Gorillapod... YES/NO..?

Does anyone have/use a Gorillapod, particurarly the SLR Zoom? If so do you find it useful? Ok I know it can't take the place of a 'real' tripod, but is it worth having one in the bag for those times when it will certainly be better than nothing? Amazon sell the SLR Zoom and ballhead for £47. Seems a reasonable buy to me.

I have an imitation Gorillapod bought on ebay for a fraction of the price but I think it works just like the real one. I have to say that I have never found it very useful as I never seem to find anywhere suitable to position it safely. At that sort of money I would look for a lightweight travel tripod. I picked one up in the USA for $20 and provided I am very careful, it does the job.

I have a SLR Zoom G'pod and I use it. It certainly has limitations... I can't use it with big/heavy lenses as it just sags and won't stay still, but with a lightweight zoom or (esp) a limited prime it is just fine and it enables you to keep the camera still and get a shot you might not otherwise manage - e.g. a night shot or long exposure etc. I do find that a remote control is useful as pressing the shutter button can cause the whole thing to move, and of course it is not all that tall so unless you can find walls/branches/whatever to put the arrangement on, then things tend to look as if they have been shot at near ground level (which they have!).

It does provide a way to get a tripod of sorts into a bag where you otherwise may not manage at all, and it is light and has a variety of configurations for the legs if you want to be creative. I like it.

Regards

I find it great for toadstools and low level work.

Thanks everyone.

I have one and don't use it anymore. It was not strong enough to keep my K20D + 18-250 still. I can also confirm what Mat said about the issue with pressing down a shutter - it is simply too flexible to keep the camera in position. However - for tough mountain tours I recently bought a small compact and for this camera I will get a small Pod-magnetic as a kind of minimal backup tripod - but I don't use it with my DSLR.

I had one in the past too, worried me every time I used it though as it just didn't seem sturdy enough to me, I now use a Slik Mini Pro V which doesn't have the flexibility of the Gorillapod but is far sturdier

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slik-Mini-2-Way-Head-Tripod/dp/B000K3992M

Simon

I love mine. It isn't a tripod replacement but a totally different tool. You can hang it from branches, curl it over a wall, tie it around a post and use it in situations where a tripod is impractical such as low level water shots when tripod takes too long to adjust (and you worry about it falling over)!

And in some places where tripods are forbidden it's well worth having.

The other thing I use is a Pod link which also has similar benefits.

agree with greynolds999 completely. used mine with tamron 18-250,DA 55-300 @ 300, DA*16-50,no lightweight, no trouble at all. as for pressing the button if you are using a tripod of any sort for support you will more likely be using a remote release anyway to avoid camera movement. always have mine with me, and that is agood price comeplete with head go for it

I bought a Zoom gorilla pod, initially to put a wirless flash on. I find it useful when out walking as it clips nicely on my camera bag. I can fix it to posts or fences to take photos, especially HDR. It also became a great portable toy with my grandson. Caught having to amuse him while mum went to the dentist we needed something to amuse him. The gorilla pod kept him quiet for ages and seemed almost indestructable!

I always carry one - really useful for low level landscape shots using the remote - the only problem I have is I am now on my 4th one - they are not very robust and I find that after a couple of months of constant reshaping - at least one of the joints gives in!

Carl