Will a manfrotto Gimbal head fit on a Giottos tripod ?

I am tempted by a Gimbal head for wildlife photography.

Head : http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …93_Heavy_Duty_G​imbal.html

My tripod : http://www.bccamera.co​m …0-monopod-tripod-kit.html

Dear fogbound,

Yes the Manfrotto 393 will fit the 3/16's screw on the center plate of your tripod. A bigger concern though would be if the tripod has the capacity to handle the Manfrotto head, one of your bodies, and either your 100-400 or 150-600?

The tripod specs list a capacity of 8.8 lbs. The Manfrotto gimbal head weighs over 3lbs and the Tamron 150-600 weighs over 4 lbs. I think that maybe you may need to look at a heavier duty tripod for big lens gimbal work?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

jtmiv wrote in post #16753200
Dear fogbound,

Yes the Manfrotto 393 will fit the 3/16's screw on the center plate of your tripod. A bigger concern though would be if the tripod has the capacity to handle the Manfrotto head, one of your bodies, and either your 100-400 or 150-600?

The tripod specs list a capacity of 8.8 lbs. The Manfrotto gimbal head weighs over 3lbs and the Tamron 150-600 weighs over 4 lbs. I think that maybe you may need to look at a heavier duty tripod for big lens gimbal work?

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Any suggestion ?

I don't recommend using a gimbal head for a light lens like the 70-200, 70-300, 150-600, 100-400... You will have better results using the lenses handheld for birds in flight. If you need to use a tripod a normal ballhead would work.

Dear fogbound,

I personally use a Benro A3580F with my bodies and my Sigma 150-500. It easily handles the weigh of the 1DMK2 and the Sigma which weigh around 8 pounds combined. I use it with either a Pro-Master gimbal or an Induro PH2 pan head.

Induro tripods get a lot of recommendations here on POTN. The one comparable to the Benro 3580 is either AT313 or 314. The only real difference between the two is the number of leg sections. My Benro and the 314 both have 4 leg sections, the 313 only has 3. Benro and Induro are likely made in the same plant in China, the same company represents both lines in the North American market. Induro tripods have a few cosmetic niceties over the Benro's but performance wise they are identical.

The Benro Tripod runs $ 168.00 for the legs at any of the major US retailers like B&H and Adorama. The Induros are roughly $ 20.00 to $ 30.00 more.

I was seriously considering the Manfrotto 393 for my rig but I ran into a great deal on the Pro-Master gimbal. The Manfrotto is a very stout piece of equipment that you will likely never outgrow. You may one day find something you prefer to use over it, but you won't ever find that it lacks the ability to securely handle the heaviest of lenses and cameras.

Good luck in your search!

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Tc202 wrote in post #16753249
I don't recommend using a gimbal head for a light lens like the 70-200, 70-300, 150-600, 100-400... You will have better results using the lenses handheld for birds in flight. If you need to use a tripod a normal ballhead would work.

You call that a light lens (150-600) ? Its not the weight of an 600 F4 but it does get heavy quick.

I mount my gripped 7D, Sigma 150-500, 580EX II Speedlite and Better Beamer on an Adorama Flashpoint Gimbal head on a Manfrotto 055 tripod. That camera, lens & Speedlite weighs 9 lbs. While I can hand hold it, I see no point in doing so, especially when shooting for several hours. I've also used this head & tripod with the 7D and the Canon 100-400 with excellent results. Using a ball head for subjects in motion is not something I would recommend.

At this morning's workshop, Burrowing Owls, one person had a Nikon 7000 and Sigma 150-500 mounted on a Manfrotto 393 head. The head was nice and smooth with that combination. The tripod was a bit short which is a problem when shooting overhead with a gimbal head.

Using a gimbal head successfully does take a bit of practice. There are situations where a gimbal head can get in the way. For most bird in flight and all airshow aerial photography it gives me the most consistent and successful results.

When using a tripod with the 150-600 I much prefer to use a gimbal head rather than a ball head. I have a benro A2970F with a Mongoose gimbal head and it balances the camera, lens and flashbar w/flash in any position hands free. Works very well.

And as Beachcomber Joe said, you need a proper fitting tripod. It will suck if it's to short.

If you plan on using lenses in portrait mode that do not have a tripod collar then you are out of luck with that head since it has no way of turning that direction.