Bogen 486RC2 + 3007 or Gorillipod or an alternative?

I have a Bogen 486RC2 and I'm thinking about combining it with a 3007 or the big

Gorillipod.<br>

This is for a Mamiya RZ67, with or without the prism. I can go either way.<br>

I like the Gorillipod because of it's versatility but it just seems like it would be flimsy

trying to support the RZ. On the other hand, I like the 3007 because of it's

sturdiness but I don't like it's lack of versatility.<br>

Is there possibly an alternative?

I used to use a 3007 with a Bogen 308 (the predecessor to the 486) all the time. Now I have a 3007 paired with a 484RC2 as the 'pod that lives in my camera bag full-time. I also have experience with the Gorillapod SLR and SLR-Zoom.

The 3007 is a wonderful little tripod, remarkably strong and stable so long as the load is pretty well centered, which is why a small ballhead also works fine. I am, however, on my second 3007 -- the casting (on the first one, anyway) was pretty porous and weak on the legs near the spider, and one of the legs snapped off. Also, the little cork feet don't stay put, I'd suggest gluing them on right away with something strong if you want to keep them.

The Gorillapods are great, but IMHO you need a ballhead with them. It's nearly impossible to make small changes in the aim of the camera. The SLR model is a little better than the SLR-Zoom in this respect, because it has a couple of links above the "spider" which the SLR-Zoom doesn't have. But the SLR model also has an annoying quick-release built-in, so you'd have to mount your ballhead or QR to the built-in one.

I am also concerned about how long the Gorillapod links will stay tight. Seems like they'd have to loosen up eventually, but so far so good. They're also remarkably stable, so long as you can get them into an appropriate position.

Also, the 3007 is smaller when collapsed and much quicker to use than the Gorillapod -- but the Gorillapod can be used in far more places than the 3007.