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Gimbal / Sidekick mounts on ebay (1 Viewer)

Duke Leto

Without habitat, there is no wildlife. It's that s
Any one seen, bought, heard about the Indian company selling mounts and plates at a fraction of the cost of the real macoy?
Had an email exchange with them and I could but a sidekick for my 500sigma and a PT-50 plate for £80.00 inc shipping.
Okay I'm not that naive but its might be worth a chance, gotta be better than my trusty old benbo ball head

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=130174756306&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003


Comments anyone?
 
I bought quite a few things off them including the Gimbal Head that looks like a Wimberley and plates, the only difference is apart from the prices is the paint job is not perfect and flakes a tiny bit in a couple places, but nothing atall to worry about.

No probs with them atall, they post with in a couple of days and give you a tracking number etc, and the gear is superb.......at a fraction of the price.
Quite a few of my friends have got these items now and are well pleased.
 
Steve, I had a look at Brian's setup at the weekend and it seemed first rate. The company seems to get excellent feedback too although so far it looks as if most of their buyers are from North America.
 
Hi,
I've been thinking about buying one these to use with a Sigma 300 2.8 + 40d.
At the moment I am using a Manfrotto 055 tripod with 701rc2 head, mainly for my scope. Would it be advisable to mount the gimbal on quick release plate then attach to the head , or to remove the head altogether. Would I need a 3/8 or 1/4 QRP.
Nick.
 
I order the gimbal head look-alike over xmas.

The product is excellent, minor worry over the quality of the plate clamp adjustment screw, delivery was faster than UK shops over that period. Payment was clean and communications with the company excellent.

I'd use them again

Regards

Chris
 
Hi,
Would it be advisable to mount the gimbal on quick release plate then attach to the head , or to remove the head altogether. Would I need a 3/8 or 1/4 QRP.
Nick.

I don't have any knowledge of the product but, despite photos on the advert, that seems rather dodgy to me, stability concerns if nothing else. I'd put it directly on the tripod... there doesn't seem a good reason not to.

From experience with other gimbals (Manfrotto 393 and Wimberley), they tend to work better with larger/heavier lenses than a 300/2.8.

Cheers,
Andy
 
Any one seen, bought, heard about the Indian company selling mounts and plates at a fraction of the cost of the real macoy?
Had an email exchange with them and I could but a sidekick for my 500sigma and a PT-50 plate for £80.00 inc shipping.
Okay I'm not that naive but its might be worth a chance, gotta be better than my trusty old benbo ball head
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=130174756306&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=003

Comments anyone?

I'm a Manfrotto #393 on a Benbo MkI user (and very happy with it) which I bought after checking out the Wimberley and Kirk etc. websites. The #393 cost me around £100 a year ago. (And I normally use an EF 300 f2.8L with a 2x extender, plus EOS 5D on it.)

The photos on the website you linked look quite impressive. My worry would be about the quality and consistency of the material from which the item is made - particularly with the value of the kit being supported! I assume that the original is a casting which is then machined and painted, but the machining may not show up porosity or inclusions lowering the strength.
 
From experience with other gimbals (Manfrotto 393 and Wimberley) said:
My 1000mm fl scope on the 393. It's at it's limits but it works. I think it would be over-kill on anything less than a 500mm.
 

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Ive used this company to buy a plate for my monopod the quality seem good at a third of the price of a Wimberly plate.The paint does flake of a little but at the price i think they are very good value.
 
just received a gimbal head and an arca style plate and it seems okay, the company were slow and weren't very good at communicating but it turned up. Very well packed and it appears to be well finished lets seem in 12 months whether it was money well spent. The plate is now on my 500 and its sits atop of a new Giottos MT-9270 tripod.
Itching for a nice day on Saturday to go and try it out, will take a piccy soon and post it
 
I bought the 'sidekick' version, excellent communication and fast delivery. It's sitting on my Benro tripod and initial trials are favourable.
 
I bought the 'sidekick' version, excellent communication and fast delivery. It's sitting on my Benro tripod and initial trials are favourable.

Tim
I've been following this thread along with the Sigma macro as I do realise I should 'learn/get used' to tripods (mine is a 35 year old Velbon). I fancy one of the Benro as they look such good value and also one of the Gimbal type heads. Could you advise:-
a) which Benro did you chose & why?
b) As I will also use it for my 100-400 would I be better with the full head so the camera sits upright
Thanks in advance
 
I used one on the weekend that was brought into the RSPB Hide on Belfast Harbour It had a 40d and canon 500 on it and I couldnt see any problems with it. He bought his off ebay.
 
Tim
I've been following this thread along with the Sigma macro as I do realise I should 'learn/get used' to tripods (mine is a 35 year old Velbon). I fancy one of the Benro as they look such good value and also one of the Gimbal type heads. Could you advise:-
a) which Benro did you chose & why?
b) As I will also use it for my 100-400 would I be better with the full head so the camera sits upright
Thanks in advance

David

I'll try to get a few pictures of my setup together over the weekend. I'll show it with the 30D and Sigma 150mm on a ballhead and the 30D with a Sigma 500mm on the sidekick mount and I'll post them on the Benro flexpod thread that I started a little while ago.

Cheers, Tim
 
in the raw

So after much deliberating I took the plunge and ordered a mount and plate from eBay, so here it is siting on top of a Giottos MT-9270 tripod which I have to say is sturdy and light.
Does it help? panning / tracking is a joy, the only limiting factors are the speeds that the birds travel at, the speed of AF, it does weigh quite a lot so lugging it around all day as I did yesterday around Snettisham and Titchwell isn't for the feint hearted and myself the biggest one of all my limitations...... so I will keep on practicing.
 

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If you are going to walk with your tripod over your shoulder and camera and lens attached just make sure you have the camera strap around your neck. One of the reasons that the Wimberley et al are so expensive is the cost of the top quality raw materials. Hope they work well for you.
 
So after much deliberating I took the plunge and ordered a mount and plate from eBay,

Duke
How did you decide which mount& plate to go with the Gimble?-It might be me (and I only looked briefly) but there were several different mounts! I want one to go with the 100-400.
Thanks
 
Duke
How did you decide which mount& plate to go with the Gimble?-It might be me (and I only looked briefly) but there were several different mounts! I want one to go with the 100-400.
Thanks

The website had a table which indicated which lens needed which mount, lenses from Canon, Nikon and Sigma
 
economics....

If you are going to walk with your tripod over your shoulder and camera and lens attached just make sure you have the camera strap around your neck. One of the reasons that the Wimberley et al are so expensive is the cost of the top quality raw materials. Hope they work well for you.


Outboard I hope you don't mind me asking, are you speaking from experience as you have no photos in your gallery so I'm not sure on what you use etc?
Yep, good idea except the money I saved, nearly £400.00 or $800.00 will pay for my big lens and body to be insured for everything way way in to the future..... money I would still have had to pay if Id spent £500 / $1000 rather than £100 / $200.......
 
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I use a Wimberley Sidekick in conjunction with a Markins M10 for my 200-400 so yes I have experience with an alternative system. I often carry my camera and lens with a locked up sidekick on extended tripods legs over my shoulder. I have seen recently a thread on another forum where the tripod screw sheared causing the head, camera and lens to fall to the ground. This could also apply to a gimbal head particularly one of cheaper construction hence my comment on top quality materials. You get what you pay for.

My choice of not adding photographs to the gallery is because once downloaded I have no control over them.
 
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