gnadeau80 Loc: Rowley,MA

Was researching gimbal heads and being on a budget I was leaning towards the gh2. I primarily use a D500 with 200-500. Tried doing a search for a topic on this head,but didn't see much. Any input on the GH2 would be great.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

For that kind of money, you might want to look into the NEST from Carters Camera Cottage, a frequent contributor on here. Everyone who has one seems to love them. Best of luck.

gnadeau80 Loc: Rowley,MA

Is he still in business? I thought he closed to pursue other avenues in life.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Yes, I thought he was closing his shop and wasn’t he the sole US seller of Nest?

Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south

After a quick google ......https://www.cameracottage.com/equipment

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

So many choices, so little time.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=gimbal%20heads&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

ggab Loc: ?

If you can find one of these, go for it instead.
Outstanding Gimbal Head.

MOVO GH800 Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head.

Customer support is rapid and friendly as well.
I paid $200.00, bought it off ebay.
I use it in the winter shooting eagles at Conowingo. None of the issues that others have with inexpensive carbon fiber gimbal heads.

https://www.movophoto.com/products/movo-gh800-carbon-fiber-professional-gimbal-tripod-head

I shoot with a EOS 5D MK IV, EOS 300 f/2.8 and extender or Tamron 150-600 G2. No issues at all.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I don't have that specific head although I do have the Benro gear head and a few other Benro items and I am impressed with the precision and quality of build. I personally would not hesitate to by a Benro product when I am in the market to do so.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I'm not sure, you know how rumors are. AFAIK, he still sells the Nest product. Check out the web site. Best of luck.

**** UPDATE . **** I just spoke to Carter and the store is indeed closed! He does have two Nest Gimbal heads left to sell, but they both are the cold weather versions. He does not know who Nest will choose going forward for US distribution. Best of luck.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

There's nothing at all wrong with the Benro GH2... it's identical in design to dozens of other J-post, bottom mounting gimbals and would work fine with that 200-500mm lens.

What you need to consider is that...

1. It makes any tripod you install it on "long lens only", unless you are willing to carry another head and swap it out. Any "full size" gimbal such as this fully replaces the existing head on the tripod and... without additional accessories or a head swap... prevents using the tripod with other gear, such as mounting the camera directly when fitted with lenses that don't have a tripod mounting collar.

2. It ain't small, isn't light weight and is fairly pricey. At $356 the Benro isn't the most expensive. For example the Wimberley WH-200, the original version of which started the whole gimbal thing 20+ years ago, is more than $200 more expensive. And there others that are even more expensive (RRS, ProMedia, Zenelli and others). At about 3 lb., the Benro is about the same weight as most full size gimbals. The Nest, when it was available (it's not presently AFAIK, in spite of the "live" web page linked earlier), is a bit more affordable, uses superior carbon fiber materials for a bit of weight savings and to better absorb some fine vibration.

At the other extreme are cheap Chinese knockoffs that cost $100 or less.

Here's the rub... They all do pretty much the same thing. I have little doubt the Benro, Nest, Wimberley, RRS, etc. are better made, smoother operating and will hold up longer than the cheap Chinese knock-offs (Meike, Movo, Smith-Victor and a bazillion other names, though all are probably made in the same factory). But, even the <$100 ones work... at least for a while.

3. There are alternatives people often overlook. Twenty years ago I looked at the Wimberley full size gimbal head, but really didn't want to have to carry two different tripods.... one for long lenses and another fitted with a more traditional head for everything else.... Or have to swap out heads in the field. Fortunately, Wimberley also offers their SK-100 "Sidekick" gimbal adapter, which works in conjunction with any moderately heavy duty ballhead that has an Arca-compatible QR platform, to provide the same gimbal function. It not only leaves the standard head on the tripod... simply remove the adapter to convert the tripod back to "regular" use. It also weighs less (under 1 lb... but when used with a heavy duty ballhead, probably about the same 3 lb. total weight).

There are now a number of copies of the Sidekick, too. The Induro GHBA and Movo GH400 are almost identical clones. I can't speak to the quality and long-term durability of the others, but I've been using the Sidekick for twenty years (with a Kirk BH-1 ballhead) and it's still working fine. The Jobu BWG Mini is a less expensive, smaller and lighter adapter (fine for 70-200s and maybe small 300mm... but insufficient for a lens the size, weight and focal length of the Nikkor 200-500mm).

