Of Pods and Mice - or, 3 pods for 3 days at WDW

[boBQuincy]

I took all three of my pods to WDW this time, tri, mono, and gorilla. Each has it's strong and weak points, the worst part is I would like to have all three with me (but I am not carrying three pods for long).

The tripod is the clear winner for photographing fireworks, where the action is mostly in the same spot for the duration of the show and a very long exposure (2 seconds or so) is required. Any adjustments are easily made with a pan head. But it weighs about 3 pounds and is bulky so it stayed in a locker until evening.

The GorillaPod is a really neat device, I used it for some photos where little else would do, like wrapped around a fence. It is slow to set up and sometimes requires lots of readjustment to hold still, but with a cable release it is steady and does what it should. I have the SLR-Zoom model with a Velbon ball head, at about one pound it is light and small enough to carry all day (and I did).

My monopod is the winner when the photo doesn't need a long exposure, maybe down to 1/4 second, sometimes longer with luck. It is good for moving subjects (MoRockin) and for places where a tripod would be frowned upon. At three ounces and 11" I wouldn't think of leaving it behind.

So, all three were used in the course of a busy day at WDW, and all three helped me to get photos I probably would not have had without the pods. I recommend one of each!

 

[Amy]

Bob - I love the few pictures you've posted already from your trip. (Can't wait to see more!) We're heading to WDW this summer (flying from PA) for 9 days (5 @ WDW, 4 @ USF/IOA). I really don't want to lug my big tripod along on the plane, so I'm thinking of getting a gorilla pod. I've got a Canon S3 IS, so I need to get the SLR-version of the gorilla pod, which I assume is the one you're using.

Is the gorilla pod sturdy/secure enough that I could attach it to a fence and get some good fireworks shots of the castle (like you did with that one "pink" castle shot you posted)? Or maybe the fence along the lake at Epcot for Illuminations? The S3 doesn't have a remote cable release, so I'd have to hit the shutter all the time (I can put it on the self-timer to avoid camera shake). Is the gorilla pod really light enough to carry around all day?

 

[boBQuincy]

I have the SLR-Zoom model, the SLR would be a bit less weight.

My Crumpler $4M bag weighs about 3-1/2 lb in "park ready" condition, the additional 14 oz of the Gorilla isn't too noticeable so I carried it around for the entire three days (which is usually 8:30am to 9:30pm). I wear the strap "messenger bag" style and it isn't bad.

The Gorilla was sturdy enough to hold the camera securely (even though I held onto the strap just in case), it should hold the S3 with no trouble. I didn't use a cable release for the castle shot, the shutter speed was 1/6 second, if you are steady enough you should get away with it.
***I only used the Gorilla with my 24-105 and 10-22, it has a hard time handling the weight of the 70-200 on a 30D so I consider that to be beyond it's real limits.

Using the timer for fireworks is difficult, you might miss a lot of the bursts. Here's an idea, set the shutter for 3 seconds and hold your hand in front of the lens while you press the shutter release to mask out the vibration, once you release the button the rest of the exposure should be steady.

 

[Amy]

Thanks Bob! Guess I'd better order myself a Gorilla pod soon so I can get used to it. It looks really "funky" (how's that for a word from the 70's?!).