Joby Gorillapod Review – Complete Analysis and Tips

Hello Everyone

You are in the right place to know about the best flexible tripod out there in the market. For those of you who don’t understand what I mean by a flexible tripod, let me introduce you to a whole new variety of tripods.

I have been into photography for some time now, and amongst all of my tripods, Gorillapods are there in my bag every time I go out and shoot. Once you get a hang of it, it is very difficult to leave for a shoot without one.

Image by : João Carvalho, Published under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Surprised huh, well these are not Dr. Octopus’s arms from Spiderman (haha), this is an actual tripod which in fact is one of the best tripods in the market. It sells by the name of Gorillapod (gorillapod is the term coined by the company named Joby which specializes in making these). It comes in all sizes and depending upon your requirement you can opt for one of these at a very sweet price point. I’m gonna help you choose the best gorillapod for your needs in this post. Also, bear with me till the end of this review as I’ll be teaching you some innovative ways to use a GorillaPod

Who is this for?


The answer to this question is almost everybody, even people who love taking pictures from their phones are in love with this little tripod. The main point of attraction of the gorillapod is its flexibility. No other tripod or equipment can match this in terms of flexibility. I’ll include some pictures to show what I mean. Also, most of the professionals make it a habit of moving around with one of these.

Image by “Jan Ainali” Published under :  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

It can be an actual life savior when you need to get that perfect shot from that odd angle. These are built to offer maximum traction on an any surface due to the rubberized legs, so that your camera remains safe. Like other tripods, it doesn’t need an even surface to work with.

The fact that it comes for all types of cameras makes it an even better investment. You can get a decent gorillapod for about $80 or so (ball-head included).

Why Joby is the best


As soon as you google Gorillapod the first website that comes up is joby.com ( Do it if you don’t believe me). This is because of one simple reason, they are great when it comes to the quality of their product. Their built is very premium and it feels safe while using. Joby’s tripods are a bit on the expensive side and might stretch your budget a little, but they are worth every penny!

Now, there are a lot of companies that makes flexible tripods, but it would seem correct to make this analogy, A Rolex is a Rolex.

Also, the customer support on Joby is excellent and warranty issues are better addressed than other brands (Personal experience speaking here)!.

Which one is the best for you


After going through this article, I’m sure you will be able to decide which one of these gorillapods is the best for you.

  • Joby GorillaPod 500 : This is a small sized Gorillapod specifically designed to hold point and shoot cameras and small mirrorless cameras. It features a ball head and is a great option for people who own small and lightweight cameras. The maximum weight handling capacity of this tripod is about 1lb (500gm). I would suggest not to go to push that limit.

    Image by :Frank Vincentz
    This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
  • Joby GorillaPod 3K The 3K model is a premium product and is a must-have for anyone who is serious about photography. It is specifically designed to handle weight of upto 6.6 lb (3Kg) and comes with a ball head. It can easily hold your DSLR along with some heavy lenses, but as I said before, you do not want to push its limits. It is pretty much the most versatile gorillapod as you do not need to worry about its payload capacity. 3kg is a lot of weight and almost all the cameras and lens combinations fall under 3kgs. It sells for $80 with the ball-head.
  • Joby GorillaPod 5K : 5K is the biggest brother amongst all of them. It is made out of aluminum and can easily support weights upto 11lb (5kg). You can mount even the heaviest of the lenses and it will hold them steady for as long as you want. It supports even the Nikon D5 or the Canon 1DX. It truly is a beast of a pod!

Some innovative ways to use your Gorillapod!


Enough marketing, now let’s get down to some productive topics. Here I’ll be teaching you five innovative ways in which you can use your gorillapod.

  • Use it as a Selfie Stick or vlogging : If you are using a smaller variant of the gorillapod, close the legs of the tripod and mount your camera or phone on it. Bend the legs towards you and use it as a selfie stick or make your own vlogs.
  • Wrap it around : Wrap the legs around a beam, tree branch, your bedpost or just anywhere, it won’t move. You can mount it on your car’s door with a Gopro for some amazing footage. It’s great for long exposures too.

Image by:Alberto Frigo. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution -ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.

  • Use it as a chest mount : Wrap one of the legs around your shoulder and rest the other two on your chest. Great for shooting stable videos.
  • Turn it Upside Down : Flip the pod upside down and spread two of its legs in opposite directions and hold it by the third. The opposite legs act as balance and will reduce movement in your videos to some extent. Make sure, to flip the videos in post processing.
  • Use it to hold flashlights or a mic : Instead of using it to hold a camera, use it hold your lights for your shoot or a mic. You don’t have to stick to the guidelines, do you?

