Gimbal Head

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Hi all,

I'm wondering whether or not it's worth buying a Gimbal Head to help with wildlife photography. It would be for my Sigma 150-600 Contemporary lens. I have a Manfrotto CX055Pro3 tripod.

I know it's not the heaviest lens, compared to a prime like the 500mm Canon f/4 or something, but there are times when the light isn't great where shooting, say Deer at 600mm is quite tricky with camera shake.

Would a Gimbal make sense for this lens, I hear that some people mention balancing issues as it is a zoom and once set and balanced at a particular focal length, it's then out of balance if the focal length is then changed with weight distribution etc.

Any advice much appreciated.
 
I'm not sure how much you want to spend but from personal experience I can recommend the Acratech GP. It is very lightweight ball head which costs a fortune (£400+), BUT it can also function as a gimbal. I'm very, very pleased with mine. It's the only head I think I will ever need.

I originally had a GPSS which is a small version of the GP but it wasn't up to carrying the weight of a 5d3 + Tamron 150-600.
 
Have a look at a Lensmaster or the Manfrotto 393. Both work well.
 
Shameless plug, but I've got a Lensmaster for sale in the classified's which would be a cheap option to see if using a gimbal works for you..
 
The Lensmaster is brilliant, as is their service. I enquired about a modified RH2 to take a Sigma 300-800mm (apparently it's slightly longer on the arm for balance) on a Saturday evening, Rob replied that evening. Had made a modified one by the end of the weekend and despatched Monday, arrived Tuesday - all at no extra cost!
 
You don't say what head you have at the moment, if you have a ball and socket head, simply drop the ball into the slot and you will have a 'makeshift' gimbal.

Yes there is an issue with lenses that extend when zoomed due to the change in the centre of gravity, but that is not insurmountable. You are not asking the gimbal to manage a heavy load here so the Lensmaster is probably a good choice, the only downside is the lack of vertical adjustment. Also remember you will need to obtain an Arca Swiss lens plate.

If possible (depending on the head you have now) a 'sidekick' style gimbal could be an option, saves you having to keep changing the head. Just a thought.
 
smr said:
With a 150-600?
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No, with a 300 + TC. I expect it would be fine with 150-600, feels solid and smooth.

If you want something a bit heavier duty there is a GH3 currently for sale in classifieds.
 
Used a Manfrotto 393 for a couple of years for my Tamron 150-600. Perfectly fine.

Now have a Wimberley head which is a massive improvement but I'd still recommend the 393 if you're not sure whether you'll like it or not.

Also, the lensmaster, everyone highly recommends (y)
 
smr said:
400 is out of budget really, I have been looking at the Benro GH2 Gimbal Head which seems to get very good reviews, that's about £250. But £250 is still a lot of money and I don't want to buy something to find out there are fundamental balancing issues with a long zoom lens.
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I have the CF version of the GH2 and it holds my Pentax FA* 250-600mm f5.6 (6.5k) with ease ... no balancing issues whatsoever.
 
to be honest I wouldnt get anything but a gimbal head .. Nikon 300, 600 and sigma 150-600 sport and I think the gimbal is the way to go. I use one on my fiesol tripod and one for my gitzo monopod (for walking and hiking) .. I use the wimberley mkii which is expensive but you could go for the cheaper and similar brands. The one you suggested (benro) looks just the job. It's a copy of the wimberley and you can use the support as a handle to steady it .. I know people use ballheads with heavier lenses .. but really .. I wouldn't .. just my opinion ..
 
make sure you get a long enough plate so you can balance the camera/lens combo .. then you can literally have hands free from camera without the worry of it flopping about
 
just so you know there is one on ebay at the moment for £150 .. dont worry about balancing issues .. i use it with my 150-600 all the time and it is a non issue
 
smr said:
but there are times when the light isn't great where shooting, say Deer at 600mm is quite tricky with camera shake.
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Not for this scenario...
Based upon your question/comments I'm assuming you already have a tripod and head to use... swapping it for an unlocked gimbal isn't going to help with camera shake/slow SS.
 
