The No-Gamble Gimbal

We've been selling Wimberley heads for years in various forms. When I started working for the shop a decade ago there was a stack of Indian-made castings in the store-room that were intended for use as long-lens gimbals. The quality was on the high agricultural level - the castings were big and sturdy, and any reasonable use would see the things good for decades. But the things were bulky and insensitive to the locking mechanism That was then and this is now. In the interim we have seen genuine Wimberleys come through occasionally, and have also noted similar devices in the Really Right website as well. The prices were really right too, if you looked at them from the perspective of the accountant for the wholesaler. Now we have a good alternative right in-store - the Sirui carbon fibre head. The level of sophistication and finish is everything that any could be desired - look at the clever design that lets one portion of the casting act as a clamp on another one with the no need for gouging serrations. The finish on the metalwork should stay pristine for years. It's all infinitely adjustable as far as the balance point of long lenses goes and the friction screw for the training motion lets to take advantage of a slow fluid action if you are using this for video. I am just impressed with the carbon fibre construction and the neatness of the pattern on the surface. Things do not have to look rough to work well.