So there you have it guys, that’s five ways in which you can use your gorillapod. Frankly, there is no limitation with this thing. You are free to do whatever you want with your gorillapod.

Summing it All


To sum it all up, I would highly recommend buying a gorillapod if you are a professional photographer looking for that perfect shot or a beginner. It can dramatically increase your capability to compose shots because of its highly flexible and rugged built.

And for the price, I believe its worth a try at least. Look out for the fakes or duplicate ones and never compromise on quality for a cheaper buy because as I have said earlier in my posts, that you don’t want to trust your expensive equipment with a cheap tripod.

I hope you liked this review about Joby Gorillapods. If you have any queries or doubts, please leave them below in the comments section and I’ll be more than happy to help you out. Also, let me know your thoughts on this topic.

Shashwat

Founder of TripodsforAll

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28 Responses

  1. Great article! So informative and detailed and yet so easily understood. I really loved the innovative ways to use the Gorillapod you propose!! Keep up the great work!!

  2. I’ve seen these types of tripods when when I have been at tourists destinations and often wondered. I can see what the rave is all about now, but the price tag seems a little high to me. But they look versatile and easy to pack and go!

    I enjoyed your review!

    1. Hi Rachael, thanks for your comment. I completely agree with you about the price tag, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed if you go in for this ever.

      Cheers

  3. Hi, thank you for sharing this article on the www! It is very informative and I like your ideas on how this product can be used!

  4. Thanks for this information! I’ve never heard of a flexible tripod before, but I love the idea. I’m not big into photography, so I think the Joby GorillaPod 500 would work out perfect for my needs and camera size. This was a great product review. The details you have provided here make my decision a lot easier.
    I’ll be checking into this more very soon.

    Devara

  5. Thanks for writing this review  on Joby gorillapod flexible tripod.i find each and every part of this review informative and educative on flexible tripod. Although this is my first time of seeing this picture and hear about gorillapod flexible tripod. But just looking at it and reading about it, it give me the insight of how useful it can be for someone like me that travel border to borders to take pictures because I know how hard sometime it is for me to carry my normal tripod around custom officers 

  6. What I really love most about the gorillapod is how flexible it can be,checking through those pictures and seeing how one can be manipulate it to different position. I can’t wait to get it soon and use it as a selfie stick, I can easily twist it around to take any picture of my choice or record a video scene. This is amazing honestly! Getting to see beautiful products daily from your page, and am always amaze when I am reading your post. Thanks for the great research done.

  7. This was an entertaining and chock full of useful tips review of the Joby Gorillapod tripods. The name is well-known as is the brand. I am an avid fan, so wanted to see what the latest products they have available. Like you, I never leave the house for a shoot without one!

    They have continued to add to their line and of course, the value is there with the new options they have too. The one that I like and use the most is so versatile. I use it for live-streaming, doing staged shots anywhere (wrap the tripod around something), and even taking some product shots. It just works and is light and easy to carry around.

    Anyone that stops by this post and reads through your review of the Joby Gorillapod selection they can buy, and takes note of the many ways it can be used (like I do) should be convinced that they can use a tripod like this for their own creations or work. Loved this post, I am a BIG fan of these tripods! 

  8. Hey, thanks for sharing your review with us, I appreciate you taking time and breaking it all down for us this is great.
    I don’t really know anything about this tripod stand but in this informative and educative review you have revealed the work of the Joby Gorilla tripod. I will surely give it a thought. Again thanks for sharing this article. Thank you for building this website and investing your time. It’s a great site.

  9. From the picture, I can see that the most enviable feature of this tripod is flexibility. This flexibility enable one to take the best shots using point and shoot camera. When I’m buying this product, I’ll consider joby because of its excellent and warranty issues which assures customers of guaranteed product satisfaction. 

  10. Joby has been creating their signature GorillaPods for quite some time now. They have been the perfect little throw in your bag, go anywhere tripod.

     The big plus with GorillaPods are that they effectively made anything into a tripod. Wrap the GorillaPod around practically anything to create an instant tripod.

    Thank you for sharing this important article.

  11. Hello,

    Nothing catches my fancy on the Joby Gorrilapod than the flexibility of the tripod and I’m quite amazed by the level of nice features it posses. Thank you for these wonderful features of the Joby Gorrilapod, I’ll try and get it before the end of this year. Capturing pictures from odd angles can be a big problem but now I will possibly get the best tool out there.

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