Joby GP1-A1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey and Black)
by Joby
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Joby GP1-A1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey and Black)
Customer Review: Extremely Flexible
Summary: 4 Stars
If you have a consumer-grade camcorder, such as the Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation, 2 Hours (Brushed Metal), like I do, you probably should use a tripod of some sort to stabilize your shots. Obviously, if your camcorder is smaller than a deck of cards, you probably aren't going to lug around a full sized tripod. Luckily, mini-tripods exist, which are (almost) pocketable, and make steady shooting (even if you're holding up the camera) much easier.
The GorillaPod is a mini-tripod for cameras and camcorders with an interesting feature: bendable legs that conform to almost any surface. As you might imagine, it is very effective when placing your camera on uneven surfaces, such as rocks, blankets, and nearly anything found in nature. The extreme flexibility of the legs also allows you to clamp it onto vertical, horizontal, and diagonal handrails, chair-rails, guide-wires, and what have you. Indoors, chair backs make a great, impromptu stand.
Flat surfaces, however, are more challenging to deal with. Every "node" of these legs, including where the legs and mount attach, is posable, and there is no easy way to perfectly straighten them. This means that you have to manually adjust the mount to ensure the camera is level. That's a minor inconvenience for such a cool and flexible tripod. I've even found that I can use its legs to steady the camera even while I'm holding it.
Customer Review: Love/Hate Relationship
Summary: 3 Stars
I've bought this tripod and it's competitors about 4 times. I have a true love/hate relationship with this thing. I love that I can carry it around with me at all times. (I keep it in my son's diaper bag) and that it's small and compact. I also love that I can wrap it around a chair, pew, pole, anywhere so that I can record.
The hate part comes from the fact that since it's so flexible the parts just pop right off and after awhile they stop popping back into place. Every week I record my church's sermons I use my Sanyo Xacti and I love the fact that I can wrap my gorillapod around the pew and it will stay and as long as no one is sitting directly in front of me I don't disturb anyone. But that kind of wear and tear means that I'm buying a new one about every 3-4 months. But since I can't find anything else that will be as gentle to the church pews I'm kinda stuck.
I also love the fact that I can use it to steady my shots when I take pics of the kids and the husband's games. I wrap it around the railing at what ever stadium I'm at. I do worry about the camera making the tripod top heavy so I do often use a center support to anchor it around... but since the legs wrap around in any direction I'm free to do that. I couldn't with a clamp on tripod or a straight legged tripod. So in the end I guess it's more of a love than a hate relationship... or else I wouldn't keep buying it.
Customer Review: I LOVE THIS!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Why, oh why has it taken me so long to buy one of these things?!? I am a photo enthusiast who takes thousands of pictures per year. I am also a married woman who hasn't yet managed to train the cat how to take nice photos of my husband and I in front of the Christmas tree. Now instead of taking all our couple photos at arm's length, I can create fantastic pictures using this fun, flexible, fabulous little device!
The Gorillapod is a small, compact, plastic tripod that doesn't look like much when you first take it out of the box, but has actually proven to be quite sturdy. It easily supports my little Nikon Coolpix camera with no problem at all. The tripod legs are bendable, and you can wind them around just about anything to capture that perfect shot, whether it's a chair, a tree branch, a flag pole...ANYTHING! The Gorillapod screws securely into your camera, so you don't have to worry about any instability issues. It also comes in multiple colors (mine is PINK!) and is small enough to tuck in your purse or jacket pocket. I cannot wait to take this with me on upcoming vacations. We will easily be able to take couple shots in front of famous landmarks without having to stop and ask strangers to take our picture all the time.
Bottom line? RUN, do not walk, over to your wallet, take out your credit card, and order the Gorillapod on Amazon today!!!
Customer Review: Innovative design, but a couple of significant problems
Summary: 3 Stars
Cool looking, very functional little tripod. Beware, however:
1. Check your digicam for the location of the tripod mount. If it's in the center of the camera's base, you're in good shape. If it's off to the side, and you're camera's anything heavier than the tiniest ultracompact (like my Panasonic TZ1), the support is iffy at best. The tripod will stand up like a trooper, but the top swiveling ball can't bear the off-center weight and your digicam will slump to the side like a lazy lover. You'll need to take the lack of support into account as you set up the tripod--and who needs that extra annoyance? If this is your situation, try a heavier-duty Gorillapod, or another product altogether
2. The "lock" ring that keeps you from accidentally dismounting the camera is a joke. The first time I set it to lock, I couldn't unlock it until I got out the vice grips and almost broke the thing. So if you buy this, don't even touch the Lock ring. You've been warned.
3. The blurb on the cover said to be sure and read the enclosed instruction manual for "safety and other information", but there was no manual in the package. Just a few illustrations on the back of the cover. D-oh!
Great product look, marketing and packaging. Small enough to stick in a purse or a fanny pack, and still do the job of a tripod. But caveat emperor!
Customer Review: Simple and Effective
Summary: 5 Stars
Just took this on vacation. Such a perfect little gadget. Easily grabs onto just about anything, and levels on any surface. Infinite adjustability - no pan/tilt mechanisms to deal with. Wrap the legs around something and bend and tweak until you have just the right composition.
Once you get in the habit of bringing it along you'll wonder what you did without it. My wife and I got great pictures of the two of us - since we could compose the picture just how we wanted it rather than having a stranger do it. In the beginning, sometimes we would ask a stranger to take our pictures, and instead of asking them over and over to tweak this or that, we just said "bye" and waited a couple minutes until they were gone, then used the gorilla pod instead.
My favorite part is the quick release. This is really what takes it to the next level and makes it so usable. We'd attach the quick release fitting to the camera and just carry the camera in its case. (Canon SD790 and Caselogic QPB-1 case - both of which I'd also give 5 stars.) I'd then carry the rest of the gorillapod on my beltloop by wrapping one of the legs behind the beltloop. Hardly noticed that it was there, but always ready at a moment's notice.
After memory and a camera case, I'd recommend this as the next most useful equipment for anyone with a point-and-shoot camera.