Gimbal Head Advice

[jrw]

I was fortunate when I went shopping for a gimbal head to find a place that carried several models in stock. My selection came down to the Wimberley and the Sirui. They are more comparable than the price tags would indicate. The Sirui is lighter, Wimberley friction adjustment is a bit smoother, Sirui was about half the price so it came home with me. No regrets whatsoever. Use it with super teles, 180mm macro, and 70-200 the most. I can see that a longer zoom that extends would pose a challenge or two to maintain balance. Even racking the 70-200 causes enough change that I can feel it.
If you are going to get a gimbal head make sure to use relatively long mounting plates on your lenses to allow more positioning options. The information Brian has posted is a good place to look. If you have access to a machine shop, or know someone that does, it is very quick and painless to make your own plates out of scrap aluminum bar stock. I have no idea how they get to be so expensive in stores other than outright greed. There are non-Wimberley plates that are a fraction of the cost if you need to purchase plates. They will not leave your wallet feeling like it has been violated.

[ddt0725]

Hi Bill - Thank you for suggesting the sidekick ...now that is a price I can live with and I like being able to keep my ballhead in place! Someone on Amazon uses it with a Nikon D-810 with the Sigma 150-600mm Sport lens and he gave it 5 stars. Maybe I should trade my P-20 lens plate for a P-30 that Wimberley recommends for this lens. I don't know if it really makes that much of a difference but you are correctly Bill, it will be zoomed out to 600mm a vast majority of the time as was my 100-400mm at 400mm.

I am waiting for B&H to refund me for a ASUS monitor I returned due to dead pixels, as soon as I get that I think I will use it toward the Sidekick. I think it will be the perfect choice for me. I can't justify spending $500+ for a little as I will be able to use it on the weekends.

Thank you for all the suggestions, it gave me a lot to consider and be made aware of for when I do start using one.

[Minerve101]

And thanks for the information about gimbal vs ball head. Heaviest I would ever use is the 400mm f/5.6 with 1.4 x converter, so not so heavy as the lenses you were typically mentioning for a gimbal.

Danny

[sedwards]

I havent tried any of the high dollar models so i cant compare but this is the one I use . It is supposed to be good for up to 10lbs. I'm sure the wimberley is bullet proof but this one is half the price.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._3_Deluxe.html

[peety3]

If you have access to a machine shop, or know someone that does, it is very quick and painless to make your own plates out of scrap aluminum bar stock. I have no idea how they get to be so expensive in stores other than outright greed. There are non-Wimberley plates that are a fraction of the cost if you need to purchase plates. They will not leave your wallet feeling like it has been violated.

There's something to be said for exacting dimensions. The RRS lever clamps are apparently unforgiving when it comes to incorrect plate size: too narrow and they don't clamp firmly, too wide and they deform <something> or break. There's also the end stops on top of the shorter plates, making it easier to keep the plate square, or the captive screw that's easy to attach a lens but won't fall out unless you move it to one end. Some have safety stop screws so you can't slide them out of a clamp. Yes, they might be over-priced, but I'd rather not work through the mechanics of getting all those details right at a metal shop.

[ddt0725]

I havent tried any of the high dollar models so i cant compare but this is the one I use . It is supposed to be good for up to 10lbs. I'm sure the wimberley is bullet proof but this one is half the price.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._3_Deluxe.html

I think with my camera and lens close to 7 lbs. I would really be pushing to the limit for this model especially if I were to add a flash, Better Beamer or an extender at some point. How much weight have you used with it so far, Stuart?

[sedwards]

I just put my 1DsIII with 400f5.6 lens , 1.4 extender . ex430II flash with better beamer on my scale and it comes in at 7.9 lbs

[ddt0725]

I just put my 1DsIII with 400f5.6 lens , 1.4 extender . ex430II flash with better beamer on my scale and it comes in at 7.9 lbs

Really!? Maybe I would be okay with that, I will have to take a look at it again.

[Dave Throgmartin]

400mm f/5.6 is light enough to not need any of the heavy duty stuff

Dave

[jrw]

There's something to be said for exacting dimensions. The RRS lever clamps are apparently unforgiving when it comes to incorrect plate size: too narrow and they don't clamp firmly, too wide and they deform <something> or break. There's also the end stops on top of the shorter plates, making it easier to keep the plate square, or the captive screw that's easy to attach a lens but won't fall out unless you move it to one end. Some have safety stop screws so you can't slide them out of a clamp. Yes, they might be over-priced, but I'd rather not work through the mechanics of getting all those details right at a metal shop.

I suppose that the perception of complexity in any endeavour varies greatly depending on one's background experience. If there is a school with a machine shop in your neighbourhood you may find a shop teacher quite happy to have some students make some of these as an example of rather basic machining operations.