Considering a ProMediaGear Gimbal

amadeus

Greetings. I finally pulled the trigger on a Nikon 600mm prime. It was that or a Harley and truth be told I just don't buy into the whole loud pipes thing...Harley bashing aside, while the lens is quite remarkable, my arms are not.

I'm getting a %4 bonus from B&H which is about $500 and a gimbal is top of my list. The ProMediaGear Katana @ $750 seems to be the "top of the line" with regards to gimbals, I'm just wondering if some of the sub $500 gimbals aren't just as suitable. I plan on mainly shooting action. I took these hand held from a pretty good distance. love this lens!

hand held is kiiiiind of doable, just not all day long....

any input appreciated.

puzzledpaul

I have no real personal experience with using gimbal heads and long lenses, but I've seen many other wildlife / bird snappers using them with 500 / 600mm lenses.
The vast majority seem to use a Wimberley.

On the few occasions I use a tripod - because tripod based rigs, whatever the head type, don't let me get low enough over water - I use a Gitzo 1380 fluid head with my 500.

pp

Cygnus Studios

It's been a few years since I've put on a big lens, but the Wimberley WH-200 was my go to. Really Right Stuff makes an awesome gimbal from what I've heard.