I love the Joby people for thinking up the brand name " Gorilla Pod " all those years ago. Also the guys at Maine Wood Products who named their polyurethane adhesive " Gorilla Glue ". In both cases the products work very well and they are a gift to a column writer; there are just so many puns that you can make with the word and idea of " gorilla ". So lets get started and stop monkeying around...
Note a proud disclaimer. I own a Joby product that I paid out my own photo money for and would not trade for the world. A
Joby 5K sits on my Cullmann tripod and works all day in the Little Studio.
So... the 1K kit - a combination of the 1K ball head and a set of Gorilla legs that can be bent around to grip the nearest tree branch or straightened out to act as a medium-small tripod. As the name would suggest, the head is rated to support 1 Kg. It can do the full 360º rotation and dip. It locks positively with the well-designed rubber grip on the lock knob. It's just the shot for compact and mirrorless cameras.
Note you can get 5K kits as well - bigger components still. Or a myriad of smaller ones that are designed for mobile phones and tablets.
We often see Joby advertising pictures with cameras attached to pods that are wrapped around pipework or wooden railings. This is just the thin end of a very useful wedge. If you have any way of suspending a wooden beam or broom handle above your workspace a Gorilla product will let you attach your camera securely for a down shot - perfect for catalogue work, artwork, or documents. No more having to screw or bolt things on - just Gorilla-grip it.
No need to spruik this 1K kit for the travellers with mirrorless cameras - they can see the benefit for themselves.
