Swapping ball heads and Gimbals on a Tripod (Page 4): Being mean just by trying to find a low cost alternative to the equipment you use ? Really Don't reply , only joking, English...

Hammer Loc: London UK

Being mean just by trying to find a low cost alternative to the equipment you use ? Really

Don't reply , only joking, English tense of humour ( note the correct spelling) . Believe me you need it living in this country .

arweber Loc: Pacifica, CA

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

arweber wrote:

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

You are a shallow jerk and obviously a poor gambler.

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

arweber wrote:

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

I'll take that bet. How much are you willing to loose?

genobrown

I use the dovetail on both the gimbal and the ballhead and attach them via a leveling base with a RRS levered clamp screwed onto it. Works quite well. Acratech makes a leveling base that has an integrated arca-swiss clamp. Total cost of this setup would be about $350 (Base and two dovetails). Or you could forego the leveling base and screw a clamp onto your tripod.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

arweber wrote:

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

If you have used Steve's site, which is almost totally free, he is not in the advertising business. His topics and tips sometimes include products many folks have and use.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Hammer wrote:

I just saw a video by Steve Perry . It showed him using a RRS unit with a clamp on the tripod/monopod and a "fitting" on the ballhead that allowed rapid swapping . The RRS product codes are : B2-LR-11 & TH-DVTR-40.

The costs made my eyes water a bit . So just wonder if any of you Hoggers out there have used these and are aware of any cheaper alternatives?

I haven't read through all four pages of responses (or bickering and thread highjacks) and am trying to understand exactly what you need to do....

Do you already have both the ballhead and a gimbal head, and want to be able to quickly and easily swap them? If so, you've probably already got some significant money tied up in your tripod and heads (not to mention the cameras and lenses they support), so would it REALLY be cost prohibitive to get two $55 dovetail plates (one for each head) and a quick release platform for $120? There are cheaper versions of both, but you have to wonder how sturdy they would be.

Depending upon what you have and want to do, there might be other alternatives. Some suggestions have already been given. Here are a couple more...

Depending upon what tripod you have, a Leveling Platform might help. I use Gitzo Series 3 Systematic tripods and have Gitzo Leveling Platforms on two of them. The primary purpose of these is to allow quick setup and are particularly helpful when using a gimbal, which requires things be reasonably level. Rather than fiddling around adjusting leg lengths to true it up, a quick twist of the leveler's handle loosens it to allow quick leveling and then retighten to lock it down. It takes about 2 seconds to do that... rather than fiddling with leg lengths every time I move the tripod.

But in addition to that convenience, there's another lever on the side of the Gitzo Levelers that serves to lock the head in place. When that lever is moved to the unlocked position, it's relatively quick and easy to unscrew the head and replace it with another one, and then re-lock that in place. No tools needed. The only "negatives" are that the Leveling Platform ain't cheap and it adds 1 lb. or a little more weight to the tripod. The Gitzo Systematic accessories use a fairly universal design, that may be cross-compatible with other brands (RRS started out making accessories for Gitzo, among other things).

Or, do you have a ballhead but not yet have a gimbal? If so, you might want to consider a gimbal adapter (as an alternative to a full size gimbal head). I use one of those and it's quite fast to set up, since the ballhead remains on the tripod, simply gets "flopped" to one side and the gimbal adapter is then slipped into and locked down in the ballhead's quick release platform. The ballhead's panning axis is used for horizontal movements, while the gimbal adapter provides the tilt axis. I use a Wimberley Sidekick in combination with a heavy duty ballhead on one of my tripods. There are also a similar and somewhat less expensive adapter made by Induro and a more compact, even less expensive one made by Jobu. There may be others, but those are the three adapters I'm aware of, if you don't already have a full size gimbal head that needs to completely replace the ballhead on the tripod.

Gimbal adapters do not have as much weight capacity as full size gimbal heads. But it's rated for and I've used my Sidekick for years with an 8 lb. 500mm f/4 lens and 2 lb. worth of camera, sometimes with other accessories. No problem! I've also seen folks use them with even bigger and heavier lens/camera combos without any issues (though maybe more than was recommended). I haven't personally compared the Induro and Jobu options. I think the smaller Jobu, in particular, has considerably lower weight rating... but depending upon what you want to mount on it, might be fine for your purposes.

