BWG-J3K Jobu Jr.3 Compact Gimbal Head

The Jobu Jr.3 gimbal (BWG-J3K) is smaller, lighter, smoother and more compact than our earlier BWG-J2K head.  Needle roller bearings allow smoother tilting under heavy loads and better adjustment of friction. Lockout force has been improved 200%, and overall durability has been improved in all aspects. The perfect travel companion, it easily fits into small pockets of your existing bags.

BWG-J3K Features:

• One-piece hollow, cast, heat treated aluminum body
• Extreme stiffness for a small gimbal head
• Overall 1.0” reduced height from Jr.2 head
• 30 grams lighter than Jr.2 head
• Removable swing-arm (HM-J2) - Fully CNC Machined, not cast, from solid 6061-T6 billet aluminum. More room for camera clearance.
• Includes Arca-Swiss compatible quick release clamp
• Needle roller bearings in tilt axis for smoothness
• Rubberized knobs for cold and wet weather usage
• Standard 3/8” tripod mount
• Recommended for camera and lens combos of 5-12lbs. This is the sweet spot for balance and fit. See product description.
• Maximum weight capacity: 50+lbs / 20+kg See product description.

Recommended for:

70-200 F2.8/F4, 300mm F4, 100-400 zoom, 150-500 zoom, 400mm F5.6 and other similar size lenses. 

The Jr.3 and our other gimbals fit any tripod with a standard 3/8"-16 threaded top. We DO NOT RECOMMEND tripods with a 1/4"-20 thread under any circumstances. Using a 1/4"-20 threaded tripod with a reducer bushing will VOID your warranty.

Please note that the new Nikon 200-500 zoom does not balance well on the Jobu Jr.3 (in the vertical direction) due to the height of the foot collar on this lens. We recommend the Jobu Jr.3 DLX (it has deeper clearance for tall lenses) or the DMG-HD4 gimbal head as the best all-around gimbal choice. Alternatively, the Jobu Jr.3 could be set-up as a side-mount gimbal with the 200-500 by moving the quick release to the alternate side-position.

Lens and camera recommended under 12lb total. Everyone asks if this means the Jr.3 is weak and inferior to a £99 Chinese imported gimbal with a weight capacity of 50lbs. No, of course not! The Jr.3 is a superior product with REAL specifications, not made-up, meaningless weight capacity numbers. Our 12-lb recommendation is meant to steer you to choose the correct cameras and lenses for best fit, clearance and balance. 

Yes, you can routinely use a 500mm F4 or 600mm F4 lens on the Jr.3 gimbal head without fear of damage, but in general we recommend that the HD4 is more adequate for most users shooting with big equipment. Only choose a Jr.3 for serious weight savings when you have severe luggage restrictions or packing size limits. We designed the Jr.3 in order to fit a 100-400 zoom and similar lenses, so all clearance points, finger gaps, etc are intentional by design. Using equipment that is physically larger (note this has NOTHING to do with weight limits), will limit your tilt ability up/down, or make it impossible to balance your lens (you may need replacement feet, or even CUSTOM feet for your lens, to make it fit and balance).

NOTE: Small lenses may have restricted tilt-motion when pointing "up" if you are using a battery grip or pro-size DSLR. For instance, a 70-200 F2.8 with a Canon 1Dx will balance very close to the camera and restrict the tilt capability due to the battery grip area's proximity to the base of the gimbal head. For small lenses, we generally recommend smaller camera bodies to ensure balance points are in the most practical locations for photography with gimbals.

Requirements:

1. Requires 1x Jobu Design Surefoot lensplate or Replacement foot, or compatible Arca-Swiss plate. Plates are NOT included with the Jobu Jr.3 series gimbals at this time.
2. Requires sturdy tripod with 3/8"-16 top bolt thread, like the TCF-36 Algonquin, or equivalent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1jwdKq7C5o

S Woolcock on 11/06/2019

( 4 / 5 )

Excellent Quality and very stable. Would have preferred the rotational lock knob on the other side where it would not interfere with the plate release. Disappointing that at this price no quick release plate was included but given the price of some of them this is not surprising. Defiantly a quality product and very quick delivery well packed without an oversize box which is so often the case.

Mark Jankiewicz on 19/10/2018

( 5 / 5 )

Superb product. Ideal for travel as light weight but very sturdy. Handles my Canon 400mm Do lens with ease.

Brian Jones on 19/10/2018

( 5 / 5 )

I have hummed and hawed over a gimbal for my 300MM F4 for a while. Once I bought an extender for this lens I decided that a ball head was just not cutting it. One recommendation is to get a long lens foot plate to adjust the balance. My 7D with grip and extended lens was back heavy on the 2 inch foot plate so I bought a 4.5 inch one. You can not mount the camera by it's self on this and that's not what a gimbal is for but Jobu does make an accessory that will allow that for a price. The gimbal is sturdy but surprisingly light weight and the arm is adjustable to three heights. For BIF you must have a gimbal, in my opinion, and I'm sorry I waited so long to get it. Buy this one and you won't be sorry.

John Taylor on 12/04/2016

( 5 / 5 )

For the price,the Jobu Jr.3 Gimbal head is a no brainer. It is a well engineered head, lightweight and small. I use it with a Cannon 5D Mk3 and the cannon 100-400 Mk2 zoom, and it balances perfectly. If you use the 5D with the optional battery grip, then you will need a longer Arca Swiss lens plate to balance it, which Jobu can supply at cost. Overall, I am very pleased with this Gimbal head, and would highly recommend it .

Susan on 01/12/2011

( 5 / 5 )

Bought this to pair up with a Sony Dslr and the Sony 500mm Reflex Lens.It is a tiny lens compared to a 500 F4, but a 500mm none the less, so I wanted to stabilise this set up as best I could, in order to obtain sharp wildlife images.An internet search for a "small gimbal head for small telephoto lens" gave this as the only search result.The camera itself mounted beautifully to the gimbal head via the camera body plate SF BP1 and the clamp plate SF CP1.I have not had a chance to go out in the field with it as yet, but playing around with it indoors, it is as smooth as butter when panning and tilting. The head and all components are extremely well made. A quality product!A big thank you to Tony Anderson, the proprietor, who was very diligent in making sure that the correct elements were purchased and even telephoned Jobu in Canada to double check first.

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