Beike 45 gimball head

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Does anyone use one of the above? are the any good? I have seen all the guff but would like first hand info.
 
Charles, I cannot give you much info, I do have one and all I have done since purchasing it was fix it up on a tripod just to see what it was like, so all I can say, it's solid and a useful piece of kit for the money, it will do the job and I don't regret buying mine, I think I paid about £50, I hope this helps a little?
 
The Beike and Newer gimbal heads are the same, and the construction is pretty poor. The main assemblies are dependent on one small screw (8mm?) each which can tend to unscrew which could be catastrophic. But, in a constant load/tension situation a single screw w/ enough thread contact should be adequate to hold more than enough weight.
This guy takes one apart and (kind of) addresses some of the issues.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMNjpgb9kIc
 
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drb52 said:
Charles, I cannot give you much info, I do have one and all I have done since purchasing it was fix it up on a tripod just to see what it was like, so all I can say, it's solid and a useful piece of kit for the money, it will do the job and I don't regret buying mine, I think I paid about £50, I hope this helps a little?
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Thanks for reply David. I was hoping for some info from someone that had given one some use that could tell me how the stand up to use.(y)
 
sk66 said:
The Beike and Newer gimbal heads are the same, and the construction is pretty poor. The main assemblies are dependent on one small screw (8mm?) each which can tend to unscrew which could be catastrophic. But, in a constant load/tension situation a single screw w/ enough thread contact should be adequate to hold more than enough weight.
This guy takes one apart and (kind of) addresses some of the issues.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMNjpgb9kIc
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Thanks Steven. I had seen this video and thought It might be possible to do further mods, I have a good engineer friend. I realise they are cheap and cheerful but thought I would ask opinions from the forum. Just looking at present. Love to see your inspirational BIF shots by the way.:jawdrop:(n)
 
I think it could done better (add/use thrust bearings, large HDMW/Teflon washer *under the large washer, etc). And even the Wimberley is held together by 1 screw... I just don't think it's as small/short (can't remember TBH).



and thanks!
 
I have one, I hardly use it now but it's still used in places where I'm not so bothered about damaging it (beaches where sand can give in). For the price is ok, build quality isnt fantastic when compared to the likes of the benro gh2. The movement isn't as smooth as the GH2. To be honest it's what I expected for the price and it's ok for what I now use it for. The lens master and benros (if you can further nod a used one) are worth looking at too, they are worth the extra as better build quality.
 
It's ok but the lensmaster is in a different league, it's made in the uk by a fellow who didn't want to pay the price of a Wimberley, perhaps your friend could fabricate one for you?
 
I have no experience w/ lensmaster, but the designs appear to have significant weaknesses.
A side mount is almost never a great choice...it typically places the center of mass off to the side of the tripod. With a large lens/tall foot that can be rather risky.
The full gimbal doesn't seem to be height adjustable... that means it will only balance out w/ a lens of a certain height.

That said, the price does seem to be better than any of the other well made options that are height adjustable (Benro GH-2, Wimberley, etc)... it might well be a very acceptable tradeoff.
 
Thanks everyone for showing interest and taking the time to post :hug:s all round. I had decided on a Lensmaster as it is reasonably priced and much better made than cheapo ones. However the type I wanted originally I could not find. I thought that I would have one last look round. Low and behold there it was the one I wanted and made by Manfrotto, and an added bonus it's on offer from Amazon at £96. The model is a 393 gimball head for monopod but is widely used on tripods according to customer reviews. Thanks again.
 
charlychuckchuck said:
Thanks everyone for showing interest and taking the time to post :hug:s all round. I had decided on a Lensmaster as it is reasonably priced and much better made than cheapo ones. However the type I wanted originally I could not find. I thought that I would have one last look round. Low and behold there it was the one I wanted and made by Manfrotto, and an added bonus it's on offer from Amazon at £96. The model is a 393 gimball head for monopod but is widely used on tripods according to customer reviews. Thanks again.
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Just been reading some reviews on that one looks good.
Not sure if the arca plates will fit though?
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
Just been reading some reviews on that one looks good.
Not sure if the arca plates will fit though?
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Nope... almost nothing Manfrotto makes is Arca Swiss compatible, but most things can be adapted. In this case I think you would have to drill the cross bar in order to mount an Arca Swiss type clamp... I believe it comes w/ a Manfrotto long plate. I would probably just use that even though it would annoy me.
 
I had a manfrotto 393 gimbal head. They are good for the price, I moved it on due to the size, weight and the fact it wasn't acra Swiss compatible, and I wanted to standardise on one plate type.

