My experience with gimbal heads.

[Ted Evans]

Gimbal heads are new to me and being cheap by nature, I did not want to spend any more than absolutely necessary on one. The Induro head looked good and was a bit cheaper than Jobu or Wimberley so that is what I ordered. It was very well finished and seemed to be made very well, I really like the looks of it. However, although the pan was very smooth the tilt was not. It was almost like the tilt tension was lightly set but it was not and the camera/lens remained in whatever attitude they were released at, they did not return to level. The decision was made to return it and try the Wimberley. Although I prefer the appearance of the Induro, the Wimberley tilt is much smoother and it was very easy to balance where it returns to the level position when released.

I cannot say if this was unique to the specific head or if it is a design issue and the Induro tech person could not tell me. He suggested that I send it back for them to test which I was not willing to do if he could not answer my question if the unit was defective or if it was performing as designed. It made no sense to me to pay for shipping it back to them and be without the head for days/weeks to only have it returned as no trouble found. Therefore, the reason for spending the extra dollars for the Wimberley.

 

[Buckster]

1. When you write "Induo", do you mean "Induro"?
2. If you do, which model?
3. Did it not have a tensioning knob, as most gimbal heads do?

 

[Ted Evans]

1. When you write "Induo", do you mean "Induro"?
2. If you do, which model?
3. Did it not have a tensioning knob, as most gimbal heads do?

Yes, I omitted the "r" and it was the GHB2

Yes, it had the tension knob, as I believe I alluded to. The tilt function operated very smoothly when there was no weight on it but required much more energy than the Wimberley to start the motion when the camera/lens was loaded. This caused a problem when a very small adjustment was needed as the force starting the movement would cause it to go too far.

 

[Buckster]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

 

[Ted Evans]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

Hey Buckster, thanks for commenting. It could have been just a defective unit but when the tech could not, or would not, tell me that the symptoms were an anomaly and being that I had read another person saying the operation of his unit was not smooth, I was not willing to take the chance. I am aware that part of the cost is due to the reputation of the name but IMO, if a $150 unit is as good as a $600 dollar unit then the more expensive company would go out of business. Had the Induro operation been satisfactorily smooth, I would have much rather had it at $100 less than the Wimberley but unfortunately, that was not the case.

 

[Buckster]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

Hey Buckster, thanks for commenting. It could have been just a defective unit but when the tech could not, or would not, tell me that the symptoms were an anomaly and being that I had read another person saying the operation of his unit was not smooth, I was not willing to take the chance. I am aware that part of the cost is due to the reputation of the name but IMO, if a $150 unit is as good as a $600 dollar unit then the more expensive company would go out of business. Had the Induro operation been satisfactorily smooth, I would have much rather had it at $100 less than the Wimberley but unfortunately, that was not the case.

The fact that there are people out there willing to spend the money to buy a Lamborghini, doesn't mean that a FAR less expensive vehicle won't do the job of getting you around comfortably and efficiently. And the fact that FAR more people choose to spend FAR less on a vehicle that does a perfectly fine job of getting them around comfortably and efficiently doesn't mean that Lamborghini goes out of business because of it.

I cannot imagine how a $500 or $600 gimbal head could possibly do a better job of allowing me to work with large lenses than the FAR less expensive one I have and use.

Just because something is more expensive doesn't make it necessarily better.

 

[Ted Evans]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

Hey Buckster, thanks for commenting. It could have been just a defective unit but when the tech could not, or would not, tell me that the symptoms were an anomaly and being that I had read another person saying the operation of his unit was not smooth, I was not willing to take the chance. I am aware that part of the cost is due to the reputation of the name but IMO, if a $150 unit is as good as a $600 dollar unit then the more expensive company would go out of business. Had the Induro operation been satisfactorily smooth, I would have much rather had it at $100 less than the Wimberley but unfortunately, that was not the case.

The fact that there are people out there willing to spend the money to buy a Lamborghini, doesn't mean that a FAR less expensive vehicle won't do the job of getting you around comfortably and efficiently. And the fact that FAR more people choose to spend FAR less on a vehicle that does a perfectly fine job of getting them around comfortably and efficiently doesn't mean that Lamborghini goes out of business because of it.

I cannot imagine how a $500 or $600 gimbal head could possibly do a better job of allowing me to work with large lenses than the FAR less expensive one I have and use.

Just because something is more expensive doesn't make it necessarily better.

I agree with your comments and if you are happy with your equipment and it works for you, then that is all that matters. I was not happy with the Induro and I am happy with the Wimberley and that works for me.

 

[astroNikon]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

I've stayed away from Gimbal heads due to the cost. But looking at your response there's a lower cost and good quality option I'll be looking at.

 

[Buckster]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

I've stayed away from Gimbal heads due to the cost. But looking at your response there's a lower cost and good quality option I'll be looking at.

There's a video review of the Opteka GH1 by Diverhank on Amazon here:

Amazon.com Opteka GH1 Pro Heavy Duty Metal Gimbal Head Supports up to 30lbs Tripod Heads Camera Photo

When I go to that page, it's the first and "most helpful" review of the item, and he's pretty thorough in reviewing it.

