Gorilla Pod

alexlyons

Haven't been on this forum in quite a while, apologies for abandoning you :P

Heading to Rome on friday and want to get a Gorilla Pod or similar. Been thinking of getting one for a while now.

Amazon do them but with shipping at 3-4 days, its about €8 cheaper than conns and not guaranteed to be here.

Conns have the one I want for €50.
Anyone know of anywhere in dublin that does it cheaper?

BFassassin

They can be quite useful. If your camera and lense combo though is heavy it starts to slowly drop. I have a D90 and the legs need to be positioned right to get it to hold. My brothers D40 though doesnt seem to have any problems.
They released a beefier version recently I think but havent seen it yet.

smash

I have one and it's great. I don't use it that often though.

Thecageyone

You should be fine with that one with dslr and standard lens attached. It holds up to 3kg, some of the smaller ones will only hold less than a kilo max .

The best one is the focus:

http://joby.com/gorillapod/focus/

That holds up to 5kg, but it'll be a lot more expensive.

Actually, not much more as they're on sale on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP8-01EN-Gorillapod-Focus/dp/B001GCU0MY

dubhoop

have you tried dixons or maybe even argos?

alexlyons

Went into Conns today. They recommended the Gorillapod that has been linked to, the metal one that is the one up from what I linked to. I have heard other reports of creeping about the model I was originally looking at so I think I'll leave that one.

Now, the question is whether to get the next gorilla pod up, or a standard tripod such as the Benro Travel ANgel

The price is fairly similar. I have two issues though.

Firstly a side note:
While I'm not dead set on getting it in Conns in the slightest, I can get a decent discount in there as I know Mike personally. But I have no issue going elsewhere in the slightest. I am aware of issues people on here have with the, I do not want this to turn into a bickering match about them, as its not about them, it's about tripods.

Conns have the Benro in stock, I had a decent look at it today and it looks good. I can get it for €150. I haven't looked elsewhere for it yet, but it's not even on their website so I fear it may not be on others. They don't have the Metal Gorillapod. So unless I find the metal gorillapod, it looks like the Benro or similar.

I have a normal tripod, but it's very cheap, it's light and I do a good bit of seascape time lapses, and in high winds I have major fears of it blowing over. I had to cable tie it to a railing one day. The Benro would stop this. However the Gorillapod would also stop this, while giving me the convenience of being able to mould it to almost anywhere. That is a luxury and not a necessity.

So basically, if I can find the metal gorillapod before close of business on thursday do I go for it and put up with the light normal tripod. Or do I go for the benro (similar tripods are welcome once they are within thee €120-160 ish price range) and have a decent tripod that can be tall and small etc, that can occasionally be annoying to be placed in small spots where the gorillapod would be fine, and do without the convenience of the moulding legs?

I know I need to make the decision, but help is appreciated based on my situation.

I must get one or other by close of business on thursday.

Thecageyone

You might want to check ahead and see where you would be allowed to use the tripod. I read somewhere before that none of the churches in Rome allow them [can you imagine if they did? It would be mayhem!] - With the gorillapod you could be a bit more stealthy about it

In general I'd say get the tripod, but for travel I'd seriously consider the pod. It'll squash up nicely into your bag. I'm heading to the states myself next month and thinking on a gorilapod, maybe even buy it over there.

alexlyons

Cheers cagey, just had a quick chat with the family, the birthday is coming so what I initially was think was get the Benro for Rome, and a generous family member might get the cheaper gorilla for the ol' birthday that way I have the best of both worlds, a very decent tripod, plus the flexibility of the gorilla if needs be, even if it does creep a little.

But then I got thinking. The budget allows at the minute for about €120 ish €150 at a push. If I could find the decent Gorilla before I go I was thinking of getting that, and said family member could make a contribution to the Benro or similar in november and then I'd have two very slick tripods!!

However now I just thought of another dilemma, I'm heading to Scotland in november, before my birthday, so I wouldn't have the Benro for that, which would be an excellent test for it!

So it's a question of do I want the gorilla for Rome and "suffer" with the light one and gorilla for scotland, or "suffer" with the Benro in Rome and have a decent tripod for Scotland. If I got the Benro first I probably wouldn't get the decent Gorilla, just the first one I looked at.

However, again comes another thought, I shoot IR a bit, and Rome could be quite decent for that, what with fountains, flowing water, old buildings etc etc. Would the decent gorilla handle seriously steady shots or would I be better with the Benro in Rome for those shots??

I'm sorry

alexlyons

On a slightly different note while staying on topic, does any one have any recommendations on what tripod to get at around the €150 mark. A standard head will do for now. stength, being heavy enough not to low over but not a lump of lead, and being able to get right down to the ground would be ideal features. Ideally being able to flip the centre column.

any info appreciated

TinyExplosions

Any of the Slik ones should do what you need -I'd pop into berminghams or somewhere and have a look. 150 is a healthy budget for a decent tripod

alexlyons

I just rang Gunns, birminghams, The camera centre, the camera exchange and Hall Cameras, none of who have the Gorillapod Focus in stock.

Birminghams were the only ones who knew about it and have them on order, the camera centre said he'd never heard of it as there is no agent for Gorillapod's in Ireland, but he'd definitely look into it and most likely get a few.

But that still leaves me in my pathetic dilemma

Cheaper Gorillapod for Rome or a real tripod for Rome, bearing in mind the wieght difference....?

That is the question, all above can be ignored and I apologise for ranting on about it so much

Kintarō Hattori

Gorillapod all the way. I have one of the basic units (the Pentax isn't particuarly heavy) and it's just brilliant. The small size is fantastic as it's a lot easier to manage than a great big tripod plus it can be put places normal tripods can't.

alexlyons

Ended up going for the Benro for one simple reason, it has a head on it and the Gorilla doesn't. So that means if/when i do get a gorilla, I have a head for it.

Thanks for the help

condra

Anyone know a bricks and mortar shop where one can purchase a Gorillapod at a good price?

Argos want 30 euro for the starter one.

I was thinking more like 20

Thecageyone

The starter one will only hold a compact camera, what are you using?

Check the weight of your camera w/lens if it's a dslr, and don't buy anything that holds that weight or less. Always allow some spare, for bigger lenses, wind etc ...

The SLR zoom gorillapod goes for around €35 inc p&p on ebay. That holds up to 3kg [I think]

hmboards

If buying on eBay, be sure to read through the sellers feedback for the same item. I bought one which was sold as a gorillpod and used official gorillapod photos, but was a cheap fake. Ended up getting money back and seller was delisted. It's fine for holding off-camera flash!

condra

Hey Cagey, thanks for the reply.

The starter one should be fine for my needs, l plan to use it with my little Zoom H1 mic.

Third Eye

There's one for sale on adverts at the moment.