I received the SLR gorillapod as a Christmas gift. I've owned it for about 7 months at the time of this review. My digital camera is a Canon Powershot S3 IS. That's not an SLR, but it's a large "SLR-like" all-in-one digital camera. My thought in putting the SLR-size tripod on my Christmas list was that it would be sturdier for my camera since my camera's weight was right at the top of the range for smaller compact Gorillapod.
I'm definitely glad I got the big one, because there are still some positions that the Gorillapod won't hold while my camera is connected. Specifically, low "squatty" positions on the ground, or positions where most of the camera's weight is on the neck or one of the legs of the Gorillapod. In these positions, I set up the camera and watch as the gorillapod's joints slowly give in to the weight of my camera, slipping until the camera either falls over or meets a flat surface.
The neck in particular is susceptible to this. If, for example, I have the gorillapod hanging from a door frame so that the camera's weight is mostly on the neck, the neck will bend until the camera flops over, ruining the shot. Perhaps the gorillapod isn't meant for these types of shots. Fortunately, if I need a shot at an angle like this, I can place my smaller digital elph on the big gorillapod. It looks pretty silly, but the gorillapod has no problem holding its weight at any angle.
Weight support issues aside, the legs of the Gorillapod are very versatile. Friends of mine have the compact model of the Gorillapod and it's definitely much more flexible than the big one, but the big one is still great for a lot of diverse uses. I've wrapped it around chair backs and trees, balanced it on uneven surfaces (such as rocks), hung it from door frames or cabinetry, and even once hung it from a chandelier.
The compact, removable head can be left screwed in to the bottom of your camera too. This allows you to quickly snap the camera on to the gorillapod without having to screw and unscrew it every time you want to set up a shot. Storage/transportation of the large gorillapod can be an issue if you don't have a large camera bag. I use a compact camcorder bag for my S3 IS, and the gorillapod cannot fit in any of its pockets or compartments. However, if you don't mind extra bulk in the strap, the leg flexibility allows it to be wrapped securely around the strap for easy transportation.
Overall, this is a great addition to anyone's photo bag. My only concern with it is the stability. Given the issues it has with my camera that is not even an SLR, I'd be concerned about how well it would work (or not work) with an actual dSLR camera.
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