What tripod and gimball for Sigma 120-300 OS + 2x converter

I am looking for a portable and affordable tripod for the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS and Sigma 2x teleconverter I am going to buy.

What's the heaviest setup it needs to be able to carry steadily (not necessarily what I have right now, I am not buying a tripod for 2 years):

Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS + 2x Sigma converter (3.2 kg)
Canon 1D camera (1.4 kg)
Canon 580EXII flash (0.525 kg)
TOTAL 5.125 kg

What are the requirements for the tripod:

Not too heavy (sub 2 kg)
4 sections
No center column

What tripods have I looked at:

Feisol Tournament CT-3442
Feisol Elite CT-3472
Benro C3780T

What are the requirements for the gimball head:

As light as possible but still able to carry my setup
Not too expensive

What have I found myself

Jobu Black Widow Jr. 3

I want to stay in more or less the same budget range, so Gitzo tripods and Wimberley heads are not an option, that's just too expensive. Tell me what you think is best, it doesn't have to be the mentioned tripods or gimball head.

Anyone?

I have a Manfrotto 393 Gimbal head and like it very much. It's quite affordable too. Now i am using an Induro gimbal head (found one at low price). Another option is this Opteka Gimbalbut i don't have any experience with it though. It looks very similar to my Induro gimbal. I don't see why it won't work well for your setup.

cfcRebel wrote in post #14415309
I have a Manfrotto 393 Gimbal head and like it very much. It's quite affordable too. Now i am using an Induro gimbal head (found one at low price). Another option is this Opteka Gimbalbut i don't have any experience with it though. It looks very similar to my Induro gimbal. I don't see why it won't work well for your setup.

Thank you for your answer. The Opteka ballhead weighs 1.2 kg and the Jobu I mentioned 0.7 kg. That is quite a difference. Of course the Opteka is a lot cheaper.
Anyone any experience with the Opteka or the other products I mentioned in the start post?

No one any other advice or experience with the mentioned tripods?

Benro do produce nice and steady and reasonably priced tripods! You wont go wrong with them.

No contest

I have three, two of the "2"s and One "1"

http://star-distribution.goods.off​icelive.com …copegimbalcomin​gsoon.aspx

All on my GiottosMTL9271B, Manfrotton monopod and Manfrotto 055XPROB

Thanks, what do you think of them? Have you been able to compare these gimball heads to any other heads?

I tried out the Manfrotto and hated the "hanging" desigh, also I attach flash to mine, external, see below, having ANY external flash is not possible with the Manfrotto, I also usee standard Metz flash on AND off the hotshoe.

The new gimbal is ALLOY, and lovely and light, I will not use the cheap "steel" imports (a) because of the poorly welded joints and (b) because I shoot mostly at the coast and I hate "rust".

I have used the wimberley and whilst the finish is good, yes it is, the feel and fluidity is NO better at all.

I can assure you that I would not buy THREE of something and give a positive review if it was no good, as you can see from my website it was Patrick Moore (my friend) and me who did the review of the skywatcher range, I have a reputation to maintain.

Benro are good too, look at the price.

Call Lensmaster and say you saw it on Patrick Moores sales website and have a chat.

After sales service is superb, comes with or without mounting plate.

jser wrote in post #14430588
I tried out the Manfrotto and hated the "hanging" desigh, also I attach flash to mine, external, see below, having ANY external flash is not possible with the Manfrotto, I also usee standard Metz flash on AND off the hotshoe.

The new gimbal is ALLOY, and lovely and light, I will not use the cheap "steel" imports (a) because of the poorly welded joints and (b) because I shoot mostly at the coast and I hate "rust".

I have used the wimberley and whilst the finish is good, yes it is, the feel and fluidity is NO better at all.

I can assure you that I would not buy THREE of something and give a positive review if it was no good, as you can see from my website it was Patrick Moore (my friend) and me who did the review of the skywatcher range, I have a reputation to maintain.

Benro are good too, look at the price.

Call Lensmaster and say you saw it on Patrick Moores sales website and have a chat.

After sales service is superb, comes with or without mounting plate.

Contrary to how Manfrotto shows the 393 in use, I believe most people use it as a standard gimbal; I know I did before I went Black Widow. And used that way, you can use a flash (although using RRS plates and their flash arms on the BW or a Wimberley really simplifies the process).

I tried the Manfrotto in all forms (it also neede a hex key for adjustment if I remember) flash was a serious problem for my needs, for the price it is also steel not alloy

They all seem to be good gimball heads, but I'd like to keep it relatively lightweight. It only needs to support a 120-300 f2.8 OS with converters, not a 500mm f/4 so I don't think it is necessary to buy a heavy gimballhead like the Opteka, the Lensmaster or a Wimberley. That's what I like about the Jobu Jr 3, it only weights 700 grams.

Let's talk about the tripod. Which one of these (or another one) would be best for my setup?

I use a 7D, Sigma 120-300 OS, Sigma 1.4x or Sigma 2.0x TC's with a Manfrotto 393 head & 055CX3 tripod. Couldn't be happier with it. If I need a bit more stability I just hook my bag underneath. Its the perfect wildlife kit for me. The panning is perfect for BIF's as well.