I've never worked out why manfrotto advertise it as a monopod head when it's fine on a tripod. It holds heavy lenses well. If you have ever been to a photography show it's what Nikon use on their stand for trying the long prime lenses. It seems to support the 800mm f5.6, 600mm f4 and 400mm f2.8 lenses quite well when I've tried them on the stand. I'm guessing Nikon use them as they are a cost effective alternative the other gimbal heads.
 
I had the Manfrotto and to be honest it was very heavy, if you intend staying still and not walking very far, then it would suffice. You never said what gear you intended to put on the gimbal?

If its expensive gear, you have to ask yourself would you put a couple of grand on a gimbal worth £100?? I use a Jobu design Black Widow gimbal (bought on TP) it suits the weight i want to carry, does not weigh a ton, and movement is smooth.
 
I had a 393 and never got on with it - it was very heavy and awkward, and I was forever trapping my fingers in it. I swapped it for a Beike which I was actually using at Slimbridge this afternoon, and I get on with it SO much better. It is the only gimbal I have used so I can't compare it to others, but I find it easy to use with a lovely smooth action for following BIF.
 
I have made my choice ordered and waiting delivery. I am happy and I am confident that it will do the job and at a good price. Sure we would all like a Rolls Royce but working class pensioners have to settle for a used Astra estate :)
 
charlychuckchuck said:
I have made my choice ordered and waiting delivery. I am happy and I am confident that it will do the job and at a good price. Sure we would all like a Rolls Royce but working class pensioners have to settle for a used Astra estate :)
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It's very good for the price and much better than the beike gimbal. Nikon using them on their show stand says to me it pretty good, they trust them whilst letting the public swinging around big, heavy and expensive long lenses. I think I paid that amount for used not new a few years back. Compared to other places £96 is a bargain.

The manfrotto plate that comes with it is a good length and works well too. I only sold it because I had a ball manfrotto ball head that used the RC2 plate and I wanted to standardise on one plate type as taking off and on different plates was a pain. If the 393 was Acra Swiss I would likely have not sold it.
 
I have and use the Manfrotto 393.

It is quite heavy and bulky but have never had a problem with it, does the job well. I paid £120 for it brand new a while back.

Tbh, I'm not sure what you all mean that you sold it because it wasn't arca-swiss fitting? I'm just off to work so haven't got time to research it.

All I know is that I just mount it to a normal tripod screw mount and I'm away!

Very solid and sturdy :)
 
wezza13 said:
I have and use the Manfrotto 393.

It is quite heavy and bulky but have never had a problem with it, does the job well. I paid £120 for it brand new a while back.

Tbh, I'm not sure what you all mean that you sold it because it wasn't arca-swiss fitting? I'm just off to work so haven't got time to research it.

All I know is that I just mount it to a normal tripod screw mount and I'm away!

Very solid and sturdy :)
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Thanks Wez that's encouraging(y) just enjoyed your flickr:clap:
 
Manfrotto arrived today and I am very pleased with it:D plus added bonus they are now £160 plus unless you are a Amazon prime customer £129 so saved myself a bob or two:cool::D:D:D
 
charlychuckchuck said:
Manfrotto arrived today and I am very pleased with it:D plus added bonus they are now £160 plus unless you are a Amazon prime customer £129 so saved myself a bob or two:cool::D:D:D
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Im glad you are happy with it.

wezza13 said:
Tbh, I'm not sure what you all mean that you sold it because it wasn't arca-swiss fitting? I'm just off to work so haven't got time to research it.

All I know is that I just mount it to a normal tripod screw mount and I'm away!
Click to expand...

What I meant by Arca Swiss mount is the plate type. At the time I had a manfrotto ball head that used the RC2 plate and the manfrotto 393 with a different plate type. The problem was I didn't want to be constantly changing between the different plate types, taking on and off the different plates doesn't make it quick and easy to swap between lenses. To get around swapping plates meant I carried two tripod heads.

Arca Swiss is kind of the standard plate type for long lenses, the added benefit is you can get arca Swiss plates and L brackets for mounting on the camera. This means you can easily swap between different head types if they are arcs Swiss and quickly change lens type too (all the way through the range from ultra wide to long telephoto).

I really like manfrottos heads and tripods but their design of using different quick release plates on nearly every head type is a pain if you do different types of photography and have a need for two or more head types. Their ball heads, geared heads and gimbal heads each have different plate types. For me this is where the problem lies and I'm unsure why they haven't standardised the plate type. I'm aware you can get aftermarket modifications to arca Swiss plates but I don't see why you should initially pay for a plate type you won't use if you plan modify later. If you can live with using different plate types across your lenses and camera they do excellent products at good prices so I would always recommend them, I just like the ease of one plate type. Of course if you only use a gimbal like this on only one lenses then it's not a problem and it's a fantastic head, and much cheaper than a wimberley gimbal.
 
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