| Product: |
Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom |
| Date: |
08.01.08 (309 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Lightweight, flexible, compact.
Disadvantages: None
For those of you who like to take photos: How often do you find yourselves, needing a tripod or a flat surface to sit your camera on, so you can take a great photo and catch a special moment? Standard tripods and monopods are too heavy and bulky to carry, as well as other equipment you may need. That is why I bought one of these for my husband for Christmas.
He normally gives me a few suggestions, as to what he would like for Christmas and Birthday, as they are so close to each other. But he wasn't very forthcoming this last Christmas. Whilst browsing on 'Firebox' I discovered a product called 'Gorillapod,' a flexible tripod, which is compact, lightweight and can be used virtually anywhere!!
The 'Gorillapod'
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I was intrigued to find out more, so started looking at different sites and discovered you can get the 'Gorillapod' in 3 different sizes:
Smallest - Gorillapod
Medium size - Gorillapod SLR
Largest - GorillaPod SLR Zoom
Not knowing much about cameras, except how to use one, I decided on the biggest and most expensive one SLR Zoom. This particular one can take camera weights including lenses up to 3kg (6.6lbs) I knew that my husband has a professional looking camera and several large lenses, as well as the basic point and shoot, so this would give him more flexibility without having to buy the small Pod too.
You can see from the photo above, the 'Gorillapod' is a strange looking piece of kit, but to a keen photographer it offers so much; the flexible joints bend and rotate 360o, therefore forming the perfect shape to stand or fix firmly into position. You can even wrap them around a pole or branch.
Each of the 3 legs have 10 balls/joints, the grey rings around each ball joint, and the feet are made of rubber, and provide extra grip, so no matter where you attach or stand the pod, it will stay in place. The joints move fairly easily, but not so freely that it moves when in place. You need to spend a bit of time manoeuvring the legs into the best position before fixing the camera to the top.
The top of the 'Gorillapod' is an adaptable screw, from1/4inch to 3/8inch, this allows you to mount any digital SLR or tripod head of your choosing. You don't have to just use it for still photos either; you can easily fix a digital camcorder to the top too.
The size of this particular Pod is only 250mm x 60mm x 60mm (9.8in x 2.4in x 2.4in) and weighs 241g (8.5oz) As it is so compact and lightweight, it fits easily into a rucksack. Just think of the space you would save in your suitcase, if you took it abroad!
When you purchase the 'GorillaPod' SLR-Zoom, it comes attached to a piece of cardboard, with a couple of plastic ties. Once you have removed your Pod, the card can be recycled.
My Opinion
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My husband was very happy to receive a Gorillapod, for Christmas. At first he wondered what it was, but once he had removed it from the packaging, played around with it, and fixed the camera to it, he was really excited! He had recently bought a bulky tripod, and wished he had found out about this earlier, as it would have saved us some money, and the stress of carrying a tripod out with you on a day out.
You don't really get the full benefit of the pod in your lounge, as you don't tend to have many uneven surfaces, so my husband took it outside and spent ages changing the shape and fixing it to branches in trees, and on fence posts. He didn't fix the camera to it or even take any photos!!
I sat down in the evening to have a proper look at the pod, I actually found playing with the pod quite therapeutic. You can sit in front of the television and before you know it you've created some strange shapes. It really can be made into whatever shape you wish, so it doesn't matter where you want to use it, you won't have any problems fixing it, or stabilising it in order to take your photos or video.
When I first ordered this from Amazon I paid about £35.00 for it. Whilst tracking my order they had reduced the price to 14.99 so I contacted them and they happily refunded me the difference. You would be lucky to find this particular one for this price. The RRP for the SLR-Zoom is £50, currently Amazon are selling it for £35.93.
The smaller one is £13.94 and the middle one is £24.30.
Comparing these prices with other tripods, they are fairly similar, but weighing up the size and versatility of the Gorillapod, then this is the one to go for everytime.
Other info
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Joby, the company which bring the Gorillapod to us is dedicated to the environment, and they donate 1% of their sales to the preservation of the planet.
Joby is an American company they develop innovative accessories for the photography and personal communications markets. Based in San Francisco, California, Joby was first launched in 2006 as a single-product company, with the Gorillapod.
After buying your Gorillapod, you get 1 year warranty from Joby
For more information on the Gorillapod you can look at the following site:
http://www.joby.com/uk/products/gorillapod/
Thank you for reading my review
Nicola 8/1/08
Summary: The perfect companion for any photographers next adventure!
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