Amateur Photographer verdict
The Joby GorillaPod 5K Rig is a versatile tripod solution for vloggers, photographers, and wildlife creatives, with a high build-quality and bundle that offers excellent value for money.- Extremely versatile and high-quality
- Includes arms for lights, reflectors and more
- Comes with a carry mounting strap
- Range of accessories included
- Doesn’t come with a bag
GorillaPods are unique flexible tripods that can be bent into any shape, letting you wrap it around almost any object – the GorillaPod 5K is the largest of these – supporting heavier kit (up to 5KG) including heavy DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
At a glance
- Arca Swiss compatible 5K Ball head mount
- 6 socket GorillaPod arms
- GorillaPod 5K stand
- Total 5Kg capacity
- Weighs 840g
- Costs $105 / £105 or less
Features
This tripod has arms for mounting lights, reflectors, GoPros and more so you can easily add two accessories of your choice. It comes with an Arca Swiss compatible ball head with a locking pin to stop your camera falling off when loosening it.
In the box you’ll find the GorillaPod 5K stand, removable Arca Swiss compatible ball head, GoPro pin-joint mount, removable hub plate, quick release plate, two 6-socket GorillaPod arms, two cold shoe mounts, and a carry-mounting strap.
Key Features
- 360 ball-head – the Arca Swiss compatible ball head tilt, and the 360 pan rotation can be locked off separately, letting you use the ball-head for 360 photos and video.
- Two GorillaPod arms let you add additional lighting, reflectors, mics, action cameras, or other accessories with a GoPro mount and two cold shoes provided
- Bendable legs – these can be wrapped around trees, banisters, railings, or even wrapped around your arm
- Removable hub plate – this has two 1/4inch mounts for the two GorillaPod arms, or anything else you want to screw into it
- Carry-mounting strap – This can be used as strap to carry the tripod, or as additional support when mounting the tripod to trees etc
Performance
The tripod is easy to set up, and due to the size can be good for low down or tabletop photography, with the two arms providing support for additional lighting (lights not included) or other accessories.
For photography at different heights, you’ll need to find something to wrap the tripod around such as around trees, and for additional safety there is a strap that can be used to secure the tripod.
The ball head is of high quality made from mostly metal with plastic knobs with rubber grips, and panoramic markings around the bottom. The head doesn’t include a spirit level. The red colouring is also rather attractive.
The legs are made up of a combination of metal, plastic and rubber which is a step up from entry level GorillaPod tripods and will make it last longer. Entry level GorillaPods tend to become loose over time. There are large rubber feet on the bottom to minimise slip.
Verdict
The Joby GorillaPod 5K Rig is an impressive high-quality tripod kit with a useful range of included accessories and bendable tripod legs make it suitable for a wide range of uses sure as vlogging, macro, nature or even mounted to a tree. Available for under $100 / £100, it represents excellent value for money.
