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Archive 2017 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

rick2906
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Did any of you guys try this gimball head?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1056495-REG/promediagear_gk_katana_gimbal_head.html

Is it much better then a wimberley wh200? I can't find reviews comparing both. All I could see is that it is suppose to be smooth as butter as many have said.

It seems well made but I wish the buttons were place the same as a wimberley,both on the same side for one hand operation

Dec 22, 2017 at 06:38 AM

sjms
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

i have the GKJr. Katana Junior Telephoto Lens Gimbal Head. it is as smooth as butter and then some. its control knobs are on one side. PMG has some visual eccentricities (leaning towards the "steampunkish" look) but it is easy to get into as its functionality is outstanding. it will support and assist you with pretty much anything you got. they have come a long way from their humble beginnings. don't let the "Jr" moniker fool you. take a hard look at it. a refined product beyond the others in its class.

previous ownership:
- Wimberley Sidekick (10 yrs)
- Jobu Designs Heavy Duty HD4 Series (6 months)

Edited on Dec 22, 2017 at 08:29 AM · View previous versions

Dec 22, 2017 at 07:50 AM

rick2906
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

does is have the same function has the katana 2?? katana (normal) is 750$ us vs 499$ for the jr.

It seems to have the same load rating (50 lbs) , could it hadle my 600f4e with a gripped body? what's hea heaviest payload you put on this gimball?

Thank you, not many feedback about these.

Dec 22, 2017 at 08:09 AM

sjms
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

well, at Photo Plus in NYC they had that canon 600mm white whale on it with a 1Dx and you could spin it like a top effortlessly along with some other lenses. they told me they sort of under shot on the pricing and it may end up changing somewhere downline in the up direction.

me, i get my long stuff from Nikon on an as need basis. at the point i use it regularly with a sig 120-300/2.8 and the TC along with my current bodies (currently the D7200, D500, D850) which i use ungripped but that wouldn't make a difference to this as it is overbuilt and precision made.

this actually does compete with their own larger Katana.

my reference point is RRS products in general.

your lens is a little over 8.5lbs my 120-300 is 7lbs. not a biggie difference for usage on this gimbal

they also include a really nice reasonably long plate for your foot.

Dec 22, 2017 at 08:29 AM

rick2906
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Alright thank you, I will buy one as I want to have 2 gimball. sometime I use two tripod, one with my 200F2 and the other one with my 600mm f4. This might become my main gimball as it seems better then a wimberley wh200, the panning seems to be really smooth and precise

Dec 22, 2017 at 09:41 AM

sjms
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

i think you will enjoy it. as you can see you actually have a choice of colors for once too

i was getting tired of the old "any color you want as long as its black" myself.

Dec 22, 2017 at 09:44 AM

rick2906
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

I like discreet black for photography even thought red is my favorite color!!!

Dec 22, 2017 at 09:51 AM

sjms
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

i can simply shroud it as needed.

Dec 22, 2017 at 09:57 AM

peter_n
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Red is also my favorite color (the shirt color of my hometown football team) and I splashed out when Markins and Photo Clam came out with the color heads. I had a blue and two red Markins heads and a bright canary yellow PC head to try out. But I got over it and now I'm Back to Black with the support equipment; the bright colors attracted too much attention. I do have an orange backpack though.

Dec 22, 2017 at 03:44 PM

sjms
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

i have a mat mil green Markins M10

Dec 22, 2017 at 05:21 PM

Weasel_Loader
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

I'll be most likely placing an order after Xmas for the GK Katana Gimbal Side Mount.

ProMediaGear has great customer support. They've always responded super quick with any questions I've had about their products. I've only previously owned one of their products (L plate for A7s). Top quality stuff and I'd put it up there with another company making the same products that we all know and love.

I'm waiting for a monopod which I'm told is in the works.

Dec 23, 2017 at 12:47 PM

Melancholia
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

That's a gorgeous piece. The "scaffold" look grew on me over time. I have a Sigma 150-600mm Sport but I'm just not committed to wildlife. I'd rather have a TR344 first, anyway.

Dec 23, 2017 at 01:02 PM

rick2906
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Sjms, you have the rrs universal leveling base! How do you like it? I was thinking of getting one. I'm pretty sure it is top notch like every other rrs product.

