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Whether you plan to take an outstanding landscape image of the horizon or a professional-grade real estate photo, having the best flexible tripod will enhance your
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Apart from stability, the flexibility of a tripod is a key feature that you will need in your everyday
The Joby GorillaPod 5K is a distinguished flexible tripod due to the inclusion of an Arca-type quick release plate that is compatible with most professional gear.
It has an excellent maximum load capacity of 11 pounds. This makes it ideal for LED lights, mirrorless cameras, and professional DSLRs, and the best overall on my list.
The Joby GorillaPod 5K comes with a 5K ball head to form a versatile and flexible support system. This system gives you explicit control over the angle and direction of your camera.
Like the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325, the legs come with joints. The joints allow you to bend them to reduce the height or wrap them around objects such as rails and trees. The result is enhanced functionality in uneven grounds.
With a height of 15.2 inches, it is compact enough to allow carrying in a backpack. However, the weight is not impressive for carrying in your pocket, as it weighs one pound, 0.9 pounds heavier than the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325.
It comes with a ⅜-16 inches thread adapter, which you can remove to access the ¼-20 inches screw, allowing you to attach your equipment directly to the stand. You can also use the ball-head to enhance the shooting performance.
The feet and the joints are rubberized in some areas to enhance stability and grip on unstable surfaces such as smooth floors or slippery grounds. To improve the overall tripod stability and durability, the rest of its body features a proprietary ABS plastic and metal construction.
The Joby GorillaPod 3K pairs the stand with the ball head to form a versatile and impressively flexible support system. The ball head allows you to have complete and precise control over the angle and direction of your camera.
It comes with a quick-release plate that enhances the attaching and detaching of the camera. The Joby GorillaPod 3K also features several joints in its legs, allowing you to wrap it around trees or other objects. This significantly enhances its use on uneven surfaces or grounds.
Although the maximum load capacity of 6.6 pounds is less impressive than that of the Joby GorillaPod 5K, it can reliably hold mid-sized DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and portable lights.
Besides, it features a compact construction with a height of 9.4 inches, which facilitates carrying when traveling and storage when not in use. It weighs 0.9 pounds, lightweight enough to carry around, unlike the Joby GorillaPod 500 which is a bit heavier.
Also, some parts of the feet and the joints are rubberized to help improve stability and grip, making it safe on smooth or slippery surfaces. The rest of the tripod body features an ABS plastic and stainless steel construction which provides stable performance and durability.
At the top, it features a ⅜-16 inches thread adapter and removing it reveals a ¼-20 inches screw geared to enhance gear attachment. It also comes with an optional ball head to enhance the shooting experience.
With a maximum load capacity of 1.1 pounds, the Joby GorillaPod 500 is capable of supporting your video lights and point-and-shoot cameras. It’s, therefore, more reliable than the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325.
It comes with a stainless steel ball head that allows a 90 degrees tilt, making it ideal for portrait
You can use its ball head to enhance the shooting performance. The tripod body features a proprietary ABS plastic construction to improve stability while maintaining portability. However, the ABS plastic construction without metal reinforcement like the Joby GorillaPod 5K negatively impacts its durability.
Thanks to the several joints in the legs, the tripod is impressively flexible and can wrap around tree branches and railings. This flexibility gives you precise composition control and unlimited angles.
Moreover, the feet and the joints are equipped with rubber materials to improve grip, especially when using it on smooth surfaces such as slippery floors. It weighs 0.2 pounds, making it the second most lightweight on my list and suitable for carrying in your handbag, backpack, or pocket.
Also, its compact dimensions of 1.57 x 1.57 x 8.07 inches significantly enhance portability, as you can pack it in a backpack.
The Joby GorillaPod 1K is ideal for LED lights, flashes, and compact mirrorless cameras. It includes a 1K ball head, which offers an impressive tilt of 90 degrees, and a smooth pan of 360 degrees, allowing you to precisely position the camera.
Also, it comes with a control knob that allows you effortlessly lock your positioning into place. With its versatile legs, you will shoot unique perspectives that are impossible with a normal tripod.
Typically, the legs can bend and flex around various objects such as tree branches, car mirrors, and railings. Like the Joby GorillaPod 3K, the feet and the leg joints feature a rubberized grip ring, enhancing stable performance on uneven and smooth grounds.
Besides, the legs can twist 360 degrees, and you can use them as a handgrip for videos and selfies. However, unlike the Joby GorillaPod 3K, it comes with a maximum load capacity of 2.2 pounds, which may not suit heavy mirrorless cameras.
Although the load capacity is not impressive, it’s lightweight and more compact than Joby GorillaPod 5K, making it ideal for carrying. It features an ABS plastic and stainless steel construction to facilitate its stability.
