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Buying Guide for Gimbal Heads

GIMBALS

What is a gimbal head?

Well if you've gotten this far, you are doing well. You've narrowed down the 'correct' term for one of these devices. Frequently referred to as a swing-head, tripod-head, long-lens-head, trapeze-head... or in French as a rotule, or tete-cardan... let's just settle and call it a gimbal.

A gimbal head balances your camera and lens at their natural centre of gravity. A ballhead will balance the lens only when the centre of gravity is directly vertical over the ball, as soon as it moves forward or backward it will want to fall. Ballhead designers implement friction and all sorts of fancy elliptical gizmos to fight gravity. This is like using a screwdriver to hammer a nail. Wrong tool, wrong job.

A gimbal head balances your lens naturally. You can probably picture the way a large telescope is mounted. There is a reason for this, it works. Our gimbal heads use the same principle to make your lenses and cameras weightless. When properly setup, your lens will never 'flop' or 'tip'. It will stay wherever you point it.. You can move a 600mm F4 lens with one finger, and you can lock it down securely for long exposures as well.

Head-on view of a gimbal looking at the lens.

 

Jobu Design currently makes 3 sizes of gimbals. The large Jobu Pro2, the Jobu Heavy-Duty DMG-HD4, and Jobu Jr.3 series.

What happened to the sidemount gimbals like the LW3?

Although gimbals can be setup with the quick-release on the side (ie, a side-mount gimbal), we don't generally recommend it. We've made great technological advances in making our gimbals lighter every year: the weight-advantages of going side-mount without a swing-arm compared to the increased safety of a top-mount clamp cannot be justified for most customers.

Our gimbals fall into this range depending on your lenses:

 

 

Jobu Jr3 Series

 70-200 F2.8, 300 F4, 500m F4 (with special considerations)

 Max weight:

 12lbs

Jobu Heavy Duty HD4 Series

 300 F2.8, 500 F4, 600 F4, 200-400 Pro zooms

 Max weight:

 30lbs

Jobu Pro2

 300 F2.8, 500 F4, 600 F4, 800 F5.6, 300-800

 Max weight:

 50lbs

 

Maximum gimbals weight limits are for occasional use.  Our gimbals are extremely strong, but continually overloading the gimbal will generally cause poor braking performance, extra vibration or unecessary wear on internal components and will void our manufacturers warranty.

The best performance and 'sweet-spot' for continual daily use is our recommended weight column.

Please note, that currently ONLY the Heavy-Duty Mark IV comes with a starter lens plate. All other gimbals do not.  Please check our lensplate page for specific sizes for your lens.

 

 
 

We offer 3 sizes of gimbals. The BWG-J3K,  BWG-J3 Deluxe Kit and the  and BWG-HD4. The BWG-Pro2B, BWG-HD4 and BWG-J3K come in a top-mount configuration, the BWG-LW3 is a side-mount unit (a BWG-HD3 without the horizontal arm). You can alter the BWG-Pro2B, BWG-HD4, BWG-J3KDLX & BWG-J3K by removing the horizontal arm to use the units as side-mounts. -- Neither top-mount or side-mount is BETTER than the other or STRONGER than the other, it is merely your CHOICE which you think would work better for you.

Converting the BWG-Pro2B to a sidemount you will require the QRR-PRO Pro 2.5" Quick Release Clamp Kit, Converting the BWG-HD3 and BWG-J3KDLX to sidemounts you will require the QRR-STD Standard 2.5" Quick Release Clamp kit, Converting the BWG-J3K to a sidemount you just remove the HM-J2 Horizontal Mount from the Gimbal Head and then remove the quick release clamp from the mount itself and fit the quick release clamp to the side of the Gimbal Head.

Both top and side mount work really well, there are advantages/disadvantages to using an Horizontal Mount (HM-Pro2, HM-3, HM-J3D or HM-J2).

Advantages: easier loading of lenses (esp. HEAVY lenses), adjustability of vertical balance, centering of lenses for panning.

Disadvantages: cost, weight and very little to zero potential for increased vibrations.

 

Size guide:

Our gimbals fall into this range depending on your lenses:

 

Gimbal Head Size & Weight Guide
GimbalGimbal WeightSize HxWRecommended Lens and Camera Combined WeightMax Weight Capacity
BWG-Pro2B3lbs 5oz
1.5Kgs		11.5" x 9"
292mm x 228mm		5-30lbs (ie. sigma 200-500mm f2.8, 600mm f4)35lbs+
15.8Kgs+
BWG-HD4 Heavy Duty2lbs 10oz
1.19Kgs		11" x 8.5"
279mm x 216mm		5-25lbs (ie. 200-400mm f4, 500mm f4, 600mm f4)25lbs
11.34Kgs
BWG-LW3 Lightweight1lb 13oz
0.82Kgs		11" x 8.5"
279mm x 216mm		5-25lbs (ie. 200-400mm f4, 500mm f4, 600mm f4)25lbs
11.34Kgs
BWG-J3KDLX1lb 8oz
0.68Kgs		8" x 8"
203mm x 203mm		5-10lbs (ie. 70-200mm f2.8, 150-500mm zoom, 400mm f5.6)12lbs
5.44Kgs
BWG-J3K1lb 7oz
0.65Kgs		8" x 8"
203mm x 203mm		5-10lbs (ie. 70-200mm f2.8, 150-500mm zoom, 400mm f5.6)12lbs
5.44Kgs
 

 

Maximum gimbals weight limits are for occasional use. Jobu gimbals are extremely strong, but continually overloading the gimbal will generally cause poor braking performance, extra vibration or unecessary wear on internal components and will void our manufacturers warranty.

