The Gorillapod is really lightweight and fantastically versatile! (Joby Gorillapod SLR)

Member Name: Vmanc

Product:	Joby Gorillapod SLR
Date:	04/11/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lightweight and extremly versatile . Brilliant for walking and other outdoor activities .

Disadvantages: Slightly stiff joints compared to the compact camera version, and a bit bulky (relativly speaking)

I chose the Gorillapod over other mini tripods as it was lightweight and clearly a very clever design. Rather then simply shrinking a normal tripod design and hoping that it still works (having tried a few they generally don't), the designers went back to the drawing board on this one, dumping the traditional telescopic legs for extremely bendy legs with lots of rubberised joints. They have used a decent tough plastic material, which keeps it lightweight without compromising durability.
I generally my Gorillapod when out walking, as it is lightweight and compact. Its brilliant and innovative design allows you to use this in many situations where conventional mini tripods would simply fail. You don't need to worry about finding an even surface to balance it on; any rock or wall is fine. You simply bend each of the legs to suit the location. The grippy rubberised knuckles even allow you to wrap the legs around fence posts, tree branches, signposts etc. The tripod fixes to a standard tripod mount fitted on most cameras. You can leave the small quick release adapter permanently fixed to your camera, or simply screw the whole thing in every time you need it. I have a Canon S3 Is superzoom compact (size wise its sits between a standard compact and an SLR), which is well supported using this SLR version. The only question mark is whether those joints will still work in a few years time, though there are no problems with mine yet and I have been using it over a year.

Summary: good and cool