When I saw the Joby Gorillapod after becoming a keen photographer, I thought that i had to have one. I also liked the fact that its so compact and can be used nearly everywhere, the total opposite of a classic tripod. The original Gorillapod stated that it was capable of holding my superzoom compact Nikon S9100, but the tripod mount on the camera was at the edge so i guessed it would probably topple over. When i saw that there was a Gorillapod for bigger Cameras, the Gorillapod SLR, i suddenly had a quick look online and bought one. I knew the increased size and weight load could easily handle the weight of my S9100.
The Gorillapod SLR states that it can hold a camera weighing up to 1.75 pounds. If this Gorillapod is too small for your camera, there is also the Gorillapod SLR Zoom which can handle a weight of up to 6.6 pounds.
Design and Features
All of the Gorillapod line-up are basically the same just the whole design gets enlarged a bit each time. The Gorillapod SLR has the same features as its younger brother, the Original Gorillapod, just everything's increased in size. With the legs straightened and folded together the Gorillapod SLR measures a height of just under 10 inches. This is very compact and it can easily fit into a camera bag. It is not only very compact, it's also very lightweight weighing in at only 5.8 ounces.
The Gorillapod is basically made up of 9 ball and socket joints on each leg, and a further 2 ball and socket joints near the head. This means the legs can be bent into a variety of different shapes and can hold a camera in basically anywhere. The tips of the legs are mostly covered in rubber, so you can get grip on a variety of surfaces. All of the ball and socket joints have a line of rubber to grip whatever they're holding onto.
At the tripod head there is a removable attachment that gets screwed onto the tripod mount of the camera. Because its so small you can leave this attachment always onto your camera. When you need to use the tripod you can just clip it in, set the legs up, and snap away. When this attachment is mounted on the tripod its locked int o place, until you press a button and remove it. For extra protection there is a rotating lock which can prevent the button from moving.
Performance
At the moment, the Gorillapod SLR works perfectly at what its designed to do. The legs have a high range of movement so you'll always end up with a steady position. It can also easily hold the weight of my camera (7.5oz).
I can only think of one downside, and i will only find out about it in the future. This downside is that,the legs will end up getting weaker over time and will not be able to hold a camera steady.
Conclusion
This is possibly the best value for money tripod around. It gives you a wide reange of versatility, while keeping the price at a minimum. I will only find out if the downside is true or not in the future, so I can't be certain for now. I suggest that all you camera lovers out there, that you go out and buy one of the gorillapod's that suit your needs.
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