petego4it Loc: NY

Would love to hear of experiences comparing these 3 quality gimbal options, most particularly considering speed and security of the camera or lens attachment method and, for RRS, the lever versus the knob. Thanks.

Bill_de Loc: US

I have the original Wimberley since around the time they were first introduced. I haven't looked at the others because I think mine will outlive me. I'm not a fan of levers for holding things that get moved around much. Getting a vine caught while walking through the woods could be disastrous.

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Fotoserj Loc: St calixte Qc Ca

I’ve been using a Wimberley from the day after my first birding,never use anything else, there were a few different brand and most were using Wimberley so that was it, my old man used to say by the best tool you can it will out live you

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

I have a complete Wimberly WH-200 Gimbal package for sale on eBay now.

I currently use the RRS Pano Gimbal both outdoors and in studio setting with lenses 24-70 and longer.

Both are very well made an will support any lens you would put on them securely.
I feel the Wimberly is simpler and more oriented to outdoor shooting of birds and other wildlife.
The Wimberly has less parts and less interchangeable parts which makes it faster and easier to setup.
The RRS has a built in level on the pano arm for leveling the head. The Wimberly has no level built in so if leveling is important your camera or tripod leveling would have to be used. Not a super big deal in my mind.

It also has no markings on it, so it is not as repeatable settings wise as the RSS which is covered with scales on each axis and control. The RRS with these scales is much easier to use for pano shooting and multi row pano shooting if you are interested in shooting a number of images and stitching them together into a massive image. I also use the scales in some studio shooting that I do for repeatability. The scales make repeatability easy. You can also buy an RSS extra vertical arm with an Arca mount and use that to attach a camera or lens from the side which can be useful and faster than changing the mount on the RSS. Versatility but at a price and if you need it or not.

The lever versus screw is a personal issue in my view. I have levers on my RRS base but most of the controls are knobs. Not having a lever on the Wimberly never bothered me though. I can see where the lever could possibly catch on something perhaps but when locked not much of the lever is exposed to catch on anything. I think you would be catching your lens or camera before you would catch the lever actually. I think either is just about as fast to adjust a lens or camera position. The lever may be slightly faster to release and change out a lens or camera or other mounted item. One or the other may be easier for some sizes and strengths of hands to use. You would have to judge these factors and decide what is right for your needs of course.

Either way I think there are a lot of accessories that RRS offers that can be used on the RSS or the Wimberly. I have the RSS long lens support and a few different clamps and camera bars that I find useful for setups I use. Any of these can be used on any Arca type mount though. Both companies offer different types of mounts that can be used to mount accessories such as Speedlights, etc.

In the end both of them are quality pieces. It comes down to how you intend to use the gimbal. It also comes down to cost. To really deck out the RRS you are possibly going to spend double or more than what a Wimberly will cost you. But you will also have more precision, repeatability and options with the RRS. The cost can also be spread over time as you can buy the RRS as pieces if you want.

I also usually have a RRS L bracket mounted on my camera...

If you have any other questions feel free to ask or PM me.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Pete - Don’t overlook the Nest-brand gimbals. UHH member “MT Shooter” owns a respected camera store in Billings, MT. He is an authorized dealer of Nest products, including tripods, monopods and gimbals. He is also a highly skilled landscape and wildlife photographer. He would be a great person to contact regarding gimbals in general and how they compare in practical use.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I use Wimberley WH-200 and an very happy with it. Never explored the other ones.

MDI Mainer

I have a Nest and fully agree!

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

Buy a Nest from MT Shooter on our website. http://www.cameracottage.com/ http://www.cameracottage.com/equipment

Carter is a great man to deal with and a wealth of information

Great Christmas Gifts Ho Ho Ho

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

wilfredmike

Did most of them. Chose Gen4 Mongoose.

jimq Loc: Cape Cod, MA

I use the Wimberley 200. I bought it before MT started selling the Nest, If I had to do it over I would consider his gimbal. As for the lack of scale marks on the Wimberley I use a slash of white out to mark the setup for each lens, it's hard and even stays put in the rain. Also, I got a bubble level at Harbor freight for $1.95 and glued it over the screw that Wimberley says to NEVER touch unless the gimbal wears out, that won't happen in my lifetime.

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

I spent the extra money and got a Wimberly, mainly because I was mounting a $8,000.00 lens on it. Bottom line, you will not find many used Wimberly's out their, and there is a reason for it. Folks who own them don't want to sell them, they are that good.

Robert Bailey Loc: Canada

This is the 3rd thread about Gimbal Heads in the last week.
I'm sure there is a way to look back and check the multitude of words
already written on the topic.

petego4it Loc: NY

Thank you all. Valuable input for me!

Mr. B Loc: eastern Connecticut

Ditto!! I love mine. Smooth as a baby's butt. But if you like spending more cash than necessary by all means do so. Do yourself a favor and check Nest out. (Their heavy-duty carbon fiber tripods are a real value as well!) Happy hunting!