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Gimbal head (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter lovejoy
- Start date
stevo
Well-known member
I had 1 for about a year to be honest I didn`t trust it to hold the weight of my lens.Even though my lens (sigma 150-500mm)is reasonably light there are other alternatives on the market that won`t break the bank I settled in the end for the Manfrotto 393 head.I believe 1 of our member`s GYROB has designed a good gimbal head.
Steve.
Steve.
jimthomson
Well-known member
I've been using one for about a year to hold a sigma 150-500mm.
Works fine. I did have to take it apart to clean some sand that was left over from the casting process, but that's the only problem I've had.
It's not quite as smooth at panning as the wmiberley, and the finish is not as professional, but it costs a whole lot less. I think it's good value for money.
Works fine. I did have to take it apart to clean some sand that was left over from the casting process, but that's the only problem I've had.
It's not quite as smooth at panning as the wmiberley, and the finish is not as professional, but it costs a whole lot less. I think it's good value for money.
Malcolm Stewart
Well-known member
I'm a retired avionics engineer and we used to X-ray all aluminium castings for flaws, cavities, and other internal and otherwise invisible problems. It's an expensive process - doing it for every item by individual serial number, and we did it for good reason. If you're happy to trust your heavy, expensive and delicate lenses to something of possibly dubious manufacture and sourcing, so be it. Think about the potential failure modes, and whether you would be able to catch your lens before it hit the ground - and check out the other thread here where a tripod head joint has failed.
I've nothing against cantilevered gimbal designs per se, but there's little redundancy in the design should a crack propagate.
jimthomson
Well-known member
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Actually given the thickness of the casting and the light weight of the lens and camera i think there is little reason to worry about the gimbal failing. The stress values on the material are going to be quite low, there is a large safety factor in the design. They are only holding pounds, not thousands of pounds as in airplane parts, and they are not subject to cyclic high stress events like an airplane landing. My aluminum bicycle uses much thiner parts than the gimbal and holds much more weight and they don't x-ray it.
If you are going to worry, worry about the tripod. In reducing the weight of the tripod the designers have upped the stress values on the various parts of the tripod and now any small defect in manufacture can result in failure.
Many tripod failures have been reported, i haven't seen a report of a gimbal casting failing.
Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
What Jim said...
Take a "close" look at the welded joins, if this is the quality so far no thank you when you can get better from lensmaster, depends on how much you value your equipment
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Keith Reeder
Watch the birdie...
I invite you to find any convincing reports of one of these heads failing.
Umpteen positive reports out there, but no complaints - that tells you all you need to know.
For example - look at the reports on this page: http://www.birdforum.net/archive/index.php/t-105358.html
Happy people abound, for example:
As usual, there are plenty of "experts" with an opinion and no actual knowledge of the subject matter.
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|8||Where in any thread have I siad they fail, please show me.
You get what you pay for.
I ride a bike, my cheapest is £900, my Sanderson frame alone on my hybrid is £400, the bike in total £1,800, and that is still cheap for a good bike.
Now, many will give good writeups on £200 bikes they have purchased, the difference is, look at the steel Sanderson life frame I have and compare it with a cheap steel frame, the welds are smooooth, it is also the best Reynolds 853 steel.
These gimbals may be good, personally I prefer to pay a little more (but not through the nose) for a decent quality finish as well. Oh and are you personally 100% sure that none have ever failed any more than I could prove they have!
Anyway why pick on my reply, others have commented on it too,
You get what you pay for.
I ride a bike, my cheapest is £900, my Sanderson frame alone on my hybrid is £400, the bike in total £1,800, and that is still cheap for a good bike.
Now, many will give good writeups on £200 bikes they have purchased, the difference is, look at the steel Sanderson life frame I have and compare it with a cheap steel frame, the welds are smooooth, it is also the best Reynolds 853 steel.
These gimbals may be good, personally I prefer to pay a little more (but not through the nose) for a decent quality finish as well. Oh and are you personally 100% sure that none have ever failed any more than I could prove they have!
Anyway why pick on my reply, others have commented on it too,
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I have read a number of reports of them failing over the years (but haven't read a single one of a Wimberley, Jobu or Kirk failing), not sure why they aren't convincing. I have also seen one that has failed, not a pretty sight. The failure rate is clearly very low but why risk £5+ of gear for the sake of saving a couple of hundred on a gimbal. I use the Jobu gimbals are am very impressed with them, very smooth action and extremely well made. They are clearly built to last, I have two of the same head one is ~3 years newer but you can't tell them apart.
