Gimbal heads any good or even better? (2 Viewers)

[ReinierB]

Good day,

Anyone using a gimbal head for birdwatching (not digiscopping) with a scope and prefer it to fluid heads? Any thoughts?
It looks like adding more stability and a better placed centre of gravity. But is that true?
Does it prevent dipping the scope when the ocular is heavier than the lens? Or do you nead a balance rail for that? Does it have a counter-balance like some fluid heads have? Or is there no need for that?

I was mostly refering to the Gitzo/Swarovski gimbal head.

 

[ReinierB]

I guess not a lot of birdwatchers use a gimbal head...

 

[Ignatius]

I considered them once, primarily for photography with big lenses. Came to the conclusion, that a 2-way head was more useful, especially after I found out through trial and error, that bif is best done hand-held. So I got a Novoflex CB5-TQM head (on a Gitzo GT5533LS).
My BTX85 lives on an old but quite sturdy Gitzo 1312 with a GHF2W head and the Swaro balance rail. At first I experimented with long qr-plates, but at least to me, the rail does give a little more stability. The head has a compensation system, so a scope can be balanced out.

 

[US_Grant]

here to bump this thread, have an 82mm scope incoming so next on my checklist is a proper ball/fluid/gimbal recommendation for my GT2532. will be sharing with my kids so adaptable a potential real benefit. not digiscoping either!

 

[Hermann]

here to bump this thread, have an 82mm scope incoming so next on my checklist is a proper ball/fluid/gimbal recommendation for my GT2532. will be sharing with my kids so adaptable a potential real benefit. not digiscoping either!

No gimbal, no ballhead. Get a decent fluid head instead, like the Manfrotto 500AH.

Hermann

 

[Montereyman]

Good day,

Anyone using a gimbal head for birdwatching (not digiscopping) with a scope and prefer it to fluid heads? Any thoughts?
It looks like adding more stability and a better placed centre of gravity. But is that true?
Does it prevent dipping the scope when the ocular is heavier than the lens? Or do you nead a balance rail for that? Does it have a counter-balance like some fluid heads have? Or is there no need for that?

I was mostly refering to the Gitzo/Swarovski gimbal head.

I use a tilt head as there is no need to adjust the angle of the scope for viewing.

 

[The BulbMogul]

I use a Wimberly on my ATX115