How To Balance A Gimbal Head
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- čas přidán 10. 07. 2024
- "Hey! You're doing it wrong!"
That's what I want to shout pretty much every time I'm out and spot other wildlife photographers with gimbal heads. It seems that well over half of them think they have their gimbal properly balanced when they really don't. It's a shame too - a properly balanced gimbal head is so much nicer to work with than one that's only half way there.
In this video, I show you how to balance a gimbal head properly. Even if you think you have it right (you'll know in the first couple minutes), it's worth a look to be 100% sure.
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I watched the video, bought a gimbal and went step by step and it was balanced on the first try.Thanks
Awesome Steve as usual. RIght to the point without useless info. Now I just need to buy a gimbal head still!
Awesome as usual.. I can see lots of analysis and experimentation went into it... Great Job Steve.. Waiting for you Exposure system book..
Awesome video Steve as usual!!
Amazing Video Steve> I have had my head (Gimbal I mean), for a short time and was just the other day trying to get it right. That vertical adjustment of yours did just the trick. Thanks again.
Steve, your work is so inspirational and I've learned so much from your videos and eBooks. They've helped to vastly improve my bird photography. Thank you so much.
Cheers Steve! This is my first time using a gimbal head and I had no idea how to set it up. I do now!
Thanks again Steve for another thorough but concise tip.
That's great Steve, thanks for showing us how. I had no idea that a gimbal needed to be balanced. I assumed we had to put up with searching for the subject all the time like I've seen other guys doing. Enjoying your channel and tips now, from the UK.
Hi
I saw this video and I had to try out your suggestion. Well Steve I can’t thank you enough, it really works. I have used all my large primes with this simple method and it really does work. Thank you for sharing.
TonyH
Great info Steve, can't wait for the Exposure System book!
Just got a gimbal head this spring and have been trying to get balance it on my own with no success. this is some great information! Thanks a million!
got my Gimbal and used this video to set up, great info and to the point.
Thanks a million Steve. I didn't have a clue about balancing - 45 years of photography but no experience with long lenses, etc. I recently began nature photography. Much heavier lenses, etc. Got a lot to learn. Just subscribed. Keep it up! ;-)
Great tips Steve, thanks mate!
Thank you soooo much! It took me all of 2 mins to get my gimbal head balanced!
Steve your the top man good to understand with handy hints, In this lockdown in the UK I have just build my own gimbal and now the base. It will be used with a spotting scope, balanced it up and then realised i had to do this without lens covers, live and then.
Such a great video Steve! Well done!
Yay! Balanced my gimbal today! Thanks for the video, it clinched it for me!
This was so good. I love your clear instructions and demonstration! Thanks!
Just got a gimbal head, your video is just what I needed. Thanks!
You must have known I ordered a gimbal head and just received it by UPS this evening... Perfect timing for the video and as usual very clear and useful info. Promediagear has some fun stuff.. got their gkjr gimbal and 344L tripod today.. Soo happy
Excellent informative video as always Steve. Turns out I had my gimbal set up correctly already 8^).
Excellent vid! Tks for the info re: gimbal heads.
Super clear and helpful -- thank you
Thanks for a very useful video - I never realised what the vertical adjustment was for!
Just got myself a gimbal head and this was so helpful, thanks.
Steve, once again you helped me. I never thought of this annoyance before, because I used to just Lock it in place. After seeing your Video multiple times I put my Nikkon Z7 II on my Robus Tripod, with Sigma 150-600 Lens and balanced it out. I extend it all the way and rebalance as necessary, but now the idea is there for me to rebalance as necessary in the future. Such a small change in my habit but boy does it pay off. Thank You Sir.
👋
I just got a gimbal Head and you‘re Video helped a lot
Thank You. Very helpful.
That was a pretty good idea, I was able to balance my gimbal head like pro . Thanks
Great vid, thanks!