I have had a a a couple of the expensive ones in the past but sold them and bought a mieke one off of amazon ,cost sub £50 last year does exactly the same job as the expensive ones ,and quids in my pocket ,your not going to be swinging it round at carousel speeds which kind of makes a mockery of a lot of the demo adverts for certain makes ,you just need something sturdy that will allow smooth tracking as needed following the birds in flight, and 99% of them are Arca plate ready/fitted these days and again don't be fooled into a expensive one my long plate cost a stunning £4.50 off e.bay free postage from china and does the job ,took a week to arrive
 
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i've ha them in the past and found the opposite .. I suppose you get good and bad .. with the wimberley I've never had an issue though ..
 
i thought my manfrotto 057 tripod was the bees knees .. then went to a fiesol and the difference was night and day .. so are you able to isolate the shake anywhere .. tripod weights .. current head .. camera settings? remote shutter release ..
 
sk66 said:
Not for this scenario...
Based upon your question/comments I'm assuming you already have a tripod and head to use... swapping it for an unlocked gimbal isn't going to help with camera shake/slow SS.
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I have a tripod for it but not a suitable head - it's a manfrotto 3 way pan and tilt head.

When I mentioned camera shake I meant from hand holding!
 
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timbo2410 said:
and for 150 quid on ebay .. I know what I would do
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I'm weighing up (excuse the pun lol) whether to get the Benro GH2 or the Lensmaster - I can't really see what differentiates them so with that said I guess the Lensmaster at £187 new makes sense.

Thanks btw, I saw that GH2 on ebay yesterday.
 
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ok .. I have heard good stories about the Benro though .. don't know about lensmaster .. I didn't want you wasting your money on something you will regret .. I would go for the most you could afford .. easy to say though .. have you done any calibration with the lens itself? It makes a heck of a difference .. especially with focus accuracy and with lens speed .. have you tried a monopod ..
 
Well the GH3 on here is good value. (slightly heavier than the GH2)
 
smr said:
I'm weighing up (excuse the pun lol) whether to get the Benro GH2 or the Lensmaster - I can't really see what differentiates them so with that said I guess the Lensmaster at £187 new makes sense.

Thanks btw, I saw that GH2 on ebay yesterday.
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Personally I would have more faith in the Lensmaster than the Benro ... I'm sure there is a post/thread here somewhere reporting problems with Benro fixing screws.
 
smr said:
I have a tripod for it but not a suitable head - it's a manfrotto 3 way pan and tilt head.

When I mentioned camera shake I meant from hand holding!
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Before gimbal heads were introduced/common we used to use pan tilt heads for long lens/wildlife photography... In fact, I've reverted to using them instead of gimbal heads (UniqBall heads). If weight and versatility were not an issue I would be using a fluid head.
 
gramps said:
Personally I would have more faith in the Lensmaster than the Benro ... I'm sure there is a post/thread here somewhere reporting problems with Benro fixing screws.
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I had a GH2 for close to a decade w/ no problems... and it got beat up pretty bad. It wasn't the greatest gimbal head out there (and neither is the Wimberley), but it was good value.
 
timbo2410 said:
ok .. I have heard good stories about the Benro though .. don't know about lensmaster .. I didn't want you wasting your money on something you will regret .. I would go for the most you could afford .. easy to say though .. have you done any calibration with the lens itself? It makes a heck of a difference .. especially with focus accuracy and with lens speed .. have you tried a monopod ..
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I bought a Benro Monopod and used it at Silverstone with my Sigma, but the bush on the monopod got stuck in the lens foot - according to wex I had over-tightened. I had to use pliers to get the bush free from the lens foot and then the thread on the foot was to wide - I think the thread insert came off on the bush!

Thanks to Sigma and wex I got a new monopod and a new lens foot - but obviously I'm a bit concerned about attaching both together now.

I have calibrated the lens but I still need a secure platform to use it with when shooting wildlife, basically the purpose gimbals were invented for.
 
what would you say is the best .. I've had a CB Gimbal before and that caused a vibration coupled with the Manfrotto tripod and it was very bad in comparison to the fiesol and wimberley ..
 
Personally I've had a Calumet, a Manfrotto 393, a Lensmaster and now currently a Wimberley ... the Wimberley is streets ahead of the others but unless you can pick up a used MkI you will pay through the nose.
 
timbo2410 said:
what would you say is the best .. I've had a CB Gimbal before and that caused a vibration coupled with the Manfrotto tripod and it was very bad in comparison to the fiesol and wimberley ..
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ProMedia Gear makes the best gimbal heads IMO. But you pay a lot for it...

RRS makes really nice gimbals as well, even a fluid one... but they are huge/heavy, and VERY expensive.
 
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so nothing usable for the likes of the normal person .. too expensive .. too heavy .. naa stick with wimberley or similar ...
 
timbo2410 said:
so nothing usable for the likes of the normal person .. too expensive .. too heavy .. naa stick with wimberley or similar ...
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Actually, I would get the PMG KatanaJr over a Wimberley... smaller/lighter/cheaper, and better in every way.
But IMO gimbal heads are too limited and expensive without really doing anything that special.
 
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