Digital Home Thoughts: Gorillas In Our Midst: The Gorillapod and Gorillapod SLR Zoom Reviewed

The Big Daddy Gorilla
Knowing I would use the GorillaPod more with my Canon Rebel XT, the first GorillaPod I bought was the SLR Zoom model. I always have trouble shooting my 100-300 handheld because it has no image stabilization and I figured if I could carry a small tripod with me, I would also carry the monster 100-300 more often.


Figure 3: Rebel XT with Canon 100-300 lens on the GorillaPod SLR Zoom.

I was initially concerned that the GorillaPod wouldn't be able to withstand the weight of the camera and the weight of the lens. My concerns were immediately alleviated when I stood the 100-300 on the floor and it had no problem standing upright. In fact, the GorillaPod is quite big as evidenced by my adult female cat Patches standing next to it as I tried to shoot the photos for this review.


Figure 4: Patches wants to examine the softbox I used just a bit more closely.

In fact, the only problem I had with the SLR Zoom model was that it doesn't come with a ball head, quick release, or any other means for attaching your camera to the tripod itself. There's a screw on a pad at the top, but that's really meant for you to mount your own tripod head on.

I thought finding an appropriate tripod head would be a relatively straightforward and simple process, but it wasn't. I ordered a head from B&H in New York City, and when it arrived, I couldn't get it all the way onto the screw. After a day of trying, I gave up. Then I contacted a friend of mine who recently bought the same GorillaPod and asked him which ball head he was using. He recommended a model that I've been very happy with so far (the Slik SBH 100, roughly $20) and it's been roses ever since. Joby includes an adapter screw for 3/8" tripod heads if yours won't fit.

If you choose to mount your camera directly on the screw at the top, you lose quite a bit of aiming and composition ability because the platform is pretty much fixed in its location and you can't move it. It's doable, but in reality you lose a lot of the neato factor by doing it.