{"id":5312,"date":"2009-09-02T07:05:00","date_gmt":"2009-09-01T23:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chekyang.com\/musings\/2009\/09\/02\/not-an-ipod\/"},"modified":"2009-09-02T07:05:00","modified_gmt":"2009-09-01T23:05:00","slug":"not-an-ipod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/2009\/09\/02\/not-an-ipod\/","title":{"rendered":"Not an Ipod"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2009-photography-DSC_2718-gorillapodfocus\" I haven\u2019t had the chance to use my recently acquired Gorilla Pod Focus<\/a> extensively yet as we haven\u2019t had the chance to bring Hannah out for outdoor photographic shoots yet, apart from that nearly failed attempt on Sunday<\/a>. But here are my notes based on early impressions of the gadget. I\u2019ll write a follow-up post later this year once I\u2019ve put it through heavier use.<\/p>\n

\u2013 There\u2019re four such models in the Gorilla Pod line-up. Each is rated to carry different loads. The one I picked up is the largest one and is rated to carry the heaviest load of 5 kg \u2013 which translated probably means it should safely support a 2.5 kg load at angle. The Focus model, reportedly, is also made to higher manufacturing specifications with the leg socket joints made of aluminum<\/a> rather than plastic. It\u2019s also the most expensive model at USD99.95.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The little tripod stands at about 29 cm top to toe from my quick measurements. According to the manufacturer\u2019s specification, it weighs 500g. Funnily, it doesn\u2019t weigh that to me. More around 300g or so. Either way, it\u2019s light. This is one tripod I have absolutely no problems with bringing everywhere. It\u2019s small enough to stuff inside a backpack.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The flexible joints are sturdy. The legs themselves can be bent into different configurations depending on the surface or object you intend to put it on or wrap it around. The circular joints are a different matter though. They\u2019re supposed to be twistable 360 degrees \u2013 but they\u2019re so stiff I don\u2019t think anyone would want to try doing this in the field. Fortunately, in normal use I can\u2019t see any reason to have to twist the joints to that kind of rotational degree to begin with.<\/p>\n

\"2009-photography-DSC_2710-gorillapodfocus\"\u2013 There\u2019s rubber feet attached to each of the Focus\u2019 legs. However, if you\u2019re mounting a heavy load onto it, there\u2019s a possibility that the rubber feet will slide if the surface it\u2019s standing on is smooth. If the feet slides, the tripod loses its balance, and your entire expensive contraption topples. Oh my. Fortunately, this danger exists only if you\u2019re using the Focus like a traditional tripod though. I don\u2019t see this risk being possible at all if the legs are wrapped around an object.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The low profile of the tripod also makes low perspective photography a real option. However, my D300 doesn\u2019t have a swivel-able LCD so I\u2019d need an angle-finder.<\/p>\n

\u2013 While the Focus shouldn\u2019t topple when you mount equipment up to its rated weight onto it and assuming that the Focus is standing steadily already, the Focus won\u2019t be as steady as a traditional tripod. i.e. there\u2019s the possibility of minute vibrations getting introduced when triggering a shot on DSLRs. To counter this, either the shutter speed used will have to be increased, mirror-up mode is used, and \/ or coupled with remote triggering.<\/p>\n

\"2009-photography-DSC_2712-gorillapodfocus\"\u2013 Unlike the other models, the Focus doesn\u2019t come with a quick release camera plate. While you can mount your DSLR on top of the built-in plate, minute adjustments to compose your picture will be madly difficult\u2026 because the only way for you to recompose a shot is to readjust the legs. Translated: you need to use the Focus model with a ball head.<\/p>\n

Which model is appropriate for your setup depends on your equipment load and length of the lens. The Focus model will handle light equipment \u2013 say up to a 700g DSLR + lens with zoom barrel that doesn\u2019t extend beyond 15cm \u2013 well. It can easily handle anything lighter: which includes Ling\u2019 compact camera and also our Panasonic\u00a0 HD digicam.<\/p>\n

Anything heavier though depends then on how you\u2019ve configured the tripod. If you\u2019re mounting light equipment onto it, it\u2019s pretty much plug and play. Anything that\u2019s heavy, well there\u2019s learning involved as to how to most effectively, and safely, use the Focus. And keep in mind the load needs to include the ball head too, which also adds another variable affecting stability to the equation.<\/p>\n

Bottom line though is that I wanted a light and super compact tripod to bring around when I\u2019m traveling: and this one fits the bill just fine. As a bonus, Ling is interested in the tripod too. As for the learning \u2013 that\u2019s what these things are supposed to make you do\u2026 learn new things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I haven\u2019t had the chance to use my recently acquired Gorilla Pod Focus extensively yet as we haven\u2019t had the chance to bring Hannah out for outdoor photographic shoots yet, apart from that nearly failed attempt on Sunday. But here<\/p>\n

Read More Not an Ipod<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,13],"tags":[191],"class_list":["post-5312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-at-home","category-photography-cameras","tag-gorillapod","wpcat-6-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}