Many thanks for this quite useful video, Steve !!! I am just received my Gimbal Head for this new phase with Telephoto Lens and, your guidelines will help me a lot to get the best of it 🤙🏻 Better adjusment, better takes 👍🏻 See ya, blue skies 🍀📸 take care
Thank you Steve, I just got a Gimbal Head and was out with it today, the balance was causing me all kinds of problems with the camera moving away from the subject. After following you setup video no more problems. Subbed and liked
Thanks a lot! Very helpful
Very informative and helpful.. Keep the tutorials coming Steve!
Thanks so much!
You the man Steve
new to gimbles .. so this is much appreciated. TY
very nice video. thanks
My new gimbal is arriving tomorrow, this is a real help thx. I’m upgrading from a ball head and found that shooting an air show with a ball head (video) at the weekend was real tricky even with the R5 in camera stabilisation + plus the lens stabilisation too. I usually shoot birds so I’m looking forward to the upgrade. Should also help later in the year when I’m going back to the Mach Loop in Wales to video the jet fighters.
Very nice & helpful video. Will you please share a video about how to properly use monopods with telephoto lens ? I use Nikon 200-500 with D7200 battery grip attached
Thanks for your books and great videos
Thanks for reading them :)
recently bought a used Feisol with the Feisol Gimbal, now i know what i did wrong :) thought i had to tighten the friction more to keep the positions fixed
Awesome
Thanks. Very useful. Now I know, how to use the vertical adjustment.😅
I do like the idea of the RRS PH-CC Clamp for my Wimberley Head WH-200
Thank you! My gimbal head has always bugged the living daylights out of me and now I know why!
I learned something new today
Thanks!
Thanks so much!
My Manfrotto 393 cannot be fine tuned up & down - there are just three positions. It was in it's lowest position when I got it, and I haven't bothered to change it as it seems to work fine. When balanced correctly front/back, there seems to be enough resistance to eliminate any problems with my relatively light set-up: APS-C body and Sigma 150-600 contemporary. However I do find it advisable to re-balance it every time I zoom the lens - when possible, that is.
At last.. Someone shows what the whole point on a gimbal mount is and how to set one up properly 👍
I do follow your video and take decisions based on your Video. Thanks a ton! I like to buy a tripod & gimbal head soon. which gimbal head & tripod did you use here?
Hey steve as always great videos. my problem is that i often use a tall wimberley flash bracket up top with a magmod fresnel lens - and in doing so i cant drop the body low enough on the up down adjustment to get perfect balance. It is close on both my wimberley gimbal and my carbon fiber Zenelli. I use the latter lighter one on my 3 series gitzo when moving around and the wimberley on my 5 series gitzo when stationary or windy. I am not sure if there is a solution . the setup basically becomes top heavy. once i remove the flash and bracket i can move the body upwards and easily get perfect balance. any thoughts? i guess i could use a shorter flash bracket or lighter flash or the lighter but flimsy better beamer. I use the flash mostly with birds to get a better eye catch light and to provide better feather detail. I guess it isn't that necessary. And also i am already adding bottom wt with both the D5 or D850 (w grip) by using L brackets . thanks, Ian Sempowski , Kingston, Ontario
Steve 'simply the best' Perry.
I got my first gimbal head two days before you published this video and now, as if by magic, you're here teaching me how to use it. Love it! Thank you so much for all your great work.
I heard that you just got one so I knew I had to make a video :D :D
@@backcountrygallery can you use a non prime lens on a gimbal head? or will the effect of zooming totally throw off the balance?
@@wcsdiaries Internal zooms are OK, but any of the external ones will throw off the balance when zoomed. No way around it. I usually balance for the focal length I think I'll be using most of the time.
@@backcountrygallery what head would you recommend if one needed to use varying zoom lengths? A ballhead? I want to do some safaris so I need to be mobile and flexible with the focal lengths.
Thank you for the response by the way!
@@wcsdiaries For me anyway, I prefer an unbalanced gimbal to a ballhead. It's not that bad to use and if you're close the the focal length where it's balanced that's a bonus. I've used ball heads in the past with long glass and never liked it. For other work (macro / landscapes), I LOVE ball heads - but not for long glass.