Would also add that I did try going for the cheaper Manfrotto option (the 393) but was hugely disapointed in it, it's well enough made but does not hold eth gear as steady as the full gimbals do.
It is like everything isn't it, I never thought I would read on a forum of a Manfrotto tripod failing, but when you look at the poor design you can understand why.
I am a person who looks at everything before purchase.
I was a contracts officer at Heathrow, years before that I did a course at Windsor college, a tutor said "before you buy a pair of shoes, bend them back as far as they will go and do the same in all directions, if it breaks better it does so before you buy.
I accept that you can't do that to everything but you can look at a mount, head, telescope focuser, binoculars with a certain degree of an engineering eye. If something looks shoddily made, poorly welded or cheap then perhaps it is !
As an amateur astronomer (40 years), photographer (40 years) and a buyer for many companies I reaserch the internet before buying, and expensive does not always mean best.
Also remember, if you buy something that fails, car, tv, mount, camera, there is NO SUCH THING as a guarantee.
The consumer protection legislation clearly states that an item must be of merchantable quality for a reasonable period of time, so if a £5 pair of shoes fail after six months tough, if a £1000 tv, £8000 car, £800 camera fails after two years, YOU STILL have the right to repair/replacement, compensation, if your manfrotto mount failes after three years due to a design fault, return it and quote the legislation.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
I am a person who looks at everything before purchase.
I was a contracts officer at Heathrow, years before that I did a course at Windsor college, a tutor said "before you buy a pair of shoes, bend them back as far as they will go and do the same in all directions, if it breaks better it does so before you buy.
I accept that you can't do that to everything but you can look at a mount, head, telescope focuser, binoculars with a certain degree of an engineering eye. If something looks shoddily made, poorly welded or cheap then perhaps it is !
As an amateur astronomer (40 years), photographer (40 years) and a buyer for many companies I reaserch the internet before buying, and expensive does not always mean best.
Also remember, if you buy something that fails, car, tv, mount, camera, there is NO SUCH THING as a guarantee.
The consumer protection legislation clearly states that an item must be of merchantable quality for a reasonable period of time, so if a £5 pair of shoes fail after six months tough, if a £1000 tv, £8000 car, £800 camera fails after two years, YOU STILL have the right to repair/replacement, compensation, if your manfrotto mount failes after three years due to a design fault, return it and quote the legislation.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.
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Get the best gimbal you can afford. Why risk a lens worth thousands to save a few hundred on an accessory?
Same as those who would put a cheap filter on an L quality lens.................why?
Fit an finish can count for a lot, as it is part of the ease of use that can be factor in any good tool. Only people who have never used the best can speculate that what they have is "good enough".
Same as those who would put a cheap filter on an L quality lens.................why?
Fit an finish can count for a lot, as it is part of the ease of use that can be factor in any good tool. Only people who have never used the best can speculate that what they have is "good enough".
Brand names and high price mean little. I remember recent reports, also here on BF, of tripods from a big name manufacturer that failed and caused high end equipment to learn about gravity?
I use one of those indian made gimbals for several years now without problems. Do I trust it? No. Would I trust a Winberley? No.
I check my gear on a regular base. Screws, nuts, and bolts are most likely to come undone over time, have seen that happen on all kind of make and brand stuff. Not a problem if checked regularly.
I could crinch every time when I see someone with a heavy scope or a camera / long lens combo mounted on a tripod over the shoulder walking down the landscape. They don't even see what the business end of their rig may bump into, or if a problem developes in the form of a lose mounting plate.
There is a liability much larger than the one in a casted (not welded) gimbal head made in India.
Ulli
I use one of those indian made gimbals for several years now without problems. Do I trust it? No. Would I trust a Winberley? No.
I check my gear on a regular base. Screws, nuts, and bolts are most likely to come undone over time, have seen that happen on all kind of make and brand stuff. Not a problem if checked regularly.
I could crinch every time when I see someone with a heavy scope or a camera / long lens combo mounted on a tripod over the shoulder walking down the landscape. They don't even see what the business end of their rig may bump into, or if a problem developes in the form of a lose mounting plate.
There is a liability much larger than the one in a casted (not welded) gimbal head made in India.
Ulli
WOW! :t: a lot of common sense spoken here.
By the way I have TWO of the Lensmaster gimbals, ckeck out my test report on my website.
I would not have one let alone two if they were not good quality, but as clearly stated above no matter what you have check it, I do every time, MOST accidents are caused by the user.
I have NEVER EVER in my life and I am 50+ not had my camera strap round my neck when walking. I do laugh at people who drop phones some expensive, reall honestly laugh, when they look at it in desparation, yet does it have a case on it, no, mine does.
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