# Opteka Gimbal Head Review



## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 17, 2013)

I was wanting a low cost but sturdy gimbal head to try my new Nikon 200-400mmG with. I've previously used the big Wimberly head with my Canon 600mm f/4, so I know how a gimbal head should work.

At $150 on Amazon, the Opteka was reasonably priced, and with a 30 lb rating, certainly heavy duty enough to hold my 9 lb combination of lens and camera.

I received it and sure enough, it was heavy duty, plenty big and strong for my purpose.

That's where my positive comments end.

This was a piece of junk. Nothing worked right. I did not expect a Wimberly head, but I did expect something useful. I could have pried out the silly plastic compass thingy which likely covers a adjustment screw, but the swing mechanism was binding at some points, so even loosening up the screw would not fix the mis-machining. They obviously did not intend for it to be adjusted, I'd have to damage the cover seals to pry them out and adjust it. Really amateur construction, all heads need adjustment eventually.

I posted a review on Amazon, so I'll quote from it here:

Here are some of the things I saw.

1. Very stiff for swinging a lens vertically, even with the tightening know loosened, it was stiff and I could not move the lens. No need to balance the lens, even my heavy Nikon 200-400mmG stuck in whatever position I left it.

2, Very Stiff horizontal panning, again, pretty much useless.

3. Machining of the swing arm and vertical slider was rough and so loose that it would catch when trying to raise or lower it, with or without lens.

Its really useless for tracking a bird in flight, and so jerky that its difficult to get it pointed at a stationary object.


Being a optimist, I ordered another low cost Aluminum Gimbal Head from Amazon. I'll post my comments when I use it.


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## Drizzt321 (Oct 17, 2013)

Thanks! Very useful, as I don't expect I'll often need a gimbal head, but it might be handy to have one that works OK on hand should I need to rent a BWL.


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## Eldar (Oct 17, 2013)

Same story, one believes one bought something cheap and functional and it ends up being just cheap ...


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## ftico (Oct 17, 2013)

I had a pretty much similar experience... but unfortunately due to traveling I could not return it. So I fixed it the best I could, oiled it a bit, stiffened some screws and loosened others, trimmed a bit extra plastic cover that introducing friction. Now the horizontal panning is reasonably smooth, the vertical still a little stiff but less so.

All in all, it is now usable, but:

When you loosen the knob for the vertical panning, the arm lowers a bit. With a 400mm with an extender on a crop body, it forces you to recompose.

For me, this is the worst feature of the head.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 17, 2013)

Drizzt321 said:


> Thanks! Very useful, as I don't expect I'll often need a gimbal head, but it might be handy to have one that works OK on hand should I need to rent a BWL.


You can rent a head along with the lens. 

I wanted something cheap to try out the lens which I will likely sell. It might be useful for a 100-400L or something like that as opposed to a ball head. I usually use mine handheld or with a monopod, so I was not planning to get one for that, but for birds in flight, it might be useful.


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## Drizzt321 (Oct 17, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> Drizzt321 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks! Very useful, as I don't expect I'll often need a gimbal head, but it might be handy to have one that works OK on hand should I need to rent a BWL.
> ...



Yea, but if there's a decent enough gimbal for $150-200, over the years can be the same. And just as useful with somewhat shorter lenses at need. Like I imagine I'll get the 100-400 eventually (maybe the v2 will be out by then :), and I probably won't have a real need for a top end gimbal head, but a decent one that's a lot cheaper would be just fine for me. That is...until I decide I might want to get into BIF, lol. 

Anyway, my thought is I'd prefer to own as long as I can get good enough quality, unless it's something I'll use once in a year or two.


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## GuyF (Oct 17, 2013)

You might want to check out LensMaster. Pretty cheap and does the job. I'm happy with the RH-2 I bought from them.

http://www.lensmaster.co.uk/index.htm


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 17, 2013)

GuyF said:


> You might want to check out LensMaster. Pretty cheap and does the job. I'm happy with the RH-2 I bought from them.
> 
> http://www.lensmaster.co.uk/index.htm


 
I don't think they sell them in the US.

I was out using the Opteka today, and cussing it out a bit. It could be a great buy with just a bit more care in manufacturing.


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## GuyF (Oct 18, 2013)

Spokane - they will ship anywhere as far as I'm aware. Send 'em an e-mail.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2013)

GuyF said:


> Spokane - they will ship anywhere as far as I'm aware. Send 'em an e-mail.