Thanks Steve. I must be the only one on here not getting it. I followed all your instructions and have tried every milemeterage on the up and down slide and nothing balances it. What should I do?
Genius.
when will you have dates for spring costa rica trips?
Hi Steve just belatedly found this video.Thanks - I thought that I'd found the answer to my problem but, alas, no. I'm using a lightweight mirrorless camera with a Sony 200-600mm lens and it is impossible to balance it unless I add extra weight on the camera, which I don't want to do. It means I've had to try and perfect a technique of tightening the tilt control knob just enough to hold position while at the same time meaning I only need to make a small movement of it to release the grip enough for me to move the lens again. Not ideal but all I can do.
Sadly, there are rare times where that happens - can't beat physics - but it is frustrating.
I received a Gimbal head for Christmas. I read through the instructions but was still having some balance issues. Your tutorial was just what I needed. The tip on the battery grip was perfect. Now I can’t wait to get outside and give it a try. Thank you!!
Thanks for the video @steve.
How do you use this setup for vertical/portrait shots?
Just rotate the camera / lens (lens collar loose of course)
@@backcountrygallery thanks.
I don't even know if it is possible to fine tune a 600mm AF-s F4 none VR version on a Wimberly with the original foot on the lens. I've tried, but it always comes down to having to have tension on the swivel.
Thanks Steve. I have a series 5 Gitzo systematic tripod,a nikon D4S and the Nikkor 400 mm f2.8 AF-I sitting on a wimberly WH-200 gimbal. Using you technique I now can just hang out and wait for the action without messing with the gear. I really appreciate your thinking. i also bought your secrets to wildlife photography e-book. I have been a lifelong hunter transitioned to a photographer in the mid to northern rockies and have to say I learned a lot of new things from your e-book. One question -- have you found the nikon lens foot to be a stability problem? Is it something you felt had to be replaced?
Supposedly, you get a bit more stability with a foot that's closer to the lens, but I've never seen any test that proved it. I just like the integrated Arca-swiss foot. That alone is worth it to me! :)
Does the heavy Z9 in combination with lightweight e.g. 400 4.5S lenses mean the end of using a gimbal, because balance is too close to the Z9?
Hello Steve,
I have the problem that the tripod collar of my Nikkor 200-500 often gets loose when mounted on the quick release plate of my gimbal, since there is only one thread for a screw in the foot of the lens collar. I see that you shortly show the 200-500 as an example for zoom lenses in your video, how did you solve that problem? Thank you!
My wimberly doesn't have a lever like that to slide the camera. Which model is that?
I have a GH5 and my biggest lens is a 100-300 it does not have a ring/adapter for the lens
I would have to mount the camera directly to the gimbal head. Will I still be able to balance the camera on the head ?
Hi Steve, gimbals can be mounted with the arch on the left or right side. I see yours is in the right side. Any comments about this preference?
It's so my left hadn't can sit comfortably on the lens - it's to help dampen vibration. See my Long Lens Technique video for more :)
Top Notch
"Perfectly balanced, as all things should be"
Steve, Can your recommend a few gimbal heads. I am using the Sigma 150-600 lens. I see the price range varies a lot. Mike
Honestly, the only one I've used is the Wimberley WH-200. I have had other people use different brands (Jobu stands out), but I have yet to see any that I like better than my WH-200. It's expensive, but mine is over 15 years old and despite heavy use, it's still performs like new.
interesting.
now i know how to setup my gimbal head
Hi Steve. I am wondering if you have a tip how to balance a Lens / Camera combo if the camera body is still too heavy for the lens. I use a z9 + 400mm f/4.5 + 1.4 TC combination and the camera body is too heavy, so I don't get it balanced 😐
I wish I did - it's sort of a physics problem - you can't push the lens forward enough for balance. About the only thing is if you can get a longer foot, although sometimes the camera gets in the way of that idea.
@@backcountrygallery thank you for your answer Steve.
Is that a Wimberley head with a RRS bottom arm?
Yup :)
Hi Steve...I'm a little bit OT but probably leaving a comment here you will notice... I have an important question.. The shutter of my D5 has 170000 shots in his back.. I never noticed problems, but when I will have to replace it (or to send my camera to the nikon service for some checks)? I've bought the camera in Jan 2018. Thanks :)
I recently saw a post from someone who had 1.2 million shots on their original D5 shutter - and it's still going. I guess I wouldn't worry too much :)
Steve Perry OMG ahah ok ok, now I feel better :) thanks!
Is there a reason the open side of Gimbal is to your left. Most other videos show the open side to right.Thanks
Yup - so I can more easily place my left hand on the lens for stability.
@@backcountrygallery Thanks
What brand gimbal is that?
thomas leo Wimberley WH-200.
Thanks for reply!
thomas leo no worries 👌.
I'm feeling really stupid right now because I do not understand why lowering or raising it in the vertical position helps to balance it...somebody help me!!!
This is the concept of "center of gravity" which is a point on something where half the weight is on the left and half the weight is on the right, no matter which way you turn it.
If you have a pivot, and you align the pivot's center of rotation with the center of gravity of what it holds, then gravity pulls down equally on either side -- so things stay where you put them.
You can prove it to yourself by drilling some holes in a piece of plywood and hanging it on a horizontal nail. If your hole is off center in any direction -- up or down, left or right -- the board will rotate to a stable position instead of staying where you put it. But if you get a hole in the exact center of gravity, so that half the weight is on the left and half on the right no matter which way you turn it, the board will stay how you put it.
what gimbel do you use?
I'm looking for quick release gimbal head, like yours
got it 2:28 thx :P
Here goes my a6600 with 200-600 gimbal setup😂
Hey Steve Perry'' Just wanted to let you know you are the #1 on my you-tube list for Nikon info' I got my D500 on fathers day and thanks to you so far I am set up and good to go. If your wondering who is #2? Its Theoria Apophasis aka Tattoo monkey ) he knows his stuff '' just got to get through the ranting ....lol If ? your wondering who is #3 ? Its Mark Smith from Florida my home State' he is pretty good too he's like the Mark Twain of nature photography fun to watch and story like videos ''How cool is that" You three guys should create a 24/7 Nikon help me Hot line that 'll work.. Ill keep watching
Thanks! I like those guys as well.
Freedom Good choices for a Top 3.
Steve, thanks for this great video!!
Hey thanks; ill tell you what I went from about 30 years of night photography to bird shooting in less than a year and all from these guys Hell i think they know more than Nikon USA. I still spray and pray but i do it with finesse like a pro' :)
Those three guys are a big reason why I also have a D500. Between his e-books and videos, I have learned more technical skills from Steve than ANY other photographer or source. Period. He is the best. Mark is always a great inspiration, showing just how beautiful photography can be. And Ken is.... Ken. I trust that guy's lens recommendations every time.
Well, not exactly every time. I have paired the D500 with a Tamron 150-600 G2, which if I remember Ken isn't as high on. But I like it a lot, especially if there is enough light to go around. In lower light where the ISO has to be cranked higher I just trust the D500's RAW files and know that noise reduction software is only going to keep getting better and better.
I only have experience with Nikkor lens for nature photography' I started with the 70-300mm FX that gives me a 450mm on my crop D7200 Until I got the 200-500mm last summer after researching these other users reviews. So far I like it and I've been getting some great flight Images. Just this afternoon I AF tuned the 200-500mm according ' Ken" philosophy and it worked! hell I made my own Lens Align using a level at 30 degrees and I got good results at the 500mm mark I repeated the process nine times, moved it to +4 and took some test shots' I saw the difference so Ill put it to the test on my next field outing and if I don't like it Ill just roll back to -+0 setting.
What gimbal is it?
A wimberley wh-200
@@backcountrygallery Haha thanks! Paused the video to ask what one it was , then saw it Highlighted after restarting it. Great content, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Never ever take your hands away from the camera as long as it is pointing at a bird. When you grab the camera, the bird will leave without fail. Especially if it mattters.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Pity I can't afford a quality tripod and head :(