By the way, these gimbal adapters are "side mount", meaning the lens' tripod foot is rotated to the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position to mount onto the adapter. A neat, unadvertised benefit of this design is that it also allows mounting a camera with a short lens in vertical/portrait orientation. I discovered this additional use for my Sidekick while working with cameras and lenses in studio for some table top shots. As a result, I don't need an expensive, bulky L-bracket on any of my cameras... just the more reasonably priced, standard Arca-style camera plates. (All the gimbal adapters I'm aware of are side-mount... There are also side-mount full size gimbals, as well as some that can be converted back and forth between side and bottom/"cradle" mount.)

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

amfoto1 wrote:

I'm trying to understand what you are trying to do....

Do you already have both the ballhead and a gimbal head, and want to be able to quickly swap them? If so, you've probably already got some significant money tied up in your tripod and heads (not to mention the cameras and lenses they support), so would it REALLY be cost prohibitive to get two $55 dovetail plates (one for each head) and a quick release platform for $120? There are cheaper versions of both, but there might be other alternatives.

Depending upon what tripod you have, a Leveling Platform might help. I use Gitzo Series 3 Systematic tripods and have Leveling Platforms on two of them. Those allow quick setup that's particularly helpful when using a gimbal, which requires things be reasonably level. Rather than fiddling with the leg lengths to true it up, a quick twist of the leveler's handle loosens it to allow quick leveling and then retighten to lock it down. It takes about 2 seconds to do that... rather than fiddling with leg lengths every time I move the tripod.

But in addition to that convenience, there's another lever on the side of the Gitzo Levelers that serves to lock the head in place. When that lever is moved to the unlocked position, it's relatively quick and easy to unscrew the head and replace it with another one, and then lock that in place. No tools needed. The only "negatives" are that the Leveling Platform ain't cheap and it adds 1 lb. or a little more weight to the tripod.

Or, do you not yet have a gimbal? If so, you might want to consider a gimbal adapter (instead of a full size gimbal head). I use one of those and it's quite fast to set up, since the ballhead remains on the tripod, gets "flopped" to one side and the gimbal adapter is then slipped into and locked down in the ballhead's quick release platform. The ballhead's panning axis is used for horizontal movements, while the gimbal adapter provides the tilt axis. I use a Wimberley Sidekick in combination with a heavy duty ballhead on one of my tripods. There are also a similar and somewhat less expensive adapter made by Induro and a more compact, even less expensive one made by Jobu. There may be others, but those are the three adapters I'm aware of, if you don't already have a full size gimbal head that needs to completely replace the ballhead on the tripod.

Gimbal adapters do not have as much weight capacity as full size gimbal heads... but I've used my Sidekick for years with an 8 lb. 500mm f/4 lens and 2 lb. worth of camera, sometimes with other accessories. No problem! I've also seen folks use them with even bigger and heavier lens/camera combos (though maybe not recommended). I haven't personally compared the Induro and Jobu options. I think the smaller Jobu, in particular, has considerably lower weight rating... but depending upon what you want to mount on it, might be fine for your purposes.

By the way, the gimbal adapters are "side mount", meaning the lens' tripod foot is rotated to the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position to mount onto the adapter. A neat benefit of this design is that it also allows mounting a camera with a short lens in vertical/portrait orientation. I discovered this additional use for the side-mount gimbal adapter (and similar side-mount full size gimbal heads, I suppose), while working with cameras and lenses in studio for some table top shots. As a result, I don't need an expensive, bulky L-bracket on any of my cameras... just the more reasonably priced, standard Arca-style camera plates.

I'm trying to understand what you are trying to do... (show quote)

Here's a nice part for those with the Wimberley WH-200: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1350055-REG/really_right_stuff_pg_cc_cradle_clamp.html

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

arweber wrote:

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

Sigh.... just can't fix stupid.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

arweber wrote:

I’ll bet Steve Perry gets his equipment for free for the advertisement value.

You would lose the bet. I pay full price for my Nikon gear and the accessories I show in my videos and articles. If I would receive something for free, I would disclose that info up front.

genobrown

Screw on clamp and two dovetails and you're done - $230. Not cost prohibitive

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Hammer wrote:

I just saw a video by Steve Perry . It showed him using a RRS unit with a clamp on the tripod/monopod and a "fitting" on the ballhead that allowed rapid swapping . The RRS product codes are : B2-LR-11 & TH-DVTR-40.

The costs made my eyes water a bit . So just wonder if any of you Hoggers out there have used these and are aware of any cheaper alternatives?

Now that we have had some fun with Steve Perry's financial status, here is what I am using .....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manfrotto-625-RC0-Rapid-Connect-Adapter-with-030-14-Plate/332575935817?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l9372

with heavy duty 3/8 stainless connectors instead of the puny/cheap 1/4 shown in the illustration .....and, you do not have to be Steve Perry to afford it !

