Speak to me of gimbal heads
Gimbal heads look like they have a lot of advantages when using very
heavy lenses (250-600, I'm looking at you), particularly when
photographing things that aren't very stationary, particularly birds or
airplanes that can move in all three dimensions. A ball head on a
monopod, or tripod can afford a lot of the freedom of motion, but if you
let go of the camera, the rest position is very suboptimal (clunk!).
A quick look at them show prices from $60 for the Magnus (which one
review says is a great value), or $80 for a K&F, all of the way past
$600.
I've never used one before, and $60 just to get one to play with (which
could then be a backup once I learn what I really need) is tempting.
But I figure if some of y'all have already made mistakes, I don't need
to. If I was going to go on a photo safari, or was expecting to do a lot
of wildlife photography, my needs would be very different than someone
who occasionally wants something better for photographing with a large
chunk of glass.
What are the important features? Things to avoid? Are there any amazing
values that people recommend? Or anything to avoid at any cost?
I know that I want it Arca-Swiss compatible.
I see that some are height adjustable, and some also let you adjust
horizontal distance. How critical are these?
Also, how well do they work as "just a tripod" rather than a pan/tilt or
ball head?
thanks,
LRC
--
Larry Colen LRC@red4est.com http://red4est.com/lrc
Working on the theory that I'm probably better off not putting an
expensive and heavy lens on a cheap tripod or head I bought a Wimberley
gimbal to put under my A*600/5.6.
Being able to adjust the camera mount vertically and horizontally is
important for balancing the lens/ camera combo so that it doesn't flop.
My head allows vertical adjustment, but horizontal adjustment is done by
using an extended Arca Swiss plate and sliding it forwards or backwards
to achieve balance.
They don't work well as "just a tripod head" because the camera swings a
lot when adjusting tilt. This is especially unhandy when tilting the
camera upwards as the back of the camera moves ahead of the tripod and
points downwards into the head..
bill
On 12/18/2025 5:09 PM, Larry Colen wrote:
Gimbal heads look like they have a lot of advantages when using very
heavy lenses (250-600, I'm looking at you), particularly when
photographing things that aren't very stationary, particularly birds
or airplanes that can move in all three dimensions. A ball head on a
monopod, or tripod can afford a lot of the freedom of motion, but if
you let go of the camera, the rest position is very suboptimal (clunk!).
A quick look at them show prices from $60 for the Magnus (which one
review says is a great value), or $80 for a K&F, all of the way past
$600.
I've never used one before, and $60 just to get one to play with
(which could then be a backup once I learn what I really need) is
tempting. But I figure if some of y'all have already made mistakes, I
don't need to. If I was going to go on a photo safari, or was
expecting to do a lot of wildlife photography, my needs would be very
different than someone who occasionally wants something better for
photographing with a large chunk of glass.
What are the important features? Things to avoid? Are there any
amazing values that people recommend? Or anything to avoid at any cost?
I know that I want it Arca-Swiss compatible.
I see that some are height adjustable, and some also let you adjust
horizontal distance. How critical are these?
Also, how well do they work as "just a tripod" rather than a pan/tilt
or ball head?
thanks,
LRC
I don't think I'd want to trust a $7,000 lens to a $60 gimbal head.
When I acquired the FA-600/4 I bought this one to mount the lens
(already had the Manfrotto 3021 legs the gimbal head mounts on).
https://store.sirui.com/products/ph-series-carbon-fiber-gimbal-head-ph-20
On 12/18/2025 6:09 PM, Larry Colen wrote:
Gimbal heads look like they have a lot of advantages when using very
heavy lenses (250-600, I'm looking at you), particularly when
photographing things that aren't very stationary, particularly birds or
airplanes that can move in all three dimensions. A ball head on a
monopod, or tripod can afford a lot of the freedom of motion, but if you
let go of the camera, the rest position is very suboptimal (clunk!).
A quick look at them show prices from $60 for the Magnus (which one
review says is a great value), or $80 for a K&F, all of the way past $600.
I've never used one before, and $60 just to get one to play with (which
could then be a backup once I learn what I really need) is tempting. But
I figure if some of y'all have already made mistakes, I don't need to.
If I was going to go on a photo safari, or was expecting to do a lot of
wildlife photography, my needs would be very different than someone who
occasionally wants something better for photographing with a large chunk
of glass.
What are the important features? Things to avoid? Are there any amazing
values that people recommend? Or anything to avoid at any cost?
I know that I want it Arca-Swiss compatible.
I see that some are height adjustable, and some also let you adjust
horizontal distance. How critical are these?
Also, how well do they work as "just a tripod" rather than a pan/tilt or
ball head?
thanks,
LRC
--
Vivere in aeternum aut mori conatur
--
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On 2025-12-23 11:34, John Sessoms wrote:
I don't think I'd want to trust a $7,000 lens to a $60 gimbal head.
When I acquired the FA-600/4 I bought this one to mount the lens
(already had the Manfrotto 3021 legs the gimbal head mounts on).
https://store.sirui.com/products/ph-series-carbon-fiber-gimbal-head-ph-20
That's definitely a lot better than the $600-1,000 for the ones usually
recommended.
I don't know how much cost affects strength and structural integrity as
opposed to things like smoothness and slop in adjustment. Since I have
other options, I'll hold off until I have a major need for specifically
a gimbal head, or until I get offered an amazing deal on one.
--
Larry Colen LRC@red4est.com http://red4est.com/lrc
I was able to take the lens to a local camera store and and ask what
they recommended since it was obvious my existing ball heads weren't
going to be good enough.
I think Wimberly's patents must have expired and a number of competitors
entered the market, with Sirui being one of the more reliable ones.
On 12/23/2025 2:44 PM, Larry Colen wrote:
On 2025-12-23 11:34, John Sessoms wrote:
I don't think I'd want to trust a $7,000 lens to a $60 gimbal head.
When I acquired the FA-600/4 I bought this one to mount the lens
(already had the Manfrotto 3021 legs the gimbal head mounts on).
https://store.sirui.com/products/ph-series-carbon-fiber-gimbal-head-ph-20
That's definitely a lot better than the $600-1,000 for the ones usually
recommended.
I don't know how much cost affects strength and structural integrity as
opposed to things like smoothness and slop in adjustment. Since I have
other options, I'll hold off until I have a major need for specifically
a gimbal head, or until I get offered an amazing deal on one.
--
Vivere in aeternum aut mori conatur
--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG antivirus software.
www.avg.com