Joby GP3 Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Flexible Digital

I read the reviews complaining about the weight not being supported but I have had no issue so far. I use a Pentax K200D with a battery pack and while I have not used my biggest lens "in the field" with this, I have tested it and once I got it balanced, it did fine. Im not sure I would try hanging it off the side of my car with a huge lens on but I feel more than comfortable with my lighter lenses.

If you are familiar with the Gorillapod concept there is nothing new about this one other than being bigger and having a ball head. The legs are big enough to wrap around a normal railing/post you would find in most touristy places. Bigger than a stop sign pole but smaller than a street light pole.

Attaching it to strange places is much easier due to the quick release on the ball head. You can position the pod, slide the camera in, test the load and then either adjust or start shooting.

My ball head is quite stiff to the point that if it has been unused for more than a day or two I have to push hard to get it "fluid" again. Not a bad thing in my opinion.

The quick release plate is small the level placement is excellent. I have gotten in the habit of leaving it on and using it to level my shots hand shooting. The connector is a screw and really needs to be tightened with a quarter so keep one handy.

If I had a complain it would be that getting the legs straight for storage can be a pain. It seems like getting one straight makes the others bent. This is not a "carry in a pocket" tripod and leaving it attacked would not be a good idea. I got mine on sale and I am not sure if I would have paid full price for it. Its a great product but the full price seems a bit excessive.

I have not explored the world of wild connections much but for me where the Gorillapod really shines are those low angle shots. I can make my "real" tripod get as low as the Gorillapod but it means reconfiguring to flip the center post and shooting upside down. 20 minutes vs 1 minute with the Groillapod. It doesnt replace a full tripod but it does a lot of things better and faster. Buy it ... Highly recommended.