Gorillapod and Sharp Macro Photography?

[starsmending]

Hello! I just recently bought a Joby Gorillapod, as I am quite low in funds and cannot afford a full-out "proper" tripod.

The Joby Gorillapod, here:


My question to you all is, well, I am wondering if it is at all helpful in creating a sharp, macro photograph? I have attempted macro photography, but the hand/camera shake is far too much. I know that the Gorillapod is quite small, but if I set it on a stable surface, would the photograph come out significantly clearer or would you need a large tripod to get that effect?

See, I am speaking of the quality given the example of in this tutorial, here. Is it possible?

Thank you for your time! Any help would be appreciated.

(I use a 100mm Canon macro)

[wishvam]

if you feel your hands are so shaky that pressing the shutter button is itself causing shake.. try self timer.. . by the way you can achieve the quality soon by practice..

[PWhite214]

I have the same problems, it is almost impossible to hold the camera steady for macro shots. There are several things that help, including your Gorillapod.

As Wisvam said, use the self timer, or a remote shutter release.
If your camera has Mirror Lock Up, which eliminates vibration due to the mirror moving, use it too.
Be careful with small tripods, the weight of your gear can turn it over, not a good thing.

Phil

[sparda79]

Maybe you can post here your recent attempt together the exif data.

Sparda

[starsmending]

Originally Posted by sparda79

Maybe you can post here your recent attempt together the exif data.

Sparda

http://www.flickr.com/photos/starsme...03005/sizes/o/
With my 100mm Canon macro lens.

[sparda79]

That shot looks good to me. The only blur I see is the area outside of the DoF, which is very shallow, and that's common for macro.

Sparda

[Bluenoser]

I use my Gorillapod a lot for Macro Photography, especially when hiking in the woods. I also purchased the spike leg attachments that you can use to further stabalize it.

As others have stated, use a remote release or the self timer and mirror lock-up.

[PWhite214]

Forgot to mention Flash, even when the camera is steady, your subject can be moving, flash can stop the movement on both. Off camera is most effective, but I have successfully use the built in flash on my camera.

Phil

[starsmending]

Thank you for all of your input! It's been very helpful. The gorillapod would exactly be what I'd bring on hiking, so everything that everyone's told me is very useful.