The best performance and 'sweet-spot' for continual daily use is our recommended weight column.

Please note:- The gimbals heads do not come supplied with a lensplate unless otherwise specified.

 

The Basics:

  • Gimbals are tools that allow an object to balance in every direction around its centre of gravity.
  • For heavy D-SLR cameras and telephoto lenses, Jobu gimbals support them as if they are weightless.  Telephoto lenses are heavy and cumbersome, holding them safely is imperative to using them.

 

A few words to know:

  • Gimbal – a tool that balances an object at its natural balance point in every direction.
  • Lensplate – a small bracket that allows a camera/lens to be adjusted to balance properly, front to back.
  • Arca-Swiss style – the so-called ‘standard’ in lensplate design and clamps.
  • Double-dovetail – lens plates the use a V-groove on their edges, a very useful safety feature for mounting accessories.
  • Quick release – the clamp that holds a lensplate tightly.
  • Swing-Arm – Also called a horizontal mount, this component allows for balance adjustment in the up-and-down direction.

 

BWG-Pro2B (Black):

  • Our biggest gimbal, in a class of its own, is easily the smoothest and strongest gimbal on the market.
  • Able to handle ANY lens. The typical customer that buys this shoots with a 500mmF4, 400mm F2.8, 600mm F4 with a Pro D-SLR size body.
  • The only gimbal head to use oversize double-sealed ball-bearings in all axes, allowing buttery smooth movement and fingertip control.
  • Includes a lockout switch that enables the swing-arm to remain horizontal, which allows for safe setup of cameras and worry free over-the-shoulder travelling.
  • No play in the bearings whatsoever.
  • Absolutely 100% weatherproof.
 

BWG-HD4 (Heavy Duty) & BWG-LW3 (Light Weight):

  • Our mid-size gimbal weighs in at 2lbs 10oz.  Recommended maximum load of 25lbs.
  • Suitable for lenses and cameras weighing up to 15lbs (600mm F4 + Pro body - No problem!).
  • Seriously stiffer! The new CNC swing-arm is upgraded with a solid billet aluminum horizontal arm offering fantastic stiffness and improved vibration control for big lenses.
  • Ball bearings in tilt axis are extremely smooth under any load.
  • Swing-arm can be removed to create a sidemount gimbal that weighs less than 1lb 13oz.  Purchase the QRR-STD quick release clamp to convert the BWG-HD3 to a BWG-LW3 sidemount gimbal head, theses are great when using only one lens for an extended hike.

 

BWG-J3K (Standard) & BWG-J3KDLX (Deluxe):

  • Our 3rd generation of small gimbal heads is our best by far and most popular size.
  • Able to handle a wide variety of lenses, from 70-200 F2.8/F4, 300mm F2.8/F4, 100-400 zoom, 150-500 zoom, 400mm F5.6, 400mm DO, etc.
  • Roller bearings make the tilt axis very compact and very smooth.
  • Fantastic control of tilt resistance.
  • Rubberized knobs are very comfortable and easy to use when wet.
  • BWG-J3K Swing-arm can be removed to create a side-mount gimbal that weighs barely over 1lb.
  • BWG-J3KDLX Swing-arm can be removed, you will require the QRR-STD quick release clamp to convert the BWG-J3KDLX to a sidemount gimbal head,
  • Excellent for new telephoto photographers.
  • Works great on a monopod too – bundle this with our MCF-284 Carbon monopod for a system that weighs less than 4lbs!
  • Named Gear of the Year by Digital Photo Magazine UK

 

BWG-M1 Micro Gimbal Ballhead Adapter:

  • The BWG-M1 Micro is a compact side-mount gimbal head that is used to create a gimbal head from any high-quality Arca-Swiss compatible ballhead.
  • By flopping the ballhead on its side, the Micro is installed creating a super-lightweight gimbal.
  • This system is extremely lightweight and very easy to pack into any bag for the occasional telephoto shot.
 

Accessories and Must-Haves:

  • Lensplates – each lens must have it’s own plate for proper balance adjustment and fit. In general, measure the lens foot length and add 1” for mounting a flash bracket. Also, check our lens plate fitting chart on our website, Lensplate Information.
  • Replacement feet – for lenses with tall lens collar feet (esp. Nikons), it is often necessary to replace the original foot with one of our custom lens feet to improve the handling of the lens by lowering the balance point.
  • Flash brackets – our tool-less installation flash brackets are quick to setup and teardown.
  • We also make: gimbal bags, bubble levels, multi-function plates, quick-release clamps, panoramic bases and many more items.

 

Questions to ask yourself when looking to buy a Gimbal Head:

  • What is my biggest lens?
  • What is my shooting style? Static shots, or dynamic?
  • Do you hike or shoot from a car or blind?
  • What is my budget?
  • How soon will I upgrade my lenses? Am I looking to upgrade to a 600mm f4 at some point.

 

What we suggest:

  • Do not buy a cheap gimbal head, this is an investment in the security of your equipment.
  • If you can, buy 1 lensplate for each lens you plan on using with the gimbal, we recommend our surefoot plates for a guaranteed fit.
  • Buy a small gimbal like a BWG-J3K when learning, (dependent on weight of kit) buy a BWG-HD3 or BWG-Pro2B when upgrading to big lenses such as a 500mm f4 (BWG-HD3) 600mm f4 (BWG-Pro2B). (keep the BWG-J3K for lightweight hikes).
  • Don't forget: Jobu Design Canada customer service is second to none. They will service or replace your equipment as fast as possible in every situation, for little to no cost.  Jobu Design UK is a independent company and will comply with the customer service guarantee with authorisation from Jobu Design Canada.  Shipping charges extra.
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