Would a bigger Gorillapod help?

Question

I own a Sony NEX-5R, which I use heavily for low-light shooting, with a Gorillapod. The Gorillapod is rated for 1kg, and the camera is 466gm. When I press the shutter button, I get camera shake, which I've learnt to work around by using a 2-second timer. I later read on photo-SE that that's not enough, and that I should use a 10-second timer, so I do that now.

Should I upgrade to a heavier Gorillapod, like the SLR zoom (rated for 3kg, and designed for SLRs) or the Focus (rated for 5kg, and designed for full-frame SLRs)? Would that let me take photos more conveniently, and with no or shorter timers, like 2s instead of 10? Or is there likely to be only a marginal difference?

Answer 1

It's important to note that tripod/head weight ratings are typically not directly related to camera weight. Confusing but true! The problem is with the weight distribution of your camera and lens and how the tripod/head area positioned.

A small/short lens on the camera is going to have a very different center of balance than a big/long lens on the camera. It's likely that the big lens is heavier, but even if a big lens and small lens are the same weight, the weight distribution is different -- the long lens is going to more the center of balance. The camera's tripod socket is always in the same spot regardless of how long or short the lens is.

Mount the camera on the tripod so that it's level. With a Gorillapod (small compared to a full-sized tripod) switch to a long lens and I bet you can feel the center of balance change and the weight pulling down on the front of the lens.

Point the camera up, say at 45 degrees. The long lens feels better balance over the center of the Gorillapod. However, now switch back to a small lens and you'll feel that the back of the camera is the heavy part and pulling on the Gorillapod.

Of course, neither of these examples touch upon the problem of drifting. The uncentered weight of the camera/lens torque the head/legs because they aren't rated highly enough to handle the load.

Simply, I'm not at all surprised to hear that you're having some trouble and need to step up to (at least) the SLR model. But, if you're looking to use this with any regularity I suggest looking at a full-size tripod.

Answer 2

As a Gorillapod user (SLR version) with a small Nikon DSLR and Sony 5R, I noticed that the camera shake comes mainly from the tripod being less than ideally attached to the pole/branch/bar/whatever.

This is not easily fixed, because most times the Gorillapod cannot be ideally set up with no camera shake (especially if you need to adjust it and recompose a bit)...but i've found that with some shutter delay (2/10 sec) you can pull off good results - If there is no wind or anything disturbing the fitting.

In windy outside settings, you may require a regular, fixed to the ground, tripod.

Answer 3

One other approach is to use a remote release. Basically you're decoupling the physical action of pressing the button (and hence jiggling the camera) from the shutter opening. A timer delay does this 'temporally', while a remote release does this 'spatially'.

Even an old-fashioned cable-release will help, if your camera supports it.

Answer 4

I'm guessing that your 1kg-supporting Gorillapod is the Hybrid (originally wrote 'Focus', my apologies), which is a nice little tripod with a ballhead, or an SLR, which has a couple of jointed sections above the leg sections. The SLR Zoom and Focus are both substantially heavier and bulkier – and, for what it's worth, I've owned both SLR models, and currently use the Hybrid and the Focus.

So right away, the answer for the first part of your question – would it let you take photos more conveniently – is 'no'. Carrying the bigger gorillapod will be substantially less convenient than the smaller one, with no significant increase in positioning options. Carrying my Focus isn't much easier than carrying a compact floor-standing tripod, and the traditional tripod is more solid.

The second part of your question, about shortening or elemintating the self-timer delay, is 'perhaps'. A wireless remote or electronic cable release would be a much better investment, but you'll still need to give the camera a few moments to settle after positioning it. A heavier tripod will settle faster, and a stronger head might also help, but it's not a guaranteed fix. On the other hand, nothing ever is, and a heavier Gorillapod certainly wouldn't hurt.