Question about Lensmaster RH2 gimbal head

S

sapstar

Suspended / Banned
Messages
44
Name
Bharat
Edit My Images
Yes
I just bought a used Lensmaster RH-2 gimbal on ebay to hold my Sony 200-600mm lens. Has the gimbal head changed over years or still about the same specs as I see on the website?
The only reason I ask is because the weight on the ebay listing is 1.9Kg and on the lensmaster website I see 1.19Kg which makes me think this is an older version which uses a heavier material.
 
Bristolian said:
Could just be a typo by the seller on eBay.
Click to expand...
You are right. I got the gimbal head and weighed it. It's 1.19Kg :). All working well. Need to figure out balancing now. I don't seem to be able to balance it properly.
 
sapstar said:
You are right. I got the gimbal head and weighed it. It's 1.19Kg :). All working well. Need to figure out balancing now. I don't seem to be able to balance it properly.
Click to expand...
I have the lensmaster gimbal.
I use a long arca plate on the lens foot and can slide it back/forward to balance it....
 
same here, with 500 f4 and canon r5. When I add the 2x converter it's right at the back of the plate but still super-secure - although I noticed last week that I need to move the plate back a bit for when I've got the 2x converter but don't have the lens hood fitted...

tempImage3LrHdZ.jpg

(the stand is an 'ergorest', brilliant as long as I keep one hand on it!)
 
sapstar said:
You are right. I got the gimbal head and weighed it. It's 1.19Kg :). All working well. Need to figure out balancing now. I don't seem to be able to balance it properly.
Click to expand...
Yeah, getting the balance right needs some careful adjustment. If you are using a prime lens then it is easier than with a zoom. I have a Sigma 150-600C and use it primarily at the long end (500-600mm) so that is where I have it balanced. There's a really good video on balancing here:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWAzwWOaXwc&t=3s


As the Lensmaster doesn't have a vertical adjustment it can be harder to get the lens to stay in a non-horizontal position - not impossible just not as easy as with the vertical adjustment. Using a vertical adjustment ensures that the centre-line of the upper pivot passes through the centre-line of the lens and that helps with the balance. In the picture above from mikeyt you can see that the upper pivot centre-line does indeed go through the lend centre-line of that lens but that may not be the case with a different lens.
 
mikeyt said:
same here, with 500 f4 and canon r5. When I add the 2x converter it's right at the back of the plate but still super-secure - although I noticed last week that I need to move the plate back a bit for when I've got the 2x converter but don't have the lens hood fitted...

View attachment 347358

(the stand is an 'ergorest', brilliant as long as I keep one hand on it!)
Click to expand...
Hi

can I ask what the mini tripod is and whether the lens is a mark I Ef 500 L is.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am able to have the camera and lens balanced in the horizontal position, but as shown in the video from lensmaster, I am unable to make it stay in a tilted up or down position. In the video, it looks like there is some weight attached in the front.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03TPpr6IZPU


My lens is a sony 200-600, which is internal zoom, so zooming shouldn't be a problem. The current setup donesn't seem to be an issue to me though, but would be good if I figure out a way to balance properly. I am using the 14cm arca plate and tried a number of different placements, but still no luck.
 
Maybe only a minor point but as it tilts the weight of the actual Gimbal bracket which is now out of the vertical position as it would be when the lens is horizontal would add a turning force albeit slight. Tighten the knob slightly.
 
sapstar said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am able to have the camera and lens balanced in the horizontal position, but as shown in the video from lensmaster, I am unable to make it stay in a tilted up or down position. In the video, it looks like there is some weight attached in the front.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03TPpr6IZPU


My lens is a sony 200-600, which is internal zoom, so zooming shouldn't be a problem. The current setup donesn't seem to be an issue to me though, but would be good if I figure out a way to balance properly. I am using the 14cm arca plate and tried a number of different placements, but still no luck.
Click to expand...
The reason for imbalance with certain camera & lens combos will be IMO down to whether as in @mikeyt 's picture the pivot point is in line with the tightening knob seen in the picture. The optimum position is also shown in the video in your post #8

If your setup is lower then it will not hold when tilted.......because the CoG is shifting......yes you can tighten the knob (as @artyman suggests) but that may compromise the ease of motions.
 
Last edited:
Most balance issues could be solved with a fluid head.
 
sapstar said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I am able to have the camera and lens balanced in the horizontal position, but as shown in the video from lensmaster, I am unable to make it stay in a tilted up or down position. In the video, it looks like there is some weight attached in the front.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03TPpr6IZPU


My lens is a sony 200-600, which is internal zoom, so zooming shouldn't be a problem. The current setup donesn't seem to be an issue to me though, but would be good if I figure out a way to balance properly. I am using the 14cm arca plate and tried a number of different placements, but still no luck.
Click to expand...
In the video, near the begining the side knob is tightened when he points the lens up /down and leaves it there. you can clearly see the side knob being tightened/loosened to allow different movement. I can get mines to balance perfectly in the horizontal position with the side knob loosened, but if I want it to stay pointing up or down I need to tighten the side knob slightly.
When I use my gimbal I loosen the bottom adjuster to give smooth movement left and right and the side adjuster has enough tightness to hold the lens in whichever level I point it....
In the video, towards the end when showing a very fluid up /down/left/right movement he doesn't actually let go of the camera when pointing it up or down, then can clearly be seen tightening it again before letting the camera go once back in the horizontal position...

As has been said, the lensmaster has no vertical adjustment so it won't balance the same as a wimberley.
Not an issue for me, as I don't let go of my camera when firing off shots.
It's easy to get too hung up on the balance....I was when I first got my gimbal
 
Last edited:
Winslowe said:
Most balance issues could be solved with a fluid head.
Click to expand...
Some folks prefer a fluid head but most wouldn't for wildlife.
Plus, most balance issues with a gimbal aren't really issues unless you have a wimberley and want to justify why it was necessary to have spent so much on it :) (joke)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top