Hi all, please excuse me ‘using’ your expertise and not researching, am in a rush and looking for a quick answer. I have a manfrotto be free tripod. I am looking at a gimbal head but they are all mentioning ARCA Swiss compatibility. Does anyone know if I can take the ball head off my manfrotto be free and replace it with this, or similar (in price too) please?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GK4IYP8/ref=pe_62860_259383790_em_1p_0_ti
Lynnelanne,
Thank you for responding, appreciate it.
You probably do not want to mount a gimbal head on a light-weight tripod like the BeFree. What camera and lens are you looking to mount on this gimbal,,, and for what application?
Trouble is, I travel a lot, and need a light tripod. My gear isn’t massive - Fuji Xt2 with 100-400, and for some birds in car-accessible places and zoos etc.,
The Arca Swiss reference, refers to the type of mount between the camera body and the gimbal,,,,,, and is not about mounting the gimbal on a tripod. The gimbal-head itself, would be screwed onto your tripods' top-plate, but only if your ball-head can be removed. Some of Manfrottos' light-weight tripods, have ball-heads that are press-fitted onto the center-column, and they can't be removed.
Thank you for that clarification. I couldn’t find that spelled out easily anywhere. Yes the ball head is removable.
The "specs" for the BeFree, seem to suggest that the ball-head could be removable,,as they mention that the center-column has a 4cm top-plate with a 1/4" screw.
Another point, the BeFree is only 123cms (49") tall with the column down. You most certainly would not use a gimbal on an extended center-column,,, especially with such a light-weight tripod.
The payload capacity of the BeFree is 4kg.(9 lbs)
Again, thank you for such compressive research which I didn’t have time to do this morning. In the end I didn’t buy what I was considering but am still considering it so may end up doing so. The XT2 plus the 100-400 weigh just under 2kg so that’s OK. I’m old though, and I can hand hold it but my arm gets tired. That and the fact that I passionately HATE the ball head that I have is the main reason, not to try to turn myself into a natgeo wildlife photographer. If I do have the setup on the tripod and see something I’d like to be able to quickly get it wheras at the moment I couldn’t.
If you do buy this particular gimbal head,,,, make certain that you can return it if it's not satisfactory. Many of the cheap gimbal heads have issues. You'd be well-advised to do a little research on this subject, BEFORE you buy. I've seen threads that discussed poor-quality bearings,,,, gimbals that get locked, but then cannot be un-locked because the lock-handle twists off,,, etc. Be Careful.
Thank you, will do.
A good and inexpensive alternative to the Movo (Amazon) gimbal, might be the Jobu Design Jr.3. You can save money by going with a factory second (slight blemish in the finish). These are very high quality gimbals, and the pricing is in Canadian dollars, so if you're in the U.S., your dollar goes a LOT farther,,,,you'd be paying $0.78 on the dollar.
($1, CDN = $0.78 U.S.)
http://www.jobu-design.com/Clearouts_c_24.html--
Nah, I’m Australian, so it’s actually worse :-|
Veni, Vidi, Velcro;
I came,,,, I saw,,,, I stuck around.
Love the line
Cheers
Lyn
Hi Lyn,
Glad I could help,,, and hello from Canada. Would you like to trade places for a few months??? Winter's almost here (brrrr), and you're just coming into summer.
Lyn, you've got some really nice gear there. Your BeFree tripod may be handy and light-weight, but as BBbuilder467 stated ,,,,and I agree,,,, the BeFree is not the ideal type of tripod for wildlife photography. It may do well if the wildlife isn't moving about rapidly,,,but for subjects that are moving rapidly, such as birds in flight, you need a steady tripod, and,, a gimbal head that allows you to pan and tilt effortlessly. On paper, that Movo gimbal looks to be up to the task. The weight ratings for the tripod and head seem O.K.,,, but when you're out in the field, and you're trying to photograph a bird flying by, you'll really be manhandling that rig,,,, panning rapidly,,, tilting up and down, etc. Ideally, you'll want a rig that'll tolerate this kind of movement, and do so smoothly, and with aplomb.
First off, I can see why you'd hate that ball-head. If ever you decide to change it, I'd highly recommend that you consider a ball-head with an easily workable friction-control knob. This will be a revelation when your mounting your camera and lens. hint; Gitzo GH-1382QD. (not the GH-1382 "T"QD, which has no friction control). Without proper friction control, I'm sure there are times when you wished you had three (or more) hands.
If you're going to shoot birds in flight, you need a tripod with adequate height,,, ideally, a tripod that will allow you to shoot at eye-level, with no center column,,,, or,,,, with center-column down. The BeFree is only 123 cms (49") with center-column down. Proper height is important, especially when you're shooting with the lens tilted upwards toward the sky. With a short tripod, you'll be bent over constantly.
Now, another important point; you'll want a decent leveling base when working with your gimbal head, as this will allow to level the tripod very quickly, without having to fiddle with adjusting the legs. Your horizons will remain level as you pan.
If you do go ahead with the Movo gimbal, you may be fine, and you'll definitely find out soon enough. I won't say "don't do it",,,, but as I mentioned earlier,,, try to buy from a reputable dealer with a good return policy.
Gazing into my crystal ball here,,,,, I'm beginning to see a new heavier-duty tripod in your not-too-distant future. Something equal to the quality of your camera and lens. ;-)
Lyn, I'm just getting back into photography after being away from it for 40 years. Starting over from scratch can be really expensive, but none the less, I knew that I'd need at least one really solid tripod in order to get the maximum out of my gear. The price can be hard to swallow at first, but once it's done,,,, you won't look back. You'll have a solid platform to build on, and you'll most likely have sharper pictures, and more "keepers". At least, that's how I justified it. ;-)
Shooting birds in flight, or sports, can require specialty gear. I'd suggest keeping your BeFree for travel. If ever you do decide to go with a heavier-duty tripod, but you still want "compact" and "light-weight", I'd HIGHLY recommend the Gitzo GT-4552TS,,,, (which Gitzo is liquidating in some markets/ $400 off here in Canada). The GT-4552TS is a Gitzo Systematic 4-series tripod, which is classified as a "Travel Systematic", and folds to a very compact 18". Weight is 4.7 lbs, and payload is 55 lbs.
and, if you're looking at a heavier-duty ball-head with superb friction control, take a look at the Gitzo GH-3382QD, which is the larger sibling of the ball-head that I mentioned earlier.(GH-1382QD). I have both of these ball-heads, and couldn't be happier. I use the GH-1382QD on my Gitzo Traveller (GT-2545T), and I use the heavier-duty GH-3382QD on my Systematic tripods (GT-3542XLS,,,GT-4552TS,,,, and GT-5532S). For a leveling base, I use the Gitzo GSLVLS, which can be used with all of my Systematics, (with the required 75mm bowl-adapter).
Whichever way you decide, keep us posted, and good luck. Shop around also,,,, you never know what you may find. My first Systematic was the GT-3542XLS, and I found that tripod "used" for $1,000. CDN. It was less than 1 year old, still under warranty,,, and the vendor included a heavy-duty Jobu Design gimbal head, plus a Jobu Design flash extension bracket. That whole rig purchased "new", would have cost me over $2400 here in Canada. It took me months to find a deal like that, but it was well worth the patience required.
Good luck,
Bob
