After reading the review on Hendrik’s blog,  I’ve just got hold of a Velbon V-Pod tripod. It’s incredibly lightweight (< 280g on my scales) yet stable. The only downside I’ve seen (compared to conventional tripods) is that the lack of clamps means that each leg section must be either fully extended or collapsed, so setting it up on uneven ground is not so easy. You just have to put up with it at an odd angle and adjust the ball head to compensate. 

Unlike gorillapods it doesn’t require an adapter plate on the camera, so your basic camera is still as slimline as usual. It’s a great fit for my Lumix LX5, and should handle a micro four-thirds camera, as long as you don’t have a ridiculous lens on it.

I took it out one evening over the weekend onto the ridge behind the house, and was able to try close-ups and self-timer shots which are both awkward without a tripod. The sun put on a convincing display, as well.