MT Shooter wrote:
Why would you want a bowl head with a large telephoto lens like that? A gimbal head would be a much better choice.
Bingo!
You don't need a "bowl" or a fluid head. Those are for large video gear, heavy and expensive.
Get a solid tripod like a Gitzo Series 3 or Series 3 Systematic or the equivalent Nest or RRS.... no center column, so buy a leg set that's tall enough for you. Get a good gimbal head or a heavy duty ballhead/gimbal adapter setup. If you wish, get a leveling platform to put between the leg set and the head.... that makes for faster setups.
There are three or four different types of gimbal heads:
1a. Full size or single "J-post" with a bottom mount.
.... 1b. Full size/J-post variation that's side mount (some can do both or can be converted back and forth).
2. Gimbal adapter that's used in conjunction with a heavy duty ballhead.
3. Dual post or "U-shape" for extra heavy gear.
All three types are more than sufficient for use with a 500mm f/4 lens, which typically weigh around 7 or 8 lb.
For close to twenty years, I've been using a Wimberley Sidekick adapter in conjunction with a Kirk BH-1 ballhead, on a Gitzo G1325 Mk II tripod. Some years ago I added a Gitzo G1321 Leveler under the head, which allows quick adjustments when using the tripod on uneven ground and makes the gimbal work better. I use it with up to 500mm f/4 Canon lens (as well as 300mm f/2.8, 100-400mm zoom and others), typically on a camera weighing about 2 lb. and sometimes with a 1.4X or 2X teleconverter and/or a flash... works great! An adapter such as the Sidekick provides the tilt movement, while the ballhead provides the panning movement. Nice thing about this arrangement is that the tripod can quickly be swapped back for "normal" use with smaller lenses, simply by removing the Sidekick. (The Gitzo models have all been superseded by newer models now... this is intended just as a general guide.)
Full size/J-post gimbals with the bottom mount are able to handle more weight, work similarly except that the gimbal head completely replaces any other head on the tripod, making it sort of "long lens only" while it's installed. To use with short lenses (i.e., no tripod mounting ring), you basically need to swap out the entire head for another one (a ballhead or a pan/tilt... whichever you prefer). There are "adapters" that can be fitted to this type of gimbal to allow a camera w/short lens to be mounted... in horizontal orientation only. Side mount full size/J-post gimbals are pretty much the same, except with the adapter you can only attach the camera/short lens in vertical orientation (unless you also have an L-bracket on the camera).
I simply wouldn't recommend the U-shaped gimbals because they are big, heavy and way more than you need with that lens.
Here's a summary of a lot of the gimbals currently on the market, with illustrations of the four different types mentioned above:
http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/gimbal_list.htmWith all these, you need to install an Arca-Swiss compatible lens plate on the foot of your lens' tripod mounting ring. In some cases, an alternative is a replacement foot or even a replacement tripod mounting ring, with the Arca-compatible dovetail built in. This Arca-compatibility is necessary to fully utilize the gimbal, because you need to be able to adjust the lens/camera combo slightly forward and backward to achieve equilibrium. Once that's done, you can move the entire rig rapidly and smoothly with a very light touch. Arca-compatible plates are widely available.... just needs to be a bit longer than the tripod mounting foot of the lens. Replacement tripod mounting feet and rings are less common. Check with Kirk Photo, Hejnar Photo, Wimberley (tripodhead.com), Really Right Stuff, and a few others.
If you choose to go with one of the gimbal adapters, you'll need a heavy duty ballhead with an Arca-compatible quick release platform. Again, that's a fairly common feature... easily found on better quality ballheads.
If you go with a gimbal adapter, I would not recommend the Jobu "Micro" BWG because it's designed for smaller/light lenses. The Wimberley Sidekick and Induro GHBA both will be able to handle a 500mm f/4 lens just fine.
MT Shooter sells the Nest Carbon Fiber gimbal head (full size/J-post, bottom mount}. It seems a good value for a quality head and the carbon fiber may even help absorb some vibrations (as does a carbon fiber tripod). Note: I've seen some other "carbon fiber" gimbals that are actually aluminum covered with a layer of carbon fiber, just for appearance and actually end up weighing a little more than plain aluminum!