GorillaPod Review

Welcome back!

For quite some time, I’ve wanted a GorillaPod.  Last week, I finally just broke down and bought one.  It’s amazing how I struggle over even the most minor purchases.  Anyway, GorillaPod’s are those bendable tripods that you can wrap around various objects, in addition to acting as a normal tripod.

After getting mine, last week, I had a trip to Disney for my son’s 5th birthday, so I thought I would take it along and “take it through the paces” a bit.  One of the reasons I wanted it was to help with dark shots on Disney rides, as they don’t allow flash photography and you need a good steady base to take dark shots without a flash.  While the GorillaPod did work for this purpose (although some of the rides move too fast for a quality shot), I was a bit disappointed with how loosely the GorillaPod gripped some of the objects I wrapped it around.  As long as the railing or other object was the right size, it worked perfectly.  Even in the loose-fitting applications, it performed adequately, just not up to my expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised by the construction of the Gorilla tripod, too.  I expected some type of bendable plastic material that would wear out, quickly.  Instead, several balls and sockets form the tripod and allow for the bending action.  It feels very solidly constructed and should last better than I was expecting from the bendable plastic material.

This should not act as your only tripod.  It has a specific functionality for when you do not have a  level surface available for a standard tripod.

• Theme park rides
• Outdoors activities
• Self-portraits/Video in your car or on your bike
• Anywhere you need to utilize a non-conventional surface to hold your camera

It’s also a great “on-the-go” tripod for self-portraits/video and group photos.  I carry mine with me everywhere — it fits right in my front pocket.

They cost about $20-30 and come in various colors and sizes.  I bought the compact size for a point-and-shoot camera, but they also make some for DSLRs and other sizes.  There are also some different attachment options for the camera, such as suction cups and adhesives (for those cameras - like the original Flip - that do not have a standard tripod attachment point).

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