It seems like Joby’s GorillaPod tripods have been round unchanged for the reason that daybreak of time—however for good purpose. Their design may be very intelligent, with versatile legs that maintain any form permitting them to grip random objects for the final word flexibility in the place a photographer or videographer can perch their digital camera. Fifteen years after its debut, Joby has redesigned the legs on the GorillaPod with its new PodZilla line.

Change will be scary, and when you’re by no means supposed to repair one thing that’s not damaged, the GorillaPod wasn’t precisely excellent. Its design used a collection of interconnected ball joints with grippy rubber rings spaced about an inch aside. When wrapped round an object like a tree department, the tripod would simply maintain securely to the roughly textured bark. But when hooked up to a smoother floor, like a horizontal metallic pole, the GorillaPod’s legs often had an inclination to slide should you didn’t have sufficient of these rubber rings making ample contact.

Was it a dealbreaker? No, the GorillaPod has been an extremely common product for over a decade, however there’s at all times room for enchancment, which is what the PodZilla seems to convey.

Available in two variations at launch: a 10-inch tall, half-pound medium option designed for units that weigh as much as 2.2-pounds similar to point-and-shoots, motion cameras, smartphones, and equipment like lights or microphones (out there in 4 colours: grey, pink, teal, and yellow) and a larger 12-inch alternative that may assist units weighing as much as 5.5-pounds together with bigger digital cameras and even DSLRs. Both fashions promote for $40 every, though the bigger model doesn’t embrace a smartphone mount, you’ll have to shell out an additional $10 for a pricier package if you’d like that included.

The medium model includes a smaller non-removable mounting plate, whereas the bigger mannequin, clearly focused at extra skilled customers, has a quick-release tripod mount plate in addition to a bubble stage constructed into the pinnacle. But each variations characteristic an adjustable ball head for max flexibility relating to framing a shot.

As for the adjustable legs, Joby has changed the ball joints used on the GorillaPod line with fully-articulated legs for the PodZillas that includes versatile aluminum cores wrapped in rubber alongside their total size that ought to present appreciable extra grip than their predecessors did when wrapped round objects. Joby guarantees the versatile aluminum utilized in every leg is sturdy, however the brand new strategy means there’s doubtlessly the danger of one of many legs snapping if repeatedly bent previous its breaking level. Breaking the unique GorillaPod was practically inconceivable, so we’ll see if the benefits of this new leg design outweigh the dangers of its sturdiness.