It comes with a ¼-20 inches mounting screw, allowing you to attach most of your
The Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325 is a versatile and compact flexible tripod, an ideal option for stabilizing your camera even on metal objects. It’s distinguished by the neodymium magnets on its feet, allowing it to stick securely to different metal objects, further enhancing its usage in real estate
The flexible legs are equipped with joints that allow you to wrap them around objects such as tree branches and rails. However, it comes with a maximum load capacity of 0.7 pounds, making it less reliable in supporting heavy mirrorless cameras than the Joby GorillaPod 3K.
It features a small ball head that tilts easily for 90 degrees, allowing you to easily change between portrait and landscape orientations. It comes with a standard ¼-20 inches screw for easy attaching of your compatible gear that doesn’t exceed the maximum load capacity, including small lights and point-and-shoot cameras.
Among other materials, the construction includes proprietary ABS plastic and stainless steel which makes it reliable and safe. To further enhance safety and stability during use, it comes with rubberized foot grips and a rubberized ring for maximum grip, especially on smooth and slippery grounds.
Unlike the Joby GorillaPod 3K, the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325 is impressively lightweight as it weighs 0.1 pounds. This makes it convenient for carrying as you move from one property to another.
Generally, even professional photographers make small shakes when capturing without a tripod. A tripod is an important piece of equipment as it helps keep your camera stable, relieving you of the issues of blurry photos and unstable videos.
The following features can help you choose a flexible tripod that is versatile and ideal for carrying around without necessarily reassembling the entire setup. The following table further breaks down these features for better understanding.
| Tripods | Maximum Height (inches) | Weight (Pounds) | Dimensions (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joby Gorillapod 5K | 14.57 | 1.6 | 2.56 x 2.56 x 14.96 |
| Joby Gorillapod 3K | 11.81 | 0.9 | 2.36 x 2.56 x 12.01 |
| Joby Gorillapod 500 | 7.68 | 0.2 | 1.57 x 1.57 x 8.07 |
| Joby Gorillapod 1K | 8.86 | 0.4 | 1.97 x 1.97 x 9.84 |
| Joby Gorillapod 325 | 6.38 | 0.1 | 1.4 x 6.69 x 1.4 |
One of the main reasons you might want to get a flexible tripod is portability. Although almost all flexible tripods might be more portable than conventional tripods, their weight still varies. Generally, you want a compact and lightweight tripod that you can carry around in a backpack when shooting real estate interior and exterior photos.
Just like in a conventional tripod, there is a correlation between the weight of the tripod and the construction quality. That means you might need to make a trade-off between reliability and lightweight design. For instance, if portability is your main reason for going for the tripod, consider a tripod such as the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325.
Maximum payload refers to the maximum weight the tripod can hold before it starts losing stability. In most tripods, this weight is already indicated by the manufacturer. One thing that you don't want when getting a tripod is buying one that can't support your camera gear.
Generally, the weight of the camera gear is the weight of the camera, the lens, and any other attached accessory. For instance, if your camera weighs 2 pounds, your lens 2 pounds, and the flashlight 1.5 pounds, it means a tripod with a maximum load capacity of 6.6 pounds, such as the Joby GorillaPod 3K, can support the gear.
Again, you might need to make a trade-off between the maximum load capacity and the portability of the tripod. This is because for the tripod to hold more weight, the manufacturer might need to use sturdier and thicker materials.
Even if the tripod is compact, lightweight, and flexible, it doesn't mean you will have to manually move the tripod to follow a moving subject. Usually, most flexible tripods come with a tripod head that allows you to pan or tilt the camera.
If you are shooting videos, consider going for a tripod with a ball head design, such as the Joby GorillaPod Magnetic 325. This allows you to capture videos with smooth tilts and pans.
Generally, flexible tripods are more versatile compared to fixed tripods. Normally, you can place the flexible tripods in different ways, such as bending them to a selfie stick, hanging on an object, or even wrapping them around a tree. On the other hand, a fixed tripod requires you to have a flat, smooth surface.
Generally, flexible tripods might not support heavy cameras such as DSLRs and heavy mirrorless cameras that come with longer lenses. The flexible tripods are designed for lightweight cameras, such as the small mirrorless cameras and the GoPro cameras that don't have heavy lenses.
Yes, you can use flexible tripods to shoot videos. Normally, the flexible tripods come in different sizes that fit a variety of cameras which can be an added value that can enhance your videography. However, flexible tripods might not be suitable in places where you want to have a longer height, as many are generally short.
When choosing a tripod for your camera, you will want one flexible enough to adapt to different capturing angles and have a wide range of motion. Although identifying the right one may be challenging, any of the tripods from the above list will suit your real estate
