the real thing and not the cheap ebay version. I made this mistake, the ebay version are quite good but don't have the same weight capablities. Mine has a tendency to flop over when i put my 18-200mm sigma lens on.
I keep mine curled up in my camera bag at all times it is very handy and takes up bugger all room.

[rsser]

The gorillapod looks like a funky piece of kit.

But I'd prefer to carry a tripod so as to get the best position for the shot.

Yes, it's extra bulk and weight .... but how many times do you get to go to Alaska?

[John Saxton]

I have a Manfrotto with a ball head that is light enough not to be an issue. The question of the Gorillapod was that it would be a light piece of kit to be able to drag out instead of the tripod.

The monopod I have is nominally a hiking stick (el cheapo) with mounting facility for the Nikon D7000 I plan to take with me.

Cheers

[FenceFurniture]

John, they look like a very useful piece of kit, but would not replace a tripod because of the height. Buy one when you're there and take your lightweight Manfriday with you.

Regards, Brett

[BobL]

I tried out the gorillapod for a few days but I found I was reverting to my Slick Mini iII that I can also prop on my chest. One leg goes down to my sternum and the other two legs are adjusted so they rest on my collar bones. A few adjustments and that places the eyepiece right at eye height. If a vertical surface is available the mini can be braced on that surface without removing the camera strap from around the neck (safety first) or my Black Rapid from around my shoulder/neck.

I probably use the Slik mini more than all my other tripods put together.

I have the Compact (4 segment) Manfrotto monopod that easily fits inside most backpacks and small suitcases but it's not much good without a decent head on it. I usually use a heavy duty ballgrip head with it. It's crap as a walking stick.

[John Saxton]

Thanks to all for your responses, I'm thinking of just packing the Cam-Pod with the kit to make do instead of a Gorillapod .

Cheers

[ian]

John

one more thing -- do you own a pocket sized point & shoot?

either way you might want to consider upgrading or getting one like the Sony DSC-TX5. Apart from being water proof to 3m, "cold proof" to -5°C, "drop proof" from 1.5m (provided it lands on a sheet of ply! -- see there is a WW connection), for me the killer application is the sweep panoramic function -- 240° panoramas with the press of one button! Oh and the low light / back light sensitivity is pretty good too.

[John Saxton]

John

one more thing -- do you own a pocket sized point & shoot?

Yes I do, I have a Sony as well but as this is a new camera and I'm just getting back into doing some photography since I retired I am keen to give it a workout.

I have'nt used my old SLR Pentax for a number of years but the new DSLR's offer up a vast array of options that I would be keen to explore on this trip and along with (2) 32gb SD cards it options up from the old SLR.

Cheers

[ian]

the new DSLR's offer up a vast array of options that I would be keen to explore on this trip and along with (2) 32gb SD cards it options up from the old SLR.

way to go

the other thing to consider is some form of backup storage so a catastrophy wont result in the loss of your photos -- I use a notebook with built in a card reader