Jobu Gimbal - solid alternative to Wimberley

[Photo Gib]

I bought the Jobu gimbal a week ago and I'm extremely happy with its performance. I had put out some feelers on this forum asking for first-hand experience before I made the purchase and I only came across a couple photogs who were familiar with the Jobu. It seems that most photogs use the full Wimberley for larger lenses, or the sidekick for sub-400mm glass. So I thought I'd share my impressions thus far for anyone who's interested.


The Jobu Black Widow is extremely sturdy and a wonderful alternative to the Wimberley WH-200 vII. I bought the Jobu from B&H for $130 less than the price of the Wimberley ($469 for the Jobu vs. $599 for the Wimberley). As stated on the Jobu fact sheet, it does have perfect balance for super telephoto lenses (or regular telephoto lens) with whatever camera you're using. I tried various combinations of bodies, TC, and lenses including my 20D without vertical grip (relatively light) to my 5D with the grip; using a 1.4X teleconverter or none; and using my 70-200L 2.8 IS, 300L 4.0 IS, and 500L 4.0 IS. In any combination all that's required is to adjust the height of the support arm so the center of the lens barrel is even with the horizontal pivot point, and then slide the Arca-Swiss release place forward or back in the receiver and tighten the knurled locking screw a half turn.

During my first week I took shots of some local squirrels and sparrows (there's not much wildlife in the city), the moon, and some close ups of a regatta on Lake Michigan. I pushed it along with my finger and it stayed right where I stopped. It was easy to adjust the perfect amount of friction so it moved freeley but held in place. It's an amazing experience after shooting with a traditional ball head where the balance point is far below the camera/lens setup.

I'll be honest. I haven't used the Wimberley so I don't have their unit as a reference point to compare the Jobu to. But I will say that the workmanship is solid and the construction looks to be very similar to the Wimberley based on product literature and my first-hand experience with the Jobu.

For anyone who hasn't shot with a gimbal and large lens before, you'll be amazed at how easy it is. It's easier than shooting with a shorter lens on a standard tripod with ball head in many ways. However you will need to have a sturdy, and preferably stiff, tripod that's capable of handling 20 lbs. I bought the Gitzo G-1327 Mountaineer carbon fiber tripod for use with my Jobu gimbal. I know that there are less expensive tripods made from aluminum that may work just fine. But from personal experience and taking the advice of several people on this site, I decided that I'd rather buy something that I won't want to upgrade soon. The rigidity of the carbon fiber was a key factor in my decision given the weight and size of the rig the tripod is supporting.

My synopsis:
For a savings of $130 I think the Jobu is a no-brainer over the Wimberley. The manufacturing is solid and there are no compatibility issues. The only differences that I can see is that the Wimberley is about 2" shorter and 0.45 pounds (about 1/4 kg) lighter than the Jobu. The Jobu has a horizontal lockout knob that prevents tilt even if the tilt knob isn't tightened down which is a nice safety feature. I don't believe the Wimberley has this function.

As always I invite anyone to add your comments.

Gib