Register · Search · Software · Join Upload & Sell · Hosting

	Moderated by: Fred Miranda
	Username   Password FM Forum Rules FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell    Search Used end    Archive 2009 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II

Lethal_weapon Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #1 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I have a Canon 500 F4 IS and I have been looking for a good Gimbal head. Everyone seems to have a Wimberley (I or II) but I heard about the Black Widow Heavy Duty mk II. Does anyone have experience with the Black Widow? I am considering it as it seems to have decent specs and is also from Canada...(actually made in Asia but the design is from Canada...) Looking to use it for birding and possibilily off a boat as well. Picked a used Induro Carbon that will support 26LBs so I should be good. Thanks Nov 02, 2009 at 02:27 AM

montynj1 Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #2 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I have the Jobu BWG-Pro which is one step up of the Heavy Duty Gimbal. The BWG-Pro is a quality, solid built gimbal that is easy to use. The rubberized knobs is a nice touch for the cold days. If new MKII heavy duty model is anything like the BWG-Pro, you won't have any regrets. I bought my gimbal directly from Jobu Designs and Ian, the sales mgr was a great guy to deal with. He was very patient and answered all my questions and I have no doubt they stand behind their products. Would not hesitate to buy from them again. Nov 02, 2009 at 02:54 AM

godfather Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #3 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Both sound like good choices. I've used both versions of the Wimberley and they both work very well with the 500. If your on a budget try to find a nice used first gen Wimberley. Nov 02, 2009 at 02:58 AM

Lars Johnsson Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Wimberley II + 500/4 IS Nov 02, 2009 at 05:43 AM

ParroTone Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #5 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I also have the BWG-Pro and it works as advertised. Its heavier duty than the BWHDII but I would imagine the quality is very much the same. I wouldnt hesitate going with Jobu. FYI - The lock feature on the Pro is a nice addition. Here's a BWG-Pro for a decent price http://tinyurl.com/BWG-PRO if your interested. Nov 02, 2009 at 05:56 AM

jhom Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #6 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Wimberley has a 60-day trial program that you can use to see if you like their products. I'm not sure Jobu has a similar program. Jim Nov 02, 2009 at 04:42 PM

geniousc Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #7 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I've owned both, the older BWG and currently own the Wimberly II. If you take both of them apart which I have done, the Wimberley has far supperior build quality. I had to overhaul the BWG to make it smooth, I'm not saying they are all this way but the Wimberley is built better either way. Gene Nov 02, 2009 at 08:14 PM

rprouty Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #8 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Either way you can't go wrong Nov 03, 2009 at 01:00 AM

Kartik P Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #9 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I have a long term objective to buy the 500L. Hence I was doing the same research sometime back. I read through various reviews and decided to get a Black Widow HD mk II. Though some reviews mention that finish or built quality of Jobu is not upto the mark, I found it to be excellent. I have borrowed and used a 500 with this gimbal and was glad that I saved a bit of $$$ over Wimberley. I would suggest that you borrow and shoot with both and then pick one that "works" best. For me Jobu did a great job and Ian was a great guy to deal with. Regards, Kartik Nov 03, 2009 at 09:36 AM

Breitling65 Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #10 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Lars Johnsson wrote: Wimberley II + 500/4 IS I am glad that you also don't use replacement foot on 500L Nov 03, 2009 at 02:05 PM

Breitling65 Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #11 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I like Wimberley II gimbal, I got used one like new on FM for $100 cheaper than in strores It holds mine 500L + 2x or 1.4x superbly as well as 300L/F2.8L also with different extenders. One thing I don't like is this bolt on my Gitzo for head connection, but that is Gitzo issue not gimbal. Nov 03, 2009 at 02:08 PM

PORSCHE917 Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #12 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Dear Lethal: Like Lars and Breitling, I recommend the Wimberley II. It is a superb gimbal. Best regards, Roman Nov 03, 2009 at 04:16 PM

Lethal_weapon Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #13 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Thanks everyone! Wimberley is the standard for sure but I checked the Black Widow and got some great reviews as well (and is Canadian..(-: ) will post up a pic when I get the BW setup with my tripod and 500 Lethal Nov 03, 2009 at 04:23 PM

Lethal_weapon Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #14 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Here are the pics of the new Black Widow HD II and Enduro C4314 Carbon Feels really solid and rigid The height is perfect and if I dare use the center column I could shoot birds overhead! The Black Widow is smooth and very easy to manipulate and the rubberiazed controls are very nice! Looks like a keeper to me! Thanks again to all that gave advice! Lethal Nov 05, 2009 at 11:56 PM

ParroTone Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #15 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Looks nice! Good luck with it! Nov 09, 2009 at 05:50 AM

Dave Good Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #16 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Lethal, For landscape or portrait photography Jobu Designs also make a "Wide Angle Adapter" for shorter lenses without a collar. It can be mounted in several different ways and works just fine. Dave Nov 09, 2009 at 02:45 PM

Jeff S Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #17 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II The Wimberly seems designed for use with the gimbal on the left, the Jobu for use with the gimbal on the right (the photos above illustrate this). I much prefer having it on the right side as it leaves the left side of the lens open for focussing and access to the switches. Without taking my hand off the shutter, I can adjust the pan or tilt tension, locking on a stationary subject if needed to increase stability, or when resting. I can then easily rest my left arm on the lens for stability, and still easily reach the horizontally mounted tilt knob if I need to. When I'm done shooting (being right-handed) I can grab and lift the gimbal with my right hand. For carrying though, this means lifting the lens up and over your head. With the Wimberly, you can reach under, grab the gimbal and just put the camera body over your head. You'll see many people using both heads mounted out either side, so obviously it comes down to personal preference - in part depending on whether you are right or left handed, and how mobile your subjects are (i.e. how often you need to tweak the tension). Jeff Jan 31, 2010 at 08:04 PM

David Kenney Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #18 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I looked at both the Jobu and Wimberley prior to making my final decision to purchase the Wimberley. The main factor that influenced my decision to purchase the Wimberley was the quality of the Wimberley over the Jobu. When I thought about the cost of my D3X and 600 MM F4 VR being right at 20K I thought it made more sense to spend the extra dollars and get a product with a proven track record. The Wimberley has performed flawlessly in all kinds of conditions since its purchase a little over a year ago. The Wimberley makes using the 600 effortless and provides a stable camera platform for this combination of equipment and is great for panning with shorter focal length lenses for sporting events. Feb 04, 2010 at 02:06 AM

sperraglia Offline Upload & Sell: On p.1 #19 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II I really like the look of Jobu's wide angle adapter. Do you think it would work on the Wimberley? I know RRS makes the MