The Best Gorillapod For Sony RX100 Cameras!
The Sony RX100 is one of the most popular entry-level vlogging cameras at the time of writing and it has managed to build up an absolutely massive core customer base of vloggers over the years who absolutely love the camera. With the Sony RX100 VII being released a few months back now a surge of new videographers and vloggers seem to have picked up, or upgraded to the latest version of the camera.
Due to this, we have noticed a large number of people reaching out and asking for advice on a wide range of camera accessories for their RX100. With the Joby Gorillapod range being one of the most popular vlogging camera accessories on the market it should be no surprise at all that one of the most commonly requested things we see is advice on the best Gorillapod for the Sony RX100.
As we always like to try and help our readers and offer as much advice as possible we have decided to make this the subject of this article. We know that a number of our readers own the Sony RX100 as well as that a number of them use their camera for vlogging so we feel that this article will be able to help a fair few people.
Now, over the years, the Joby Gorillapod range has expanded to include around ten different tripods that all have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. For a camera like the RX100, there are three different Gorillapod models that vloggers seem to use so we have decided to feature all three of them below. That said though, we do feel that the Gorillapod 1k is probably the best overall option for the RX100 and that it will easily be able to meet the needs of the vast majority of our readers.
Since its release, the Gorillapod 1k has proven itself to be a very popular option amongst the vlogging community and has built up an outstanding reputation for itself due to its low price tag, excellent image stabilization and great build quality. This is why we feel it will be the best overall option for any of our readers who use the RX100 as their go-to camera body of choice.
Anyway, we will still be going over all three of the featured Gorillapods that are popular amongst vloggers below along with having our comparison table showing some of their key features too. We will go over all three of the different tripod models to share out thoughts on them and then spend the rest of the article having a more in-depth look at the Gorillapod 1k.
Comparison Table
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Before going any further, we just want to point out that there are not seven different variants of the Sony RX100 on the market and we fully expect additional versions of the camera to be released in the future. Now, although each variant of the camera does have a slightly different weight, they all come in at around half a pound of payload weight give or take 0.1 pounds each side for the different versions of the camera.
In addition to this, the new variant, the Sony RX100 VII also comes with an external microphone input jack allowing you to add an external microphone to your RX100 to help improve the audio quality that you are able to capture. As you can probably work out, this can add some additional weight to the overall payload weight of your rig that you have to factor in when choosing your Gorillapod.
Anyway, moving onto the actual products, first up we have the Gorillapod 500 that is essentially the entry-level tripod from the range that provides you with a usable load capacity of around 1.10 Pounds. As your RX100 is likely around the 0.5-pound mark, maybe around 0.75 pounds if you have the RX100 VII with an external microphone mounted to it, you can probably use the Gorillapod 500 without issue.
Since the 500 was released onto the market, it has managed to grow a solid reputation for itself in many niches but in our opinion, it has one main drawback. Although the build quality of the 500 is solid, it is nowhere near what you are getting with either of the other two featured Gorillapods below. If you are involved in travel vlogging then we feel the wear and tear will quickly take its toll on the tripod and cause its structural integrity to degrade quickly.
If you are planning to use your RX100 for something like beauty vlogging where your Gorillapod will just be placed on a table indoors and left there though, you will probably be fine going with the 500. That said, we would not recommend it for much else as the Gorillapod 1k is only around $5 more depending on the retailer and is much tougher.
That brings us nicely onto our next feature unit that is also our primary recommendation, the Gorillapod 1k with its maximum load capacity of 2.2 pounds of camera payload weight. In our opinion, this is without a doubt the best option as it is extremely robust and has the load capacity available to mount the RX100 VII even with a heavy external microphone mounted to it.
On top of this, you can also use it in the vast majority of vlogging, photography, and videography niches without having to worry about it taking much damage and weakening as it is extremely tough. As this is our primary recommendation, we will be spending more time taking an in-depth look at it after this section so will just move onto the next featured tripod.
The final item that we feel is actually overkill for a camera as light as the Sony RX100 is the Gorillapod 3k that has managed to make a name for itself and earn a great reputation since release. In our opinion, you can save yourself a bit of cash by going with the Gorillapod 1k almost every time and still get some excellent image stabilization as the 3k is designed for use with heavier mirrorless cameras with its 6.6-pound load capacity.
