Anyone using a JOBY Gorilla Pod?

Hello,

I am looking to get myself a JOBY Gorilla Pod but was curious what model any of you DSLR shooters are using?

I see the largest one is rated to 11 pounds (which is far less than a proper DSLR video setup) but I assume it works just fine underwater… I did have come concerns about it being constructed out of Aluminum and curious if it might rust.

Any feedback much appreciated. 

Thanks,

H

Hello,

I've used both the larger plastic (for mirrorless) and the largest aluminum Gorilla Pod underwater. The plastic one worked great underwater, it did not rust, etc. but overtime (a little over a year) the leg joints started loosening and got cracking in the sockets. It was very useful lightweight and could easily pack it for travel. Load capacity wasn't an issue since your rig is much lighter underwater. This is my bet if you are decided on gorilla pod for underwater.

After the plastic one broke, I upgraded to the aluminum one, with the hope it would be more durable. For the record aluminum does not rust like steel. When aluminum rusts (aka oxidizes), the rust forms a protective layer of aluminum oxide. But the Gorillapod is anodized aluminum so you don't have that oxidation issue to deal with. However, one major issue I have encountered is the rubber compound they use on the aluminum version. After sometime the rubber became swollen and started peeling off. Eventually, it was just the aluminum ball and sockets legs remaining. Not very pretty but it still worked. The plastic version does not seem to have that issue with the compound they used for the grip. Also for the aluminum version I only used the base with the legs, the ball head on the aluminum version had lots of small parts that rusted.

I've switched instead to just using strobe arms as a tripod legs. Less maintenance and rinsing needed. Much lighter than the Gorillapod. There isn't much places for a gorillapod to cling to underwater.

If you are looking for a Gorillapod like experience, try DIY and buy Loc-Line Pipes and you can fashion yourself a tripod! Load capacity isn't much of an issue underwater due to the buoyancy of your rig.

On land, I recommend the aluminum version, much more stable than the plastic one. However is quite heavy for what it does.