From my experience, I can't imagine what else I could possibly want from a gimbal head. It lacks nothing, and there's not a thing about it that I can think of to "ding" it, and nothing I wish it had that it doesn't. The action is smooth as silk, the tensioning knobs work perfectly, it locks tight when you want it to, and it'll hold a ton of gear, more than I have to put on it.

I've used it with lenses up to my Canon 500mm FD lens on a full-frame 5DMKII with battery grip, balanced perfectly so that it can be moved to any direction with a single finger.

It just plain works.

 

[jsecordphoto]

IMO, if a $150 unit is as good as a $600 dollar unit then the more expensive company would go out of business.

It's actually that type of logic that keeps some more expensive companies IN business.

 

[Ted Evans]

IMO, if a $150 unit is as good as a $600 dollar unit then the more expensive company would go out of business.

It's actually that type of logic that keeps some more expensive companies IN business.

Really? I built custom cabinets for a custom home builder. My prices were considerably more than some other shops so why would he pay extra for my work? Because I used materials that were better, i.e., more expensive, in my construction than the shops that charged less. There was one job that he asked me for a cheaper option due to his budget but when I suggested that he go to another shop, he found the money and I did the job. Some of the extra cost was for things that would never be seen by the average customer but he knew they were there and was willing to pay for them. If someone chooses to believe that a $150 unit has the same quality as a $600 dollar unit then good for them. I use a lot of tools and I know from experience that the norm is the more expensive ones are better. BTW, I only posted this thread to share the experience that I had with the Induro and had the technician that I spoke to suggested there was a flaw in my unit that could be corrected, I would have kept the unit but he did not relate that position. OTOH, I am perfectly happy with the Wimberley and it would not matter if it had cost $50 rather than $600. Had I based my decision on cost, there are other units much more expensive than Wimberley.

 

[Buckster]

I'd be interested to see the quantifiable justification for the additional $450.

 

[Ted Evans]

Must've gotten a bad one.

I have two gimbal heads. The first I built myself from scrap laying around. It works okay. Very smooth action as I used some nice ball bearing assemblies cannibalized from a scrapped assembly line roller system. It cost me nothing but my time and effort to do some engineering, cutting, welding and painting type work to build it.

The second is a very inexpensive (like $150) Opteka GH1, and it works perfectly for me, as is.

I see that the Induro goes for about $500 and the Wimberly goes for more like $600. Sure am glad I didn't pay those kinds of prices.

I've stayed away from Gimbal heads due to the cost. But looking at your response there's a lower cost and good quality option I'll be looking at.

There's a video review of the Opteka GH1 by Diverhank on Amazon here:

Amazon.com Opteka GH1 Pro Heavy Duty Metal Gimbal Head Supports up to 30lbs Tripod Heads Camera Photo

When I go to that page, it's the first and "most helpful" review of the item, and he's pretty thorough in reviewing it.

From my experience, I can't imagine what else I could possibly want from a gimbal head. It lacks nothing, and there's not a thing about it that I can think of to "ding" it, and nothing I wish it had that it doesn't. The action is smooth as silk, the tensioning knobs work perfectly, it locks tight when you want it to, and it'll hold a ton of gear, more than I have to put on it.

I've used it with lenses up to my Canon 500mm FD lens on a full-frame 5DMKII with battery grip, balanced perfectly so that it can be moved to any direction with a single finger.

It just plain works.

I read the reviews on Amazon and not everyone shares the view that it is a fantastic head, parts break. Now read the reviews on the Wimberley, how many breaks do you see in those?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?N=10404536&InitialSearch=yes&sts=pi
Wimberley WH-200 Gimbal Tripod Head II with Quick Release WH-200

I still maintain there is a reason why one is $150 and the other $600. The same reason why some will pay $6k for a 200-400 Nikon lens rather than $1k for Tamron 150-600, there is a reason for that price differentiation. I have the Tamron and it does a superb job for my skill level. If I was a pro or a better photographer, I would have the Nikon, all just my opinion.

 

[Ted Evans]

I'd be interested to see the quantifiable justification for the additional $450.

I have a question, considering that you made this comment about the head that you built, "It works REAL well, and makes me VERY happy!" and I believe that you stated that it only cost you some time, then why would you spend $150 on another head that does the same thing as the one that cost you nothing but time? How do you justify the additional $150?

 

[jsecordphoto]

I'm glad you take pride in your work. I work as a painter, and have worked carpentry as well, so I see a LOT of people willing to cut corners and use cheap materials while working in houses. That being said, there are plenty of companies in the photography world that perform as good, or better, than their big name counterparts. The biggest problem I see with these companies is their quality control. For some people it is worth spending 2-3x as much to know the product they get will work perfectly the first time around, and some people will save a bunch of money knowing they may have to return something to get a good copy.

Look at the rokinon 24mm 1.4, which is consistently rated higher than the nikon or Canon equivalents for astrophotography. It costs like 2k less but performs better wide open, with less coma. The problem is their QC is terrible so you may have to go through a few copies to get a good one. I still see people buying the significantly more expensive canon or nikons thibling that they'll perform better. That's just ONE example. You're basing your entire opinion around one experience