Joby Gorillapod
By aliencam ~ March 6th, 2009. Filed under: Cameras, Reviews.
Product: Gorillapod Original
Company: Joby
Price: $21.95 Find Lowest Price @ PriceGrabber
Author: aliencam (Cameron Kopas)
If you have ever researched cameras or photography on the Internet in the past few years, you have probably seen or heard of Joby’s Gorillapod. If you didn’t look much further into it though, you likely ignored it all, thinking “what could be so special about a tripod?” Well, before I actually got to try the product firsthand, I thought the same thing.
This review is pretty long and full of pictures, If you don’t want to read any of it, I have a very quick summary of everything on the last page.
Overview
There are four sizes of the Gorillapod– original, SLR, SLR-Zoom, and Focus. The original is for most point-and-shoot cameras, anything up to 11.5oz (325g), and the largest size (the Focus) up to 11 lbs (5kg). The original is about 6 inches tall (15cm), has 9 points of maneuverability on each leg, and two on the top base of the tripod. This model is available in six colours, but the classic grey is my favorite.
For the purposes of this review, I have the original. I would like to point out that my camera that I have used with it weighs about 13 oz with batteries and the SD card in it, which is not much more than the original, but still more than the specifications, and yet the Gorillapod still held it up fine.
Packaging
The Gorillapod comes in two different kinds of packaging, they have “eco-friendly” and one that they refer to as “fancy packaging.” I can’t be completely sure, but the “fancy packaging” looks like it is encased in my mortal enemy, the hard plastic clamshell… Thankfully though, I didn’t have to deal with that garbage, and I got the really cool-looking and efficient “eco-packaging.”
This package includes a reasonably sized plain cardboard box with a nice black and grey printof a Gorillapod and a little text on 3 sides. The back is blank except for the word “JOBY” in the top left corner, and the blank area is the perfect size for a FedEX shipping label (somebody was paying attention when they designed this).
Inside was a packing slip and another small brown cardboard box with the Gorillapod inside. This box is in the same style as the outer box, with a very tasteful minimalist look, and a hole to see part of the Gorillapod itself. The back side of the package includes all of the necessary instructions, and doesn’t waste paper with a huge booklet of information that nobody would read anyway. The package also states that it comes with a 1-year warranty, and that Joby donates “1% of our sales to the preservation of the planet.” There is apparently a group of companies that do this, and the organization is called “one percent for the planet.” The top of the box also says “Designed in California. Ethically manufactured in China.” I would have to say this is a 1-up on apple products, which omit the term “ethically.” I can’t say that either the 1% for the planet, or the ethical manufacture would influence my decision to purchase the products, but they are nice gestures and I’m sure there are those who would be swayed by these.
Physical Attributes
The Gorillapod achieves it’s claims by using a different system than other flexible tripods. Most of those use a bendable wire or something similar. These are not really flexible, and all need to be used on a flat surface.
The Gorillapod is in stark contrast to the inadequate example above. The entire Gorillapod is made up of ball and socket joints (like your shoulder or hip, it just makes sense to use here) so it can be adjusted to nearly any position. In addition to this, each cup has a rubber ring around it to make it more able to “grip” whatever you wrap the legs around. It can be used like a regular tripod, but I found that I only used it in this way one or two times in the entire two months that I was using the product. The vast majority of the time I found something to wrap the legs around, exploiting the full utility of the product and getting pictures from angles that no other tripod could even attempt.
There is also an innovative system for attaching the Gorillapod to your camera. It comes with a small clip that you attach to your camera using the standard tripod screw mount. I left this piece on my camera permanently, it is small enough to be nearly un-noticeable, and it never caused me with any problems. You can then slide the piece into the top base of the Gorillapod. This piece has a locking mechanism, and even if it is unlocked, the camera cannot be removed without pressing on the button with the “JOBY” logo on it. This means that you can easily and quickly remove or attach cameras to the tripod, without the time-consuming screw mechanism. I used this very often and never felt worried about my camera falling off of the Gorillapod, it always seemed very sturdy. The Gorillapod Original comes with one clip (the part that stays on your camera) and more can be purchased at $3 apiece. In addition to the standard clip for attaching to cameras, they offer a “Gorillapod Go-Go!” kit, which includes one suction-cup clip, and two adhesive clips. With this clip you could use the gorillapod to hold just about any small item, they suggest things like iPods, handheld game systems, and mobile phones. This kit can be purchased for $9.95 if you already own a Gorillapod, or with a new Gorillapod original for $29.95.
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1 2 3Tags: Camera, Gorillapod, Joby, Photography, Review, Tripod
