Say, here's a really cheap DX deal for a Canon 24-105L!

If it wasn't that I may end up pooring milk into the real one, I'd buy it!

Ok, I can confirm. I tried a Joby Gorillapod SLR+ZOOM and it proved a bit too soft with a 550D+24-70 L. The 55D is a low weight body, but the 24-70L is a heavier L series lens. The Gorillapod SLR-ZOOM, then, would definitely be too soft with a 7D body or above. It holds ok instead with 550D+15-85 Canon lens, a lighter lens from Canon.
I am going to return it for the stornger Gorillapod Focus.

It is indeed very versatile.

DX also has clones of those tripods, but one never knows the quality until it arrives from them.

There's a mall close by, here, which has the entire range of Gorillapods. I did have the chance to get the Focus, but I decided to stick with the recommended one for my setup, only to find out that specs were optimistic.
it seems to me that if your intended usage is to wrap the tripod around some bar, pole, or other objects that offer opportunity to grip, it will work great. But, in those occasions where you want to use it as a regular tripod, on a flat surfaces, the legs may start to slowly bend when you use a average/heavy lens on a typical "full" size body (50D, 7D, 5D, etc., for example).

Ok, so I got the Gorillapod Focus, and it is strong and good also with average/long lenses. I am sure it would sustain a 70-200 as well.

So, I decided to buy this wired remote: http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280531705707&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT .
It is no the cheapest in the market, but by using various cables, it is compatible with virtually every camera available. Cables must be purchased separately at € 5, but this particular vendor is offering to include one extra for free, so that I can use it for both 7D and G11 / my gf's EOS 550D .
The remote includes all the timer/aperture/sequence features I mentioned above. Also, it is farly compact and fits my bag.
Phottix sells it as well: http://www.phottix.com/wired-remotes/phottixr-nikos-digital-timer-remote.html
And here are two small reviews
http://martybugs.net/blog/blog.cgi/gear/PhottixNikosDigitalTimerRemote.html
http://mattharrisphotography.co.uk/blog/my-blog/review-phottixnikos

This is also a nice one, I think: http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220663617691&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
but I think I am going with the "Nikos".

Mmmm.. that does look rather nice. And it's great you can use it with all three of your Canon cameras.

Cheers

So, also thanks to your recommendations - precious as usual - I finally bought my first reflex: a Canon EOS 7D + 24-70 F/2.8L.

I am having a lot of fun experimenting.
So, here's a DOF basic experiment with my chessboard:
A
B

It may be quite obvious to the more experts here, but I am just happy that I can finally narrow DOF so much and start making some more interesting picture than before.
And, I am just amazed by the level of detail I could get. Just look at the full size versions, and you'll see dust grains on the black pieces. I guess this is due to an amazing lens!

OK... I'll see your chessboard and raise you one USB mini-plug!

tanstaafl.

Also given your hands-on comment on it, I am considering this as my next lens. The 10-22 is also very attractive in so many ways (including its cost being half than the 16-35L), but I like the constant f/2.8 feature.

When we visited you in 2008, the 10-22mm was in the bag -- extremely useful for indoor snaps in Basilicas and the like.

My absolute favourite lens is the 16-35L -- that was my standard walkabout lens until the 17-85mm came on the scene -- now the 17-85 gets about 75% of the use for walkabout, and the 16-35L gets the other 25%. But we didn't carry the 16-35 to Italy last time. I missed it.

Cheers

I think you mean, "here's a DoS basic experiment"... your inlined 18 megapixel images killed Firefox so stone dead on my laptop that I thought I'd got a virus...

Peter

Ops. Sorry about that. I meant to embed a shrinked version, but forgot to. A link will be enough. Edited.

Katy Couric would never allow a camera like that in the same room.