Gimbal Head

  • Thread starter Deleted member 34016
  • Start date
D

Deleted member 34016

Guest
anone use one of these- I shoot a lot of widlife and birds- was looking into buying one, around £300 seems to be the average price
are they really that good?


Les (y)
 
Yes they are that good, I would not be without mine, especially with the 500 f4, it makes light of using the lens.

I have tried a few, currently my favourite is the Jobu Blackwidow LW II, well made, works well and gives me the greatest range of up and down panning with the lens. Some models are quite restrictive in this regard, which makes following a bird in flight tricky.

This is the one I use HERE

There was another mentioned recently on here, which got some favourable comments, the Lensmaster, and half the price of the Jobu, HERE, I have not tried one but may be worth a look, as it is cheaper than the Chinese copies.
 
Would either of these suit a Giottos tripod, do they mount the same as say a new head?

I recently bought a ball head from Giottos around £70 works very well, then I met a chap with a Gimbal and I have to say I was well impressed by it

Les (y)
 
Lez325 said:
Would either of these suit a Giottos tripod, do they mount the same as say a new head?

I recently bought a ball head from Giottos around £70 works very well, then I met a chap with a Gimbal and I have to say I was well impressed by it

Les (y)
Click to expand...

They fit the same way as a ball head would, I can switch between the gimbal and a ball head on my tripod, they tend to be a standard size screw thread on the stud that comes with the tripod.
 
Thank you very much for the info- Im swaying toward the Cheaper lensmaster to be honest as they start at £174 as opposed to £300 :eek:

Thanks again

Les (y)
 
Lez325 said:
Thank you very much for the info- Im swaying toward the Cheaper lensmaster to be honest as they start at £174 as opposed to £300 :eek:

Thanks again

Les (y)
Click to expand...

I have to be honest Les, if I was after a replacement I would be tempted to go for the lensmaster one as well, from what I have read it works really well, and I like it's simple design.

Thread HERE about both models
 
Les, if you are happy with the side mounting (which is the same as the Jobu I use) the RH-1 model is only £117 HERE
 
I didnt think of that- its going on a Sigma 150-500mm so I can move the mount on the lens to one side

Thanks Martyn (y)

Im up in Yorkshire this Friday & Saturday, Ive just e mailed Lensmaster to see if its possible to call and collect, so I could in fact have a hands on with both models- I work long hours away from home so delivery would be a problem for me

Les :D

Update

Ive just spoken with Rob ( who makes them) Im collecting an RH2 on Friday afternoon
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lez325 said:
I didnt think of that- its going on a Sigma 150-500mm so I can move the mount on the lens to one side

Thanks Martyn (y)

Les :D
Click to expand...

Your welcome ... some people get worried about the side mounting as they fear they will drop the lens in the process of attaching it to the plate, the horizontal plate of the RH-2 offers more assurance in this regard.

The problem with the RH-2 is you cannot adjust the height of the plate, so actually getting the centre of gravity of the lens smack on is not possible, which can have an effect on achieving perfect balance with the set up.

With regard to side mounting I have been using this method for several years with a far heavier lens than your Sigma, and have not had any issues, you just need to work out a safe routine and stick to it, I always have both arms below the lens, to act as a cradle should it not engage the plate. I also only extend two sections of each tripod leg to start with, this keeps everything at a comfortable level for the procedure, once the lens is attached and secure I extend the third leg sections.
 
I bought a Lensmaster gimbal and after trying it out I decided it was not for me, the inability to raise the lens/body to be level with the axis of rotation was what put me off.

Having said that, the Lensmaster owner is a very decent fellow and refunded me even before I'd returned it. If that particular feature being absent doesn't bother you then it's fantastic value for money.

In the end I bought a Wimberley from Kerso. I decided not to skimp on support when there are thousands of pounds worth of precious gear balancing atop the tripod.
 
footman said:
I bought a Lensmaster gimbal and after trying it out I decided it was not for me, the inability to raise the lens/body to be level with the axis of rotation was what put me off.
Click to expand...


