Sidekick

[cthomas]

I'm thinking of getting the Wimberley Sidekick. Has any body used the Sidekick for digiscoping or in wild life photography?

[Doug Greenberg]

I own the Sidekick, and I've used it for both purposes. For digiscoping I found it more convenient, ultimately, just to use a small Bogen fluid head (model 3130). But for photography using my DSLR and bigger tele lenses (500mm. f4), the sidekick is quite useful. I assume that you already own an Arca-Swiss-type ball head?

[cthomas]

I own the Sidekick, and I've used it for both purposes. For digiscoping I found it more convenient, ultimately, just to use a small Bogen fluid head (model 3130). But for photography using my DSLR and bigger tele lenses (500mm. f4), the sidekick is quite useful. I assume that you already own an Arca-Swiss-type ball head?

I have the Acratech Ultimate Ballhead and a Manfrotto 700RC2NAT head. I didn't like the 700RC2NAT for digiscoping or wildlife photography. By the time I got it set up the bird(s) or animals were gone. The ball head was an improvement but I'm still not happy. that is why I'm looking at the sidekick.

[stevo]

Hi Cthomas

I dont own one myself but I am pretty sure that one of our other members Nigel blake uses one,so it might be an idea to PM him.Hope this helps.

Regards Steve.

[Bill Atwood]

For those of you OK with using side mount heads you may want to look at this:

www.birdsasart.com/mongoose.htm

No ballhead needed like with the Sidekick.

[cthomas]

Hi Cthomas

I dont own one myself but I am pretty sure that one of our other members Nigel blake uses one,so it might be an idea to PM him.Hope this helps.

Regards Steve.

How do I PM Nigel?

[Kevin Mac]

I still don't understand the advantages the sidekick has over just using the ballhead itself unless you have an enormous telephoto lens. Am I missing something?

[windjammer69]

Hi,

Take a look at the Black Widow Gimble (BWG) from Canada, like the sidekick, but lighter/stronger and much cheaper.

I have a loaner if you would like to try it for a day out in the field.

Regards

Sam

[cthomas]

Hi,

Take a look at the Black Widow Gimble (BWG) from Canada, like the sidekick, but lighter/stronger and much cheaper.

I have a loaner if you would like to try it for a day out in the field.

Regards

Sam

Interesting. Is there a web site where I could take a look at it?

[Doug Greenberg]

Hi,

Take a look at the Black Widow Gimble (BWG) from Canada, like the sidekick, but lighter/stronger and much cheaper.

I have a loaner if you would like to try it for a day out in the field.

Regards

Sam

The Black Widow is cheaper than the full-sized $565 Wimberley gimbal head (which is not side-mounted), but by itself the Sidekick is considerably cheaper than the Black Widow. The Black Widow is $399 US and the Sidekick is $250. An additional horizontal bracket for the Black Widow is another $120. So even with the horizontal bracket the Black Widow setup is cheaper than the equivalent Wimberley rig (though not by all that much).

Here's the deal. IF you already have an Arca-Swiss ball head, adding the Sidekick becomes just a marginal expenditure. You end up with a versatile system whereby you can go Gimbal or not. The advantage over the Arca-Swiss by itself is that the Gimbal setup keeps your rig balanced and kind of "weightless" in terms of handling. It's easier to make quick, fine adjustments, such as those involved in tracking a moving bird. People really skillful in setting the tension levels for the Arca-Swiss might not need this, but it is convenient in the field.

[Doug Greenberg]

For those of you OK with using side mount heads you may want to look at this:

www.birdsasart.com/mongoose.htm

No ballhead needed like with the Sidekick.


The Mongoose is a wonderful tool, but it's really designed for smaller camera/lens rigs. If you have a really large telephoto, say a 500 f4 or larger, it is probably not sturdy enough. The Arca-Swiss/Sidekick combo works well for up to a 500 f4 lens, but nothing larger.

[windjammer69]

Hi CT,

Here is the link for the Black Widow www.jobu-design.com

Regards

Sam

NB Tell Ian I sent you.

[cthomas]

The Mongoose is a wonderful tool, but it's really designed for smaller camera/lens rigs. If you have a really large telephoto, say a 500 f4 or larger, it is probably not sturdy enough. The Arca-Swiss/Sidekick combo works well for up to a 500 f4 lens, but nothing larger.

Are you saying the Mongoose will not handle Savr. scope and camera? I have been looking for some reviews of the Mongoose but couldn't find any. do you know of any?