Worth buying a Gorilla Pod or lightweight tripod?
- Thread starter AndrewSt
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A GorillaPod may be more versatile - i.e. wrap around tree/ lamp-post, chair etc, but you need to ensure you get the right one for your kit as there are several different versions.
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- David
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OK, I have both!! Lightweight Tripods seem to come in two varieties, compact or tall. compact ones fold down into something much shorter, but don't always go as tall. When a lightweight tripod is tall it isn't necessarily stable and strong winds can cause vibration. I have a lightweight Giottos (CF - around 1kg) but that is not very compact when folded, and a lightweight 3LG Punks, which is very compact when folded (32cms long, 1.5kg)), but doesn't go as tall, it is though much more stable than the Giottos. I also have a couple of gorillarpods, I find these very useful, often attaching to railings or even using as a low level tripod. If you have a lightish camera/lens, then if you go for a gorillapod, I would recommend getting one with some adjustment in the head, as when using them on railings and the like, they can be difficult to level the camera.
It really depends on the type of holiday, a gorillapod is certainly easier to carry, and never seems to fall foul of any tripod police.
It really depends on the type of holiday, a gorillapod is certainly easier to carry, and never seems to fall foul of any tripod police.
Nod
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- Nod (UK)
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I also have both and my GorillaPod (an SLR Zoom) has a Manfrotto ball head attached. I don't think the SLR Zoom is up to acting as a tripod with a D700 and a 24-120 f/4 mounted but wrap it around a railing or similar and it's fine. My travel tripod is a Giottos Vitruvian CF and it also has a Manfrotto head fitted in place of the original - purely to keep the QR system the same over all my kit. If I'm expecting to need a tripod, I take the tripod but if it's not in the holiday plan, I take the GorillaPod instead. Hoping to get some MilkyWay shots in a few weeks so will be taking the tripod. Keep meaning to have a play with a GorillaPod Focus but the shop I used to use has closed due in part to "showrooming". 
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I didn't find a gorillapod SLR zoom stable enough with my micro four thirds cam...let alone aps/FF cameras. This was doing long exposure and using it standing up - wrapped round something probably a bit better, but I got much better results with just a basic table-top tripod.
I usually take a pedco ultrpod II, folds out as a table tripod, or velcro-brackets to a pole/handrail...again, not sure how it'd hold up to a full-size camera but was able to do 20s exposures with about a kilo of E-M5 and 100/2.8 lens attached
Harder to get in the UK - think I ordered from amazon and they shipped over from the US.
I usually take a pedco ultrpod II, folds out as a table tripod, or velcro-brackets to a pole/handrail...again, not sure how it'd hold up to a full-size camera but was able to do 20s exposures with about a kilo of E-M5 and 100/2.8 lens attached
Harder to get in the UK - think I ordered from amazon and they shipped over from the US.