Wimberley used to advise using the Sidekick with lenses up to 500mm f/4 (8 lb. in those days), which was the heftiest lens I regularly use. But a number of times I've seen folks using them with bigger and heavier 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4. I've even used it a few times with a huge, vintage 800mm lens that weighs over 10 lb. (a collectable, not a "daily user").

There are also "U-post" style gimbals.... but those are intended for particularly heavy gear. Way more than you or I need.

Here is a photographer's website where he has compiled a fairly good list of the gimbal heads and illustrates the different types: http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/gimbal_list.htm

4. Notice that some full size J-type and all U-post gimbal heads are "bottom mount". The lens mounting platform is horizontal. Gimbal adapters and some J-post style are "side mount" with a vertical lens mounting platform. The vertically oriented type typically have somewhat lower weight carrying capacity, though most are more than sufficient for a 5 lb. Nikkor 200-500.

Another use I've found for my Sidekick with it's vertical mounting platform is that I don't need any bulky, expensive L-plates on my cameras. If I want to mount a camera vertically above the ballhead, I simply use the Sidekick. It works fine for that purpose, as I'm sure most gimbals with vertical mounting plate would (Note: There are some J-type that are convertible, can be set up either bottom/horiz. mount or side/vert. mount, although additional, separately sold accessories may be necessary.)

Incidentally, Movo has a good discussion of the different types of gimbal heads that you might find useful, whether you buy one of their products or not: https://www.movophoto.com/blogs/movo-photo-blog/gimbal-head-comparison

Finally, to use it on any gimbal, you will need to set up your Nikkor 200-500mm with some sort of Arca-compatible mounting plate. This is necessary to be able to attach the lens, but also allows some forward/backward movement to balance the lens on the gimbal, making it smoother and easier to move with a light touch. There are several possibilities:

1. A long lens plate (with anti-twist feature): https://www.amazon.com/Hejnar-Photo-Plate-NIKKOR-200-500mm/dp/B01LRMFL12
2. A long lens plate with front barrel lens support: http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/product-p/llsp-n200-500-1.htm
3. A replacement tripod mounting ring with built-in Arca-style doveltail: https://www.adorama.com/kinc200500v2.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmZDxBRDIARIsABnkbYTBXhXPz7t-mDtdVbykVrOLV9Lenc7yS5s0QylmhndykwFd8YtNBlwaAknOEALw_wcB

I've used Hejnar and Kirk examples, but there are several brands of each type of mounting option.

Have fun shopping!

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

The RRS is really a system that has numerous options and capabilities. With their bottom Arca-Swiss plate applied the RRS can be mounted or switched in seconds. Same applies to the Ball Heads and the plates can be used with man other heads and gimbals.

There are a number of tripod, ball head and gimbal reviews on TheDigitalPicture.com that people may find informative.

gnadeau80 Loc: Rowley,MA

ggab Loc: ?

From OP "Was researching gimbal heads and being on a budget".
I would think that disqualifies RRS.
I could be wrong...

gnadeau80 Loc: Rowley,MA

Thank you for all the info

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

It looks like nobody that replied has the GH2. I do. I've had mine since about 2012 and it hasn't given me a lick of trouble. In fact, I just removed it from my Gitzo tripod and packed it in my suitcase for a trip to Yellowstone beginning tomorrow. I have been using it with my 500mm f/4, 300mm f/2.8 and my 100-400mm Canon zoom. All it takes is a minor adjustment in the height of the gimbal when I want to put the smaller lens on it. Back when I bought mine, they didn't have that Nest gimbal head nor did they have all those cheap Chinese knockoffs. If I were to buy one today, I would not hesitate to get another GH2, but I might consider that Nest that MT sells or sold. I know that he closed up shop and he in fact dozed the building. But he did say he had a little inventory left so maybe he has some of the Nest gimbals left over. But I wouldn't worry if he doesn't, there are other places to get them and you can get the GH2 from B&H and they will stand behind it.