LabradorDuck
Well-known member
I'm not sure if this is a serious enough piece of equipment to post in the review section, so I'll post it here.
I recently purchased the Targus Grypton XL. I had been thinking about purchasing the Gorillapod SLR Zoom for use with my Nikon ED50. I was at a store poking around in the relevant section when I came across the Grypton XL, which is a cheaper answer to the large Gorillapod, which they did not have. It cost about half the price of the Gorillapod, and I decided to give it a chance, figuring that might work out since it claimed to support much more than my scope weighed.
I didn't even have to use it to realize that i was wrong. As soon as I attached the scope, it became clear that the quick-release plate was incredibly loose, wobbling at the slightest touch. Even my point-and-shoot digital camera was not stable. The ball head was cheap, but possibly adequate, as were the ball joints attaching the legs to the body. The legs themselves seemed to work as advertised, though they had little useless swiveling feet on the bottom, so I won't condemn this product line as a whole. Maybe this product would even be adequate for timer shots with a point-and-shoot; if there is a smaller version without quick release it might approximate the equivalent Gorillapod. However, the wobbly quick-release plate renders it useless for anything that requires stability while touching the setup.
Maybe some day there will be a worthwhile competitor to the Gorillapod in larger sizes, but this product is not it. As for me, I have already ordered a Gorillapod and will be returning this product next time I get the chance.
I recently purchased the Targus Grypton XL. I had been thinking about purchasing the Gorillapod SLR Zoom for use with my Nikon ED50. I was at a store poking around in the relevant section when I came across the Grypton XL, which is a cheaper answer to the large Gorillapod, which they did not have. It cost about half the price of the Gorillapod, and I decided to give it a chance, figuring that might work out since it claimed to support much more than my scope weighed.
I didn't even have to use it to realize that i was wrong. As soon as I attached the scope, it became clear that the quick-release plate was incredibly loose, wobbling at the slightest touch. Even my point-and-shoot digital camera was not stable. The ball head was cheap, but possibly adequate, as were the ball joints attaching the legs to the body. The legs themselves seemed to work as advertised, though they had little useless swiveling feet on the bottom, so I won't condemn this product line as a whole. Maybe this product would even be adequate for timer shots with a point-and-shoot; if there is a smaller version without quick release it might approximate the equivalent Gorillapod. However, the wobbly quick-release plate renders it useless for anything that requires stability while touching the setup.
Maybe some day there will be a worthwhile competitor to the Gorillapod in larger sizes, but this product is not it. As for me, I have already ordered a Gorillapod and will be returning this product next time I get the chance.