 
I'm trying a second model, it just arrived 10 minutes ago, I haven't even opened it. If its junk as well, I'll either try the one you mentioned, or consider dismantling the Opteka and adjusting it.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2013)

I just opened the box, this head is everything that the Opteka was not, nice finish, tightly machined parts that fit and operate smoothly. Its Aluminum and light, but obviously very strong. It was packed in foam (Not Styrofoam), so it could withstand a lot of mishandling in shipping, while the Opteka was in a bubble bag in its box and could bounce around in shipping.

I did not need to mount it to see the huge difference in build quality, but I'll be testing it.

The only weird thing is that the Arca Swiss clamp did not open wide enough to install the AS plate they supplied with it. This was noted on a review I read, apparently, its a simple set screw adjustment to allow it to open further. It is missing snap-in covers for the adjustment screws, I'm wondering if they were left off for a reason. It would look nicer if it had them, I'll try asking the dealer why it doesn't have them.

The head has a nice instruction sheet written in clear English telling how to setup your lens and balance it. It also covers adjustment of the head components for tightness and to remove any play. (The Opteka had none) The instructions makes reference to a Wimberly pate and head, so someone missed cleaning up the terminology, since it is obviously not remotely related to Wimberly.


*Now, for the best part, it cost $99.95 and is shipped by Amazon Prime in the USA while the Opteka was $150.*

http://www.amazon.com/CoralPix-CPGH-Aluminum-Arca-Swiss-Release/dp/B00D3UBO0E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382147057&sr=8-2&keywords=gimbal+head

I'll do a more complete review with images once I have used it a bit, and confirm my initial observations about the quality.


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 19, 2013)

Great find, thanks for sharing!


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## wickidwombat (Oct 19, 2013)

i got the benro gimbal for my 600 fd lens and its great have a look at them

whoops replied before i see you got something else


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## privatebydesign (Oct 19, 2013)

Sorry guys, I just bought the last one!

P.S. Thanks Mt Spokane for the heads up.

P.P.S. If anybody is interested it seems Sears have them for $165 too

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM7875831202P?ci_src=184425893&ci_sku=SPM7875831202&sid=IDx20130125xMPALLx028


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2013)

privatebydesign said:


> Sorry guys, I just bought the last one!
> 
> P.S. Thanks Mt Spokane for the heads up.
> 
> ...


 
I'm wondering if its also marketed for a higher price as a brand name item, but I haven't spotted one. Hopefully they will be back in stock for $99 on Amazon..


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## Drizzt321 (Oct 19, 2013)

Ohhh...that looks really promising. Thanks for the find! Time to put it on my wishlist


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## Drizzt321 (Oct 19, 2013)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> http://www.amazon.com/CoralPix-CPGH-Aluminum-Arca-Swiss-Release/dp/B00D3UBO0E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382147057&sr=8-2&keywords=gimbal+head



Hmmm...Amazon says currently unavailable.


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## scottkinfw (Oct 19, 2013)

If you need an instruction video, Wimberley (http://www.tripodheadinfo.com/wimberley-head-ii/video-balancing-the-wimberley-head/) has one on their site that is about 3 minutes long and is very good. 

At first I was reluctant to buy a gimbal head as it looked a bit complex. However, after a few minutes, I loved that the camera/lens did not drift and moved effortlessly. I sound like an advertisement, but the Wimberely manufacturing is excellent, and everything is smooth. For Short lenses, the perpendicular plate is useful, but you can't rotate the camera to vertical. Neuro likes another high end brand because it breaks down flat for travel, but he can expound on that. I also got lens coat protection for the head, as I take it in the field and don't want it scratched up.

Scott



Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I just opened the box, this head is everything that the Opteka was not, nice finish, tightly machined parts that fit and operate smoothly. Its Aluminum and light, but obviously very strong. It was packed in foam (Not Styrofoam), so it could withstand a lot of mishandling in shipping, while the Opteka was in a bubble bag in its box and could bounce around in shipping.
> 
> I did not need to mount it to see the huge difference in build quality, but I'll be testing it.
> 
> ...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2013)

scottkinfw said:


> If you need an instruction video, Wimberley (http://www.tripodheadinfo.com/wimberley-head-ii/video-balancing-the-wimberley-head/) has one on their site that is about 3 minutes long and is very good.
> 
> At first I was reluctant to buy a gimbal head as it looked a bit complex. However, after a few minutes, I loved that the camera/lens did not drift and moved effortlessly. I sound like an advertisement, but the Wimberely manufacturing is excellent, and everything is smooth. For Short lenses, the perpendicular plate is useful, but you can't rotate the camera to vertical. Neuro likes another high end brand because it breaks down flat for travel, but he can expound on that. I also got lens coat protection for the head, as I take it in the field and don't want it scratched up.
> 
> Scott


 
I had the big Wimberly that I used for my 600mm f/4 L. The setup was too much for me. I bought a Nikon 200-400 f/4G and wanted to check it out before reselling it, so I did not have any intention of spending a lot of $$$.

