Electronics : Joby GP1-OGEN Gorillapod - Green

Rating: - A must have for any SLR user
I have an expensive, robust full size tripod which cost a small fortune. However as good as that tripod is, because of it's size and weight, it was always left at home, or in the boot of the car, and i never had it to hand when on occassions I needed it. That is now all a thing of the past as the Gorillapod SLR Zoom accompanies me where ever my camera goes. It is fantastic, and really does grip onto most things (lampposts, fence rails, climbing frames etc) No more problems when I am unable to hand hold the camera. You will need to buy a good ball and socket head to accompany this, but the gorillapod should be an essential for any serious photographer.

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Rating: - great piece of kit
especially for the backpacking photographer. i could never be bothered with a proper tripod (once bought one and took it to paris but left in in hotel room for 3 days). note if you buy the slr-zoom then you'll probably need a separate head for it.

also, amazon had it on sale for £14.99 2 weeks ago when i ordered mine. now the price has more than doubled!

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Rating: - Absolutely brilliant - love it!
Got this for my boyfriend's birthday earlier in the year and it has become an indispensible bit of kit on our hillwalking days. It lives in a little pocket of the rucksack and comes out at every summit - wraps round a rock no problem and so quick to set up. Lightweight, takes up hardly any space, cool, funky and fab. We recommend it to everyone - love it!!

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Rating: - Bulky but often very useful
The Gorillapod devices are alternatives for tripods or supports, only enabling a camera's attachment to and positioning on all sorts of things such as railings and trees as well as more conventional use as a miniature tripod, if considerably more adjustable for uneven terrain. The light grey sections of the legs (including the "feet") are grippy soft synthetic rubber-like material which help to prevent slippage. This definitely helps confidence when relying on it to safely support your thousand-pounds-or-more-worth of equipment! The joints are ball-joints and are quite stiff, which also helps with stability and the "safety" aspect. I do wonder how long the stiffness will last, but they are likely to last quite a while as they "share" movement. The stiffness does provide good stability for long exposures, excepting conditions where vibration may interfere with the way it has been mounted.

As has been mentioned in other reviews, the SLR Zoom version is essential for heavy camera/lens/etc. combinations, but it is rigid enough to support my Nikon D80 with 18-200mm zoom, weighing in at 3.3kg although finely adjusting where the camera is pointing is usually awkward without an additional tripod head. The smallest version (bought for my partner for use with her Coolpix 7900 and found to be very useful indeed) has a "neck" so you can wrap the legs around whatever and then bend it so that the camera is aimed perfectly at the subject. As this version is intended for use with considerably heavier equipment, there is no neck, so either you should bear the subject matter in mind as you apply the legs or use an additional tripod "head" as well. Without the separate adjustment, it can be very difficult to frame the subject. A head which allows for easy release of the camera would help, too, as the legs do add substantially to the awkwardness of carrying a camera! They can be "moulded" into a "single" leg to help support, though.

The light grey sections are susceptible to staining, especially as they are so soft, but IMHO, that's simply a sign that the item has been used!

The unit is very light, but quite bulky. Carrying it around in a camera bag is expensive in terms of space unless you are sure you're likely to use it. However, it is so versatile that I would make sure I took it on holiday, for example. I suspect everyone would have their own opinion of when and for what they might use it, but I would err on the side of taking it, certainly if self-portraits or long exposures are planned!

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Rating: - Very handy piece of kit!
I found that I was taking more pictures in low light and i needed more support for long-exposure shots. I started looking for a small tripod and the Gorillapod looked most appropiate!

When I first took the package out the box, the gorillapod looked quite big but once i took it out it wasnt as chunky as i thought. The rubber balls on the legs which makes it flexible are secure yet easy to adjust, and it holds my DSLR with no problems at all. I was taking photos of colour cards so i fixed the Gorillapod to the arm of a chair and hung the camera above the floor. It looked so secure that i wasn't worried about it losing grip at all - the legs were long enough to wrap 2 of them around the chair's arm and the other to pin it upwards in position.

It also fits snugly into my camera bag - I have a Crumpler Pretty Boy Large, and when curled round the Gorillapod fits into the front pouch with enough room to fully close the main flap of the bag.

Overall i am very pleased! Some people say to beware as they don't hold the weight they say they do, but i haven't found anything to support this so far.
Highly recommended to someone looking for a small tripod but aren't willing to put up with the huge equipment.