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Gimbal heads?


12 years 5 months ago #168480 by My Boo
Anyone here uses a gimbal head or know anything about them?
I know gimbal heads are more design to attach a telephoto lens to them. What I am wondering is, can the camera itself be attached to the head and be useable? Or are they really only design for attaching to lenses?
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12 years 5 months ago #168575 by cod
Gimbals are not designed for attaching bodies. The gimbal arm would block the viewfinder and the direction of motion would be wrong. All gimbals I know of use Arca-Swiss style quick-release plates so if you are familiar with them and think through the geometry you can see how it doesn't work. Jobu sells an adaptor for mounting a camera body on a gimbal . but this is not really what gimbals are for.

Gimbal heads are intended to provide two main adavantages with long lenses.

1. Balance. A camera with telephoto lens is mounted and balanced around its center of gravity so that it will not flop when released. Camera flop with heavy lenses on ballheads can damage gear. A properly balanced gimbal setup will stay put when you let go of it even with the head not locked.
2. Ease of movement. The tension on the head is adjusted so that the camera can be easily moved to follow moving subjects such as birds, sports people, etc. Because the gear is balanced around the center of gravity it takes almost no effort to move it around yet it stays put when released. This allows for very smooth following of action.

I use a Jobu Jr3 gimbal with my 70-200mm f/2.8 and my 400mm f/5.6 for wildlife and other subjects where I need to follow action. The difference between the gimbal and my ballhead is remarkable. I definitely recommend the gimbal. I don't see any point to a gimbal for shorter lenses though.
Chris O'Donoghue
Winnipeg, Canada
codonoghue.prosite.com
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12 years 5 months ago #169687 by Flash Steven
I was considering one of those Jobu gimbals, how long have you had that one?
Canon 7D w/grip, Canon 40D, Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L Canon MPE 65mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 70-300mm f2.8; Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro; Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6
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12 years 5 months ago #169723 by cod

Flash Steven wrote: I was considering one of those Jobu gimbals, how long have you had that one?


I've had mine for about a year. I also have a quality Arca-Swiss ball head which I used with all my lenses before that. The ball head is excellent but for smooth motion tracking with longer lenses the gimbal is way better, and no more camera flop when I loosen the knobs.
Chris O'Donoghue
Winnipeg, Canada
codonoghue.prosite.com
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