The only time that we would recommend any of our readers who own the RX100 to go with the 3k over the 1k is if they know for a fact that they will be upgrading from the RX100 to something like the Canon m50 or Sony a6400. This essentially lets you future-proof your purchase and save you having to rebuy a Gorillapod when you get your heavier camera body as the one you purchase for your RX100 will easily be able to support the weight of your upgrade.
Anyway, now that we have gone over our initial thoughts for the three features Gorillapods, we will be focusing exclusively on the Gorillapod 1k for the rest of the article as we feel it is the best option for our readers.
Performance And Functionality
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the Gorillapod 1k offers you a massive maximum load capacity for its price, size, and weight coming in at 2.2 pounds of payload weight. This makes it perfect for the vast majority of Sony RX100 users, especially if you are working in a travel-based niche where you need to travel as light as possible on a regular basis.
In addition to being able to mount your RX100 though, the Gorillapod 1k is also ideal for mounting a large number of other popular camera accessories too. These include lighting units, external microphones, and a bunch of other gadgets that you may want to mount to your Gorillapod to ensure that you are getting the best image quality possible no matter the situation.
This allows you to mount your lighting unit or other camera accessories to your Gorillapod and then vlog with your RX100 in your hands. Although this does have a direct effect on your image stabilization, if you are in a low light area then your image quality can be better by sacrificing your image stabilization in favor of optimal lighting for your vlogs.
Another great feature of the Joby Gorillapod range is the versatility that it offers for you and the level of image stabilization that it can perform is such a wide range of common situations too. Not only does it provide you with similar functionality to a traditional tripod when you have access to a level surface but you can also use your Gorillapod 1k in a number of other ways too that are ideal for various travel vlogging situations.
For example, the extremely flexible legs on the Gorillapod tripod range allow you to wrap it around a large number of objects while out and about to support your camera with ease. These include items such as street lamps, tree branches, signposts, and pretty much anything else the legs of your Gorillapod can reach around. In addition to this, if you are on the move and wanting to vlog then you can quickly and easily change the shape of the legs on your Gorillapod to make it easier to hold it in your hands and vlog directly into your Sony RX100 while walking around.
If you are out and about then the rubber feet of the Gorillapod range really does play into your favor as they ensure that the tripod can easily grip the surface that you place it on without issue. This means that if you have to use a wet, slippy, or uneven surface then you can easily get some solid image stabilization for your RX100 without having to worry about your tripod tipping over or giving way.
When you factor all of this in as well as the fact that the Gorillapod 1k is usually under the $30 price point, it is easy to see why it is such a popular option. On top of this, the community have really taken to it with so many of them choosing to post their own glowing, third-party reviews of that tripod that we would highly recommend that you read if you have a few minutes spare.
Build Quality And Design
This results in a very robust and durable tripod that is also very small as well as extremely lightweight in relation to the level of performance that you get from your Gorillapod. The 1k comes in at only 2 x 2 x 9.8 Inches with a weight of 0.43 pounds making it the ideal tripod for anyone who has to travel on a regular basis while keeping their kit as light and small as possible.
Joby achieves this by constructing the tripod from the highest quality ABS plastics, a zinc-aluminum alloy, and small amounts of stainless steel. This ensures that the product is as light as possible while also being taught in addition to being very resistant to corrosion from the elements if you do need to use it outdoors too.
In addition to this, the Gorillapod 1k also has a few things that the cheaper Gorillapods don’t have such as a clearly visible bubble level on the tripod head to allow you to easily see if your tripod is level before capturing your content. In addition to this, it also comes with a 360° panning bed to allow you to quickly and easily capture slow pan video footage or epic panoramic photographs with ease too.
It also has the 90° tilt feature that is pretty much essential for any vlogger and social media influencer these days. It essentially allows you to quickly and easily switch your Sony RX100 between landscape and portrait within seconds. As landscape video footage does better on sites like YouTube yet portrait style content does better on sites like Instagram, this allows you to easily capture optimal footage with ease.
Our Verdict
That brings our article going over what we feel is the best Gorillapod for Sony RX100 cameras to a close. We hope that we have done a solid job of explaining why we feel you should go with the Gorillapod 1k over the other Gorillapod variants for your RX100 as we really do feel that it is the best option. If you are still on the fence about taking the 1k then you can read these independent reviews of the tripod for some great external insight into its build quality and performance.
Image Licensing
Shared under Creative Commons – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
hey tiffany! – Gorillapod slr zoom – https://flic.kr/p/65C21a
Morgan – 324/365 – March 24, 2009 – https://flic.kr/p/69SVss