Dec 26, 2017 at 06:34 PM

sjms
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

its not the universal version, it is the one designed for the TVC24. it does exactly what it designed to do, and yes, it does it well.

i purchased the tripod used and it came with a whole bunch of stuff extra. had this not been included i would have ordered it almost immediately anyway

Dec 26, 2017 at 06:57 PM

Venky
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

SJMS, I am on the fence to choose between a Jobu Design HD4/ Promedia gear Katana Gimbal head and Wimberely WH 200. which is the better of the three and why as you have used all of them. Thanks very much.

Dec 26, 2017 at 09:09 PM

rick2906
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Promediagear make the katana and the katanajr. They say the katanajr can take a 600mm f4 lense with a gripped body. I have a wimberley wh-200 and the promediagear katanajr is lighter 2.4lbs vs 3.2lbs for the wimberley. Katanajr seems to have better bearings then the wimberley wh-200. The wh-200 is really good but I think it could be smoother.

Dec 26, 2017 at 09:23 PM

sjms
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Venky wrote:
SJMS, I am on the fence to choose between a Jobu Design HD4/ Promedia gear Katana Gimbal head and Wimberely WH 200. which is the better of the three and why as you have used all of them. Thanks very much.

first let me say that i own the GK Jr not the full sized Katana so i cannot opinionate on that particular model. i have borrowed a Wimberley 200 a few times and used a Sidekick for 10 years also owned a Jobu HD4 for 6 months.
- the Jobu HD4 while good in its own rights is not quite as well finished as the GK Jr.
- the bearings are superior on the GK Jr in relation to just about all others mentioned.
- due to the reference markings (on both sides of the vertical adjustment and on the seeable side of the AS clamp channel) at adjustment points the ability to change over different lens/body combinations is easier and less time consuming.
- the GK Jr has all metal componentry and adjustment knobs. lots of nicely machined aluminum alloy and stainless Steel in the open
- the HD4 platform height adjustment knob is polymer
- GK Jr vertical platform adjustment lock knob is alloy and can be rotationally repositioned 6 points
- the HD4 is a bit lighter and just a little less bulky 2.2lbs vs 2.4lbs of the GK Jr
- the GK Jr is a fully machined device vs the Wimberley and Jobu
- on the GK Jr the base lock knob is on the same axis as the platform lock for same hand operation. one high one low and each perpendicular to each other so you know which one your grabbing from a tactile point. this is even better than their own full Katana in my opinion
- supplied starter lens base AS plate fits a wider variety of lenses on the GK Jr
- in the latticed swing arm there are additional threaded slots an various locations for use with your imagination.
- GK Jr AS base closure knob could use a little deeper knurling for gloved grip.
- large pretty high precision bulls eye level on the GK Jr
- from what i can see there is little difference in the baseline construction between the Katana and the GK Jr

i found that the PMG GK Jr to be about the sweet spot to me and is possibly the most under priced in its class. the only real negative i found so far is the machined edges overall (on the latticing and such) tend to be on the hard (sharp) side and will be susceptible to dinging somewhat more. could have spent a little time in the tumbler.

still getting to know it better

safety addendum: don't stick your fingers in the lattice and start swinging it around on those nice smooth bearings with big heavy lenses/bodies. inertia based results may vary

Dec 27, 2017 at 02:07 AM

Venky
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

Dec 27, 2017 at 01:21 PM

sjms
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

hope it helps you decide.

Dec 27, 2017 at 01:28 PM

xtian312
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · promedia gear Katana gimball head

sjms wrote:
first let me say that i own the GK Jr not the full sized Katana so i cannot opinionate on that particular model. i have borrowed a Wimberley 200 a few times and used a Sidekick for 10 years also owned a Jobu HD4 for 6 months.
- the Jobu HD4 while good in its own rights is not quite as well finished as the GK Jr.
- the bearings are superior on the GK Jr in relation to just about all others mentioned.
- due to the reference markings (on both sides of the vertical adjustment and on the seeable side...Show more →

The only experiences I have had with gimbals before getting my GKJr Katana were the Wimberley WH-101/WH-200 and the SK-100... And between those, hands down the GKJr Katana takes the cake... Every thing that SJMS said above (regarding the GKJr) is pretty much on point... The only thing I disagree with is the hard (sharp) sides that he speaks of. I don't have that issue with mine as mine seems to be smooth all around. In fact, it's so pretty that I feel like I need to baby it to keep it looking pretty...

Can't say enough good things about it, and a lot of my photog friends who see my set up (PMG TR424L w/ leveling base & GKJr Katana) are envious of it! In fact one of them was swooning so hard that he's since bought the same exact set up and has used his 600mm f/4L IS II with 5DSR and 1.4x extender on it with no issues....

Dec 27, 2017 at 02:27 PM

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