Gimbals for 180-600 and wildlife

PLShutterbug said:

tclune said:

jtr27 said:

I bought that same gimbal, and it has worked well for me in the limited use to which I have put it. I have no experience with Wimberly or other more expensive brands, so I can't offer a comparison.

I will say I have used it less than I anticipated, because I find that with good technique, and thanks to VR and IBIS, I am able to hand hold my Z6/200-500 F5.6 more than I thought I'd be able to. No regrets about the purchase though!

Click to expand...

I think that people suggesting that the OP should only buy a gimbal costing five times as much as the one you bought miss this point. The OP really has no idea whether he'll actually use the gimbal or not. These inexpensive gimbals are perfectly adequate for determining whether or not he'll use one. If he ends up using one once a year or so, it'll meet his needs. If he finds that it's a regular part of his shootiing kit, he will probably want to get a more expensive one. But I suspect that most gimbals, like most tripods, are purchased far more often than they are used. And, despite what afficionados may believe, that is not because the item is too low-quality. Not every piece of kit suits every shooter.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Except the Wimberley is over 6x the price of this one, not just 5.

As a hobbyist I want to balance quality with cost. I chatted with my friend, PT Lee (look him up on Facebook - his portfolio of birds in Singapore and SE Asia is quite impressive) and he thinks the Wimberley is overpriced today for what it delivers.

I bought the K&F yesterday and will receive it tomorrow. I will put it through its paces and report back.

I will use this maybe 5x per year - hopefully more - so spending $600 is just more than I want to afford.

Click to expand...

These gimbal heads are notorious for using extremely sticky grease to provide friction and cover up for the lack of adjustable tension bearings. You may find it beneficial to take it apart and replace the black grease with some good silicon grease.

The problem I have with gimbals is that they are not very portable. I usually just use a tripod or monopod with a pan/tilt head. In particular, I'm willing to toss a Benro carbon monopod and Sirui L-20 pan/tilt head in my pack and never actually use it; not so much a tripod and gimbal that can't be broken down.

I tried the Benro GH2F a while back; same sticky grease problem but too expensive for me to tear it up to replace the grease, so I sent it back. The RRS does break down, but it is heavy and expensive. If you have an f4 prime, then they are definitely worth it, but with a zoom that doesn't weigh that much, I can't justify it. I eventully settled on an inexpensive Promaster gimbal that breaks down and can be stored in a slot in my backpack. I used that a lot when shooting the Burton snowboard championships, because I wanted to be able to quickly let go of my telephoto zoom and switch to a normal zoom that I had on a camera sling strap for close ups.

greenmanphoto said:

All,

Along these same lines, if the OP already has a good-quality ball head, then getting something like the Wimberley Sidekick makes a certain amount of sense, as well. It's small, relatively inexpensive (compared to a full-on gimbal), and from all accounts I've seen works well. It attaches onto the ball head and gives it the functionality of a gimbal. To me, it would also be worth considering, as long as the OP already has a good ball head, or if they want to also have a good ball head for other use and a gimbal for when they need it.

Sam

Click to expand...

I have the Sidekick. It's unusable with my ball head, which is a Sirui K-30x. My impression is that it really needs a high-end ball head to support the torque that the side mount exerts on the ball head. If you've got a $500 ball head, you'll probably find the Sidekick a very nice addition to your kit. But if you have a run-of-the-mill ball head, you may be disappointed. FWIW

tclune said:

greenmanphoto said:

All,

Along these same lines, if the OP already has a good-quality ball head, then getting something like the Wimberley Sidekick makes a certain amount of sense, as well. It's small, relatively inexpensive (compared to a full-on gimbal), and from all accounts I've seen works well. It attaches onto the ball head and gives it the functionality of a gimbal. To me, it would also be worth considering, as long as the OP already has a good ball head, or if they want to also have a good ball head for other use and a gimbal for when they need it.

Sam

Click to expand...

I have the Sidekick. It's unusable with my ball head, which is a Sirui K-30x. My impression is that it really needs a high-end ball head to support the torque that the side mount exerts on the ball head. If you've got a $500 ball head, you'll probably find the Sidekick a very nice addition to your kit. But if you have a run-of-the-mill ball head, you may be disappointed. FWIW

Click to expand...

Tclune,

Thanks for that real-world experience. Yes, I would imagine what you're saying is true, which is why I stated if you have a "good-quality ball head". I have the RRS BH-55, so I would imagine something like that would fair just fine with the Sidekick. I bought mine used, as well, so saved some money that way.

Sam

My new gimbal arrived today. I will try it this weekend and report back.

As Godox is to flash so Sirui is to tripods and accessories. I have a Wimberley but it would be nicer if it were lighter. Here is a link to the Sirui carbon fibre gimbal head, this is what I would purchase now if I were after a new head.

Note: This is a Canadian link so the price will be less for you if you are in the states:

How smooth is the bearing for the tilt mode. Is it as smooth as the Wimberley?

Although the price is not as high as Wimberley or RRS, it's enough that they could be making a decent product.

rsn said:

As Godox is to flash so Sirui is to tripods and accessories. I have a Wimberley but it would be nicer if it were lighter. Here is a link to the Sirui carbon fibre gimbal head, this is what I would purchase now if I were after a new head.

Note: This is a Canadian link so the price will be less for you if you are in the states:

https://www.amazon.ca/Sirui-PH-20-C...50&mcid=923592c5f7ff3b998290bd8939883892&th=1

Click to expand...

I just checked in the States: it's $280. Looks pretty decent, but I have an RRS and am REALLY happy with it.

Sam

tclune said:

jtr27 said:

I bought that same gimbal, and it has worked well for me in the limited use to which I have put it. I have no experience with Wimberly or other more expensive brands, so I can't offer a comparison.

I will say I have used it less than I anticipated, because I find that with good technique, and thanks to VR and IBIS, I am able to hand hold my Z6/200-500 F5.6 more than I thought I'd be able to. No regrets about the purchase though!

Click to expand...

I think that people suggesting that the OP should only buy a gimbal costing five times as much as the one you bought miss this point. The OP really has no idea whether he'll actually use the gimbal or not. These inexpensive gimbals are perfectly adequate for determining whether or not he'll use one. If he ends up using one once a year or so, it'll meet his needs. If he finds that it's a regular part of his shootiing kit, he will probably want to get a more expensive one. But I suspect that most gimbals, like most tripods, are purchased far more often than they are used. And, despite what afficionados may believe, that is not because the item is too low-quality. Not every piece of kit suits every shooter.

Click to expand...

I agree. I have a very similar gimbal that I paid that same price for about ten or more years ago and it has served me well. I’m sure the $500 ones a a bit smoother and if you’ve got the cash could offer a better user experience but these budget heads can be pretty decent too.