After much searching and debate, I finally found a replacement for my Acratech Ultimate ball head for bird photography. The Acratech is a nice head, but I bought it for studio work and while it works fine for product photography, it definitely isn't adaptable to bird photography. In addition to reading many reviews on POTN and other websites, I posted a thread here in the bird talk section. Most of the threads in the equipment section didn't seem pertinent to bird photography, so I went to where the bird photographers were. A recommendation for the Jobu Jr gimbal head from member Roy C in the UK caught my attention as it seemed to be exactly what I needed and just fit within my monetary limit of US$200.
I searched high and low in the US for one, but unfortunately everyone was out of stock, including the manufacturer in Canada. A phone call to them revealed they would have more in just a couple of days, but they had some factory seconds with minor cosmetic flaws in stock for a small discount. I went this route and received my new head in about a week. I talked a real nice fellow there, Ian, who was very helpful and friendly. He not only saved me some money, but they guarantee their products for life. They are very pleasant to do business with.
Some of the members in the bird talk section asked me to write a review when I receive it, so here it is. Some of this is copied from a mini-review I posted there after I received it. I have added photos as well as my impressions after being able to use it in the field this weekend.
The JOBU JR Horizontal Mount Gimbal
First of all, this gimbal is designed for the smaller telephoto lenses such as the Canon 300 f/4L, 400 f/5.6L, 100-400 etc. For 500mm and larger lenses, they make a full-size gimbal mount called the Black Widow. I currently own the 300 f/4L and a Rebel XTi, although the 50D and probably the 400 f/5.6L are looming in the future. The Jobu Jr is perfect for both configurations so I won't need to upgrade my head for a while.
The Jr is quite compact for a gimbal, yet despite the small size and weight, this thing is built solid. To reduce the weight, the arm is made like an I-beam instead of a solid bar. I'm not an engineer, but I do know this is one of the strongest designs per pound. It definitely isn't going to bend or disfigure unless you get really stupid with it (think dropping off a cliff or such). According to my non-scientific measurements, the head is 9.25 inches tall, about 7.5 inches at its widest point, and it weighs in at 1 pound, 5 ounces. It's only 6 ounces heavier than my Acratech Ultimate ball head, although it does stick up much higher.
The movement is very smooth with no creep. I put my XTi with the 300 f/4L IS and Canon 1.4x on it and without any adjustment was able to easily move it in any tracking direction, yet wherever I let go it stayed without creeping. No, it isn't a very heavy setup I have, but it is exactly the type of setup it is made for. With my ball head, whenever I locked it down, no matter how tightly, it always moved up a bit. When focused on an eagle's nest in a tall tree, it gave the effect of moving about 2 feet higher than I wanted it to. With the Jr, wherever I left it, it stayed. I could train the center focus point right on the nest and whenever I looked back into the viewfinder, it was still right on the nest. Best of all, I don't have to tighten, or loosen, any knobs to get it to stay there, or to move the camera to follow a BIF.
There are two large knobs to lock the panning and gimbal joints, but I honestly only used them for locking the panning when I close the tripod to carry it or put it away. It doesn't matter how loose the knobs are in operation. It isn't like the tension knob on most ball heads. Once you loosen it, you are free to move the camera/lens without worry of it not staying where you leave it, and loosening it more doesn't have any effect. This is of enormous benefit to me when shooting the local bald eagles. I tend to keep the lens trained on the nest and if one of the eagles flies in I can quickly move to shoot it without fiddling with knobs and such. Right now they have eggs in the nest, so one is always in the nest while the other is usually fishing. I've missed many BIF shots with my ball head because of this, especially since the knob is on the right side of my Acratech. Truly a stupid place to put it.
As I see it so far, the pros are light weight for a gimbal, nearly indestructible design, smooth operation, no creeping from where you leave it, no knob fiddling, and relatively small size for a gimbal.
The cons are it is still a little bit heavier than a good ball head and it definitely is taller. This really isn't an issue for me, but for those of you who do a lot of hiking to get to where you photograph, every ounce and inch are multiplied. The biggest con I can see is a product of its compactness. You can't elevate the camera as much as some other setups. The bottom of the camera eventually bumps into the base of the gimbal. It appears to me that it can elevate as much as most balls do without using the notch that some have. You can't go 90 degrees straight up so that may be a bit of a disadvantage if a bird flies directly over you. In that case, you need to either wait for him to pass a bit or remove the lens from the QR and hand hold it. It takes about 1.5 turns for the clamp to completely clear the Arca-Swiss plate. One half turn or so is enough to slide the plate out.
For those photographers who prefer a full gimbal mount to a side mount, Jobu does sell an L-bracket upgrade for about US$60 that converts the Jr into a top-mount design. This allows the lens to become centered over the panning axis and allows better balance when using a tall flash bracket.
I would definitely recommend this head to most users with a smaller telephoto who could benefit from a gimbal mount. Bird and wildlife photographers are probably at the top of that list, although aviation photographers may benefit as well. Jobu categorizes the Jr mount as being for telephotos with a maximum aperture of f/4 or smaller, although they do list the 70-200 f/2.8 as a good fit as well. Larger telephotos should look to the Black Widow. It's much cheaper than a Wimberly, although I don't see any compromise in quality.
PHOTOS
A Canon Rebel XTi (400D) with a 300 f/4L IS and 1.4X TC mounted on the Jobu Jr and a Gitzo G2220 tripod
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This picture shows the maximum elevation for this setup.
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Front view, showing the clearance below the lens and how far to the side the arm extends.
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Detail of the upper arm assembly showing the knob to loosen the vertical movement.
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Detail of the lower assembly, showing the panning base and knob.
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Detail of the Arca-Swiss compatible quick release.
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I hope this review has been helpful to those who are agonizing over which head to buy, like I did. Excuse the so-so photos, they were taken with a P&S and the weather wasn't cooperating so some had to be shot indoors.