!! I would have thought that was essential for a gimbal to work properly.
 
footman said:
I bought a Lensmaster gimbal and after trying it out I decided it was not for me, the inability to raise the lens/body to be level with the axis of rotation was what put me off.

.
Click to expand...

Why not just extend the centre columb of the tripod ? |Or am I missing something

Les :shrug:

Im collection one tomorrow on route to Scotland, taking tripod and Camera gear so a try before you buy has been offered, they do seem to get good reviews
 
Lez325 said:
Why not just extend the centre columb of the tripod ? |Or am I missing something
Click to expand...

In order to get the centre line of the lens level with the pivot point you need to be able to raise and lower the platform that the lens is attached to. This is not an issue with the RH-1 as you are always have the centre line in the correct place due to it's design.

Here are a set of Wimberley instructions that show how to set up their gimbal LINK

How much of a problem this would actually cause in balancing the set up I do not know as I have never used a gimbal with this design, I have always used the side mounting type.
 
Ah now I understand, do you think I'd be better of with the RH 1 then Martyn?

Im collecting one of these models tomorrow????

Les (y)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lez325 said:
Ah now I understand, do you think I'd be better of with the RH 1 then Martyn?

Im collecting one of these models tomorrow????

Les (y)
Click to expand...

I have a Custom Brackets gimbal on loan ATM, and very nice it is too :) You can adjust the height of the lens to align the axis of course, but in practise it's okay (if not ideal) to use without aligning exactly, so long as you have hold of the camera.

The main purpose of axis alignment is when you let go of the camera, the whole rig stays balanced wherever you left it, even with all the pivots loose. If the lens is not axis aligned, there's a pendulum effect and the lens will swing down to the horizontal balance point.

I guess tightening up the friction locks a bit may kind of sort it, but my view is since these big lenses cost an arm and a leg, the tripod won't be cheap either, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The whole point of a gimbal is to make the difficult job of holding a monster lens as easy as you can make it. I wouldn't skimp, and if budget is tight check out a Benro gimbal from DC's Store here (recommended ebay supplier) http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DCs-Photog...03156018&_sid=896782438&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 The Benros are Wimberley clones, and the GH3 a copy of the Custom Brackets gimbal.
 
I was using the Lensmaster last weekend with a 7D 100-400 combo with birds of prey and it does work - but like everything it needs practice to get it right(y)
 
I have been to Grimsby and met Rob ( the guy who makes these) He's a top bloke very friendly even offered me a cup of tea, he mounted ther RH2 onto my Manfrotto tripod for me too, top man (y)

I need to just clarify the price, I had a blonde moment and published the price of the RH2 as being £174 -

I got that completely wrong, the unit price was in fact £147

I did promiose Rob I would correct this on the forum

Nice to have met you Rob, I would recommend your products to anyone

Thanks also, to all who commented on this thread


Les :D

PS Im out tomorrow to practise on some wild stuff
 
Lez325 said:
I have been to Grimsby and met Rob ( the guy who makes these) He's a top bloke very friendly even offered me a cup of tea, he mounted ther RH2 onto my Manfrotto tripod for me too, top man (y)

I need to just clarify the price, I had a blonde moment and published the price of the RH2 as being £174 -

I got that completely wrong, the unit price was in fact £147

I did promiose Rob I would correct this on the forum

Nice to have met you Rob, I would recommend your products to anyone

Thanks also, to all who commented on this thread


Les :D

PS Im out tomorrow to practise on some wild stuff
Click to expand...




I know Rob and his wife. You won't find a nicer/straighter bloke. I'm not at all surprised that he took the time to show you. (y)


Kev.
 
Benro GH-2 from seller dc stuffs on eBay, comes from china and takes about a week is great, had mine three years and still going strong, works perfectly an wouldn't be without it for long lens stuff

Or if you've got more money than sense or a name snob get a Wimberely at double the price for the exact same thing ;)
 
Also make sure your tripod can take the load weight of camera/lens/gimbal combo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top