One of my favorite accessories for my Nikon D50 is the Joby Gorillapod SLR. I got one for my girlfriend last year and I’ve been “stealing” it from her ever since - enough that I’ll probably get one myself pretty soon. I’m undecided between the Gorillapod SLR and the Gorillapod SLR Zoom models - I love the regular one because it’s compact but the Zoom one looks a bit sturdier so it’s a trade off.

Since I take a lot of night shots and HDR sets (which require 3 photos from the same perspective) I need to shoot from a steady spot, but tripods are not always the easiest accessories to carry around. The nice thing about the Joby Gorillapod is that you can fold it and take it with you. When I first read the reviews about it I was skeptical about whether or not it would be able to handle the weight of a Nikon D50 SLR with a lens, but it’s able to hold it fairly well - so if you have the lighter Nikon D40 or anything about that size, you should be ok.

Last week I was able to curl the gorillpod into my cargo shorts for an evening out in St. Petersburg. It was a little bulky, but manageable. If you’re a woman (or European) and have a purse, then it’s probably even better.

You can fold the joby gorillapod into many shapes and either use it as a low-lying tripod or you can curl it around different objects such as fences. It’s not the steadiest thing around, but it does help quite a bit to get a nicely focused shot (especially if you put it on a timer). It also comes with a locking mechanism that lets you lock the head so you don’t accidentally slip the camera off.

Here are some photos I’ve taken while having my camera positioned on the Gorillapod SLR:

1. HDR on the sand, 3 shots while holding it with my hand
2. Wrapped around a balcony rail, on a timer - about 10 seconds
3. Sitting on a bar, holding it by hand for - about 5 seconds
4. Sitting on a concrete slab, holding it by hand

If you want other people’s opinions, you can read the Amazon reviews of the Gorillapods here:

• Basic Gorillapod ($25)
• SLR Gorillapod ($40)
• SLR Zoom Gorillapod ($55)