Its not rocket science to set up a Wimberly type head, but its nice to have a instruction sheet outlining how to disassemble and to adjust the set screws on the swing arm and pivot. Its just a nice touch for a low cost item like this.

I'll be seeing how it works in practice tomorrow. I do not expect high end performance, but it needs to be usable.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 19, 2013)

One word about the AS clamp. I used a Allen wrench to back the screw out enough to where a clamp with stop screws can be put in it, but this also made the screw loose, so I tried backing it on out with my fingers, and out it came. There is no captive retention mechanism. Instead, the tip of the screw had some thread locker on it, and it prevented the screw from opening easily. There was about 1/4 inch of it on the screw, so it would have been 1/8 in of thread locker. I'm wondering if it will heal, or if I'll need to put some more on the screw. I'd like to find a bit longer screw, but that will come later. If the screw is too long, it won't close enough to clamp.

That's the weakest part that I've found, there is no danger of the clamp screw falling out that I can see, but I wish it were captive. A captive screw would mean machining a opening so that a c or e clip could be installed, and that not only costs a little more, but would make for a weaker part.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 21, 2013)

More of them are on their way from the factory, Alex from CoralPix contacted me today. 

It seems like a deal for the price, if you have $5,000 invested in a big white, go for a real Gimbal Head, they are worth it. But, If you are looking for something for occasional use and are on a tight budget, you will be pleased.
I paid $2500 for my Nikon 200-400mm lens and did not want to add $800 or more for a top of the line head. It turns out to work well, in fact, the poor tripod ring on the Nikon lens is the limiting factor, it has far too much friction to allow me to rotate the lens when tracking. I'll check to see if there is something wrong, but it is basically a new and unused lens.


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## privatebydesign (Oct 21, 2013)

I read your review on Amazon, mine won't be here until the 31st so I have a wait. Am interested if I can machine some bearings into it where the bushes are, just as a fun project.

I shoot dog trials and after four or five hours of holding the 300 f2.8 my keeper rate is dropping so I figured for $100 I'd give it a go.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 21, 2013)

privatebydesign said:


> I read your review on Amazon, mine won't be here until the 31st so I have a wait. Am interested if I can machine some bearings into it where the bushes are, just as a fun project.
> 
> I shoot dog trials and after four or five hours of holding the 300 f2.8 my keeper rate is dropping so I figured for $100 I'd give it a go.


The one is cone shaped, and I think its what sets the drag by rubbing on the aluminum casting. It has a slot cut out of it, so it compresses with applied force from the tightening knob.
My recommendation is to avoid trying to control friction and just keep the swing arm loose. If you loosen it too much, it will have quite a bit of play, but that did not seem to cause a issue. A more expensive one would have ball bearings and a separate friction brake that did not rely on tightening the whole assembly down. But, for the price.

I have a friend who delayed and you beat him out on the last one by a minute  He can get one when they come into stock.


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## surapon (Oct 21, 2013)

scottkinfw said:


> If you need an instruction video, Wimberley (http://www.tripodheadinfo.com/wimberley-head-ii/video-balancing-the-wimberley-head/) has one on their site that is about 3 minutes long and is very good.
> 
> At first I was reluctant to buy a gimbal head as it looked a bit complex. However, after a few minutes, I loved that the camera/lens did not drift and moved effortlessly. I sound like an advertisement, but the Wimberely manufacturing is excellent, and everything is smooth. For Short lenses, the perpendicular plate is useful, but you can't rotate the camera to vertical. Neuro likes another high end brand because it breaks down flat for travel, but he can expound on that. I also got lens coat protection for the head, as I take it in the field and don't want it scratched up.
> 
> ...



Thousand thanks for this great Video of Wimberely. Dear scottkinfw
Yes, I have 3 years already, But I do not know the right way to perfectely adjust the gimbal head.
Now I know.

4 Photos below are the gimbal head that I modify to fit my needs for 3 Flashes and Phottix Odin, The Wireless Flashes Control .
Thanks again.
Surapon

http://www.tripodheadinfo.com/wimberley-head-ii/video-balancing-the-wimberley-head/


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