As said in the other reviews. The GorillaPod is a great invention. It can support a camera and wrap around many weird objects. Almost anything cylindrical could be made as support for your camera.
The GorillaPod SLR-Zoom is a little different from the Original. First of all, it doesn't have a head that can bend and rotate, and it does not come with a quick-release head. It's "balls" are also a lot bigger and stronger than the Originals to support the increased weight load.
The SLR-Zoom comes with a 1/4 inch screw so that you can mount your camera on it. Luckily, they also include a 3/4 inch adapater (which screws over the 1/4 screw), so that you can attach a compatible tripod-head! Great idea!
The maximum weight load is 3kg or 6.6 pounds. But, I found this to be misleading. Sure, if you aim directly straight and your camera is facing parallel to the ground. But when you start tilting or angling your lens, the balls tend to weaken and just not provide enough support. I was using a D80 (585 g) with an 18-200mm lens (560 g), and whenever I would aim a little bit downward, it started to bend the joints and eventually just fall. My set only weight a little over 1 kg, and its rated to support 3! When using the D80 with the 50mm f/1.8 it was fine though. But what good is it - it's called SLR-Zoom. The 50mm isn't much of a zoom lens.
When aimed parallel to the ground the GorillaPod worked fine. I was able to use it like a regular tripod on some table tops, and other places. I being so thick, and heavy, I rarely mounted it onto pole. With the Original I could mount it on vertical pipes, but with this, It's a little bit too iffy.
My friend taught me a trick when using it like a regular tripod (not wrapped around) and provide better support. If you bend the joints in the middle (so that theres less stress on the joints), the GorillaPod will be a lot stabler. Yes, you'll lose some height, but at least there's less chance of the GorillaPod bending and lowering slowly.
In addition, the GorillaPod SLR-Zoom uses the same grippy material and technology as the Original. It's also about twice as long as the Original at 9.8 inches long.
Pros
- Same materials and bendability as the GorillaPod Original
- Comes with a 3/4-inch screw to attach tripod heads
Cons
- Not very strong. Highly doubt it can safely support 3kg
Final Thoughts
Given that the point of a tripod is to provide a sturdy structure to support your camera while you take pictures, I can't fully recommend the GorillaPod SLR-Zoom. Maybe it's just me and my heavy lenses (not the 50mm), but I wouldn't trust wrapping this GorillaPod around many objects and walk away for more than 5 seconds. It can be used as a tripod as a last resort. It is light weight, and can be brought almost anywhere. Just bend the legs in the middle to provie support. It works when pointing straight ahead, but how often will you be able to aim your camera straight ahead when you want to take your picture. If your camera gear weighs less than a kilogram, then you can safely use this camera, and angle it.
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