The receiver goes on all my tripods and the QR plates goes on all the heads.

..

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

imagemeister wrote:

Now that we have had some fun with Steve Perry's ... (show quote)

Yeah, you have to put gas in that Super Sport you drive.

RRS Loc: Not sure

amfoto1 wrote:

I haven't read through all four pages of responses (or bickering and thread highjacks) and am trying to understand exactly what you need to do....

Do you already have both the ballhead and a gimbal head, and want to be able to quickly and easily swap them? If so, you've probably already got some significant money tied up in your tripod and heads (not to mention the cameras and lenses they support), so would it REALLY be cost prohibitive to get two $55 dovetail plates (one for each head) and a quick release platform for $120? There are cheaper versions of both, but you have to wonder how sturdy they would be.

Depending upon what you have and want to do, there might be other alternatives. Some suggestions have already been given. Here are a couple more...

Depending upon what tripod you have, a Leveling Platform might help. I use Gitzo Series 3 Systematic tripods and have Gitzo Leveling Platforms on two of them. The primary purpose of these is to allow quick setup and are particularly helpful when using a gimbal, which requires things be reasonably level. Rather than fiddling around adjusting leg lengths to true it up, a quick twist of the leveler's handle loosens it to allow quick leveling and then retighten to lock it down. It takes about 2 seconds to do that... rather than fiddling with leg lengths every time I move the tripod.

But in addition to that convenience, there's another lever on the side of the Gitzo Levelers that serves to lock the head in place. When that lever is moved to the unlocked position, it's relatively quick and easy to unscrew the head and replace it with another one, and then re-lock that in place. No tools needed. The only "negatives" are that the Leveling Platform ain't cheap and it adds 1 lb. or a little more weight to the tripod. The Gitzo Systematic accessories use a fairly universal design, that may be cross-compatible with other brands (RRS started out making accessories for Gitzo, among other things).

Or, do you have a ballhead but not yet have a gimbal? If so, you might want to consider a gimbal adapter (as an alternative to a full size gimbal head). I use one of those and it's quite fast to set up, since the ballhead remains on the tripod, simply gets "flopped" to one side and the gimbal adapter is then slipped into and locked down in the ballhead's quick release platform. The ballhead's panning axis is used for horizontal movements, while the gimbal adapter provides the tilt axis. I use a Wimberley Sidekick in combination with a heavy duty ballhead on one of my tripods. There are also a similar and somewhat less expensive adapter made by Induro and a more compact, even less expensive one made by Jobu. There may be others, but those are the three adapters I'm aware of, if you don't already have a full size gimbal head that needs to completely replace the ballhead on the tripod.

Gimbal adapters do not have as much weight capacity as full size gimbal heads. But it's rated for and I've used my Sidekick for years with an 8 lb. 500mm f/4 lens and 2 lb. worth of camera, sometimes with other accessories. No problem! I've also seen folks use them with even bigger and heavier lens/camera combos without any issues (though maybe more than was recommended). I haven't personally compared the Induro and Jobu options. I think the smaller Jobu, in particular, has considerably lower weight rating... but depending upon what you want to mount on it, might be fine for your purposes.

By the way, these gimbal adapters are "side mount", meaning the lens' tripod foot is rotated to the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position to mount onto the adapter. A neat, unadvertised benefit of this design is that it also allows mounting a camera with a short lens in vertical/portrait orientation. I discovered this additional use for my Sidekick while working with cameras and lenses in studio for some table top shots. As a result, I don't need an expensive, bulky L-bracket on any of my cameras... just the more reasonably priced, standard Arca-style camera plates. (All the gimbal adapters I'm aware of are side-mount... There are also side-mount full size gimbals, as well as some that can be converted back and forth between side and bottom/"cradle" mount.)

I haven't read through all four pages of responses... (show quote)

Best answer and to the point, as usual!

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

Hammer wrote:

I just saw a video by Steve Perry . It showed him using a RRS unit with a clamp on the tripod/monopod and a "fitting" on the ballhead that allowed rapid swapping . The RRS product codes are : B2-LR-11 & TH-DVTR-40.

The costs made my eyes water a bit . So just wonder if any of you Hoggers out there have used these and are aware of any cheaper alternatives?

I see there are 4 pages of comments. I am not rich, but I do use the RRS system. I put aside a few $$ every month and when I get enough I buy what I think will make my photography life easier. In my opinion you can’t go wrong with quality equipment and RRS makes quality stuff.
Bud