chaim wrote:
I'm an amateur bird photographer using a Sony RX10 IV bridge camera. My first tripod came with a ball head that was difficult to keep from slipping if even so slightly. I switched to a Manfrotto 128RC Micro Fluid Head. I'm basically happy with it but wonder if a gimbal head would give me more flexibility to quickly follow a bird as it flies.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Here's an example of my photography.
No, a gimbal tripod head WILL NOT WORK with your camera and usually isn't a good choice for birds in flight, in particular.
Gimbals are designed for use with lenses that have tripod collars. Those are typically only found on interchangeable telephoto lenses (for DSLRs and mirrorless). I'm not aware of any "bridge camera" like yours that has a tripod mount collar on the lens.
In fact, it would be impossible to mount your camera to most gimbal heads.
Gimbal heads also are generally best used with very large and heavy lenses. They work well with 300mm f/2.8 and larger. I regularly use with a 100-400mm too, though it's doesn't "balance" quite as well on the gimbal, as do heavier and longer lenses. I do not use my gimbal heads with 70-200mm f/2.8 and 300mm f/4 lenses that are around 3 lb. or less. They balance very poorly on a gimbal.
For birds in flight, I find hand holding best. There are exceptions, of course, but most bird flight is too erratic to follow well with a lens on a tripod, regardless the type of head being used. MAYBE a monopod... I use one sometimes for sports such as auto racing, equestrian events... But those subjects are also moving along predictable paths, unlike most birds.
Several responses above praise various gimbals or their use in general... and they aren't wrong. Gimbal heads can be very useful with the right cameras and lenses. However those earlier responses didn't consider the camera you're using. They simply aren't made for use with non-interchangeable lens "bridge" cameras like your RX10.
EDIT: In a followup you mention that your camera is light weight. Many people actually find that "lighter" often doesn't translate into "steadier" shots. In fact, I add battery grips to my DLSRs in part to increase their weight and mass, for steadier shots. (This also helps the camera balance better when fitted with a large lens on a gimbal head. Of course, the grip also doubles battery capacity, provides a comfortable means of holding the camera in vertical orientation and provides a secondary set of controls.) I currently use five "full size" DSLRs for work, each of which weigh around 2 lb. for the camera and grip alone... plus the weight of any lens (some of the largest of which weigh 8 lb.) I also have a small mirrorless "travel, hiking, street photography" kit... a body with four compact lenses and a few accessories... that entire kit weighs less than even one of the DSLRs with one of the more moderate size lenses. Frankly, I find it a lot more difficult to get a steady shot hand holding that little mirrorless camera, versus hand holding one of the DSLRs.