Joby Gorillapod SLR Zoom Tripod

Light but tough, stable enough to hold a DSLR with flash or shotgun mic. Grips like a gorilla.

I got this tripod as a portable option to take on hiking trips or to throw in my backpack for spontaneous blur shots where I didn't plan on needing a tripod. It is definitely very portable and seems to be durable and very flexible. It easily supports my Canon T2i with added battery grip and moderate zoom lens. I have yet to try it with a longer zoom lens but I believe it will support its weight without any problem. It will come in handy for many situations, although it is not ideal for all purposes. On hilly terrain it was a little difficult for me to get down low enough to set it up and look through my viewfinder to make sure my composition and focus were correct. It took a little trial and error but overall I was pleased with the final result. Because of the flexibility of the tripod, it is hard to make sure your camera is level, so an added bubble level to your camera or the tripod itself would be very helpful. You can purchase a level that attaches to the Gorillapod to help make sure the tripod is level. If not, you might want to shoot a little wide so you can straighten your shot in post processing. The flexible legs definitely help on unlevel ground since the legs can easily adjust to different heights to achieve the desired composition. My only frustration with the tripod is that it was a little difficult to screw it into the camera. I finally realized that you have to hold the screw underneath the tripod while you screw it into the camera. Otherwise the screw in the tripod itself rotates and it won't screw in properly. It's a little cumbersome for my taste. In my opinion, it's a little bit expensive for what it does, but still can be handy in certain situations. If you purchase it thinking it will replace a regular tripod for landscape shots, you will be disappointed. This is much lighter and easier to travel with and can rest lower to the ground than a full size tripod, and it is much more stable than a monopod. There will be times on a hiking trip that I'll still wish I had a full size tripod, but this will do the trick in many situations and is definitely better than hiking with a monopod only.

Wish I would have read the reviews. Complete rip off. Not an OEM product. Cheap Chinese knock off.

Love this for my GoPro. Honestly I can't recommend it enough. There are so many uses I have thought of for this and continue to think of. Besides using it as a tripod for the a camera, it can also serve as a monopod, an extension pole, a camera wheel/stabilizer, a pole mount, or even a wrist/hand mount. Whenever I go out filming with my GoPro, this is is always the one accessory I make sure to take. Just make sure you purchase the GoPro Tripod Mount accessory.

One of the legs keeps detaching from the top of the unit. For the number of times we have used it I'm not impressed.

So far I have used this with a Sony A7r ii with the 16-35mm lens - not a super heavy combination, but definitely not a "point and shoot" and this holds up very well. I didn't realize there was the next size up, the GorillaPod Focus when I bought this... perhaps that would be more secure, but this is nice and sturdy with my current setup. Previously I had bought a cheap knockoff that I can't even remember the brand of, and those joints hardly support the weight of a cellphone, even though it looks just like the Joby! That product is absolutely useless since it's always buckling and bending when I don't want it to. I HIGHLY recommend getting the optional ballhead. The nice part about the ballhead is you can use it on multiple different tripods - it is very nicely made as well and works with all Joby GorillaPods.

Impressive capacity. Works in a wide range of situations. Together with the JOBY Ballhead, I've used this for a Nikon D90 and D7200 with lenses as big as the 70-300 mm and even the 150-600 mm beast!

sturdy and versatile, best tripod i've had in a long time