Comments on: Just monkeying around

By: Tripod troubles « Adventures of an Idiot - occasional ramblings of a photography freak

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:17:53 +0000

[...] is though, they’re really only good enough for compact digitals. Ok, well, I’ve got the gorillapod. But its not really a tripod as such… and its not big enough. Moreover, as I recently [...]

By: fotdmike

fotdmike — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:54:46 +0000

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Think that’s how the word “obscene” managed to surface when fotddarren and I were playing with it in the pub.
Didn’t help of course that I was manipulating it into all sorts of suggestive shapes!

By: forkboy1965

forkboy1965 — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:35:10 +0000

Thanks for the advice. But I’ll tell you….every time I see it I can’t help but think it looks like some sort of sex aid.

And the name Gorillapod doesn’t help!

By: fotdmike

fotdmike — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:54:45 +0000

No bounce at all as far as I could determine though whenever I use a tripod (and this’ll apply even to the Slik) I always use the self-timer function so any residual movement/vibration will hopefully have stabilised when the shutter actually opens. This won’t of course minimise any vibration caused by the shutter mechanism itself, but providing you’re using the right sized ‘pod (i.e., one that’ll actually support the camera/lens at whatever angle) I can’t imagine it’d be a problem… the whole assembly appears to be quite “stiff”. And of course the rubber around the “balls” helps to decouple the ‘pod from whatever its attached to as well thus presumably negating micro-vibrations from the environment.
Providing the ‘pod can actually take the weight of the camera it appears to be very stable in fact, though if you’re using it at any sort of weird angle you need first to sort of let it “settle down” after having attached it.

However, I think you’re right to have reservations. Although the largest of the three sizes is claimed to be able to take up to 3Kg, my own impression (based on the session above) is that Joby tend to err on the optimistic side.
If you’re seriously thinking of getting one I’d strongly recommend you give it a good try-out in the shop first… with the heaviest gear you’re likely to use it with.

By: forkboy1965

forkboy1965 — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:32:06 +0000

Great minds must think alike. I have seen this at my local camera shop and have often considered its purchase. Now that I’ve read your review of the mid-level version I’m not so certain any longer.

My Canon 40D weighs in at 740gm by itself. Add my typically-used lens (the Canon 17-85mm USM IS) at another 475gm and one can only imagine the rather floppy nature that would become the mid-level unit. Of course, perhaps the more heavy duty version would be sufficient, but I still have difficulty imagining that it could hold up the camera and lens in any satisfactory manner other than upright.

Out of curiousity though….once the camera is attached and the non-Ti Gorillapod ‘set’ into position, does the camera bounce due to flex/spring in the Gorillapod? If so, what are you doing to mitigate this issue when you press the shutter release?