I don't think I'd want to trust a $7,000 lens to a $60 gimbal head.
When I acquired the FA-600/4 I bought this one to mount the lens
(already had the Manfrotto 3021 legs the gimbal head mounts on).
https://store.sirui.com/products/ph-series-carbon-fiber-gimbal-head-ph-20
On 12/18/2025 6:09 PM, Larry Colen wrote:
Gimbal heads look like they have a lot of advantages when using very
heavy lenses (250-600, I'm looking at you), particularly when
photographing things that aren't very stationary, particularly birds or
airplanes that can move in all three dimensions. A ball head on a
monopod, or tripod can afford a lot of the freedom of motion, but if you
let go of the camera, the rest position is very suboptimal (clunk!).
A quick look at them show prices from $60 for the Magnus (which one
review says is a great value), or $80 for a K&F, all of the way past $600.
I've never used one before, and $60 just to get one to play with (which
could then be a backup once I learn what I really need) is tempting. But
I figure if some of y'all have already made mistakes, I don't need to.
If I was going to go on a photo safari, or was expecting to do a lot of
wildlife photography, my needs would be very different than someone who
occasionally wants something better for photographing with a large chunk
of glass.
What are the important features? Things to avoid? Are there any amazing
values that people recommend? Or anything to avoid at any cost?
I know that I want it Arca-Swiss compatible.
I see that some are height adjustable, and some also let you adjust
horizontal distance. How critical are these?
Also, how well do they work as "just a tripod" rather than a pan/tilt or
ball head?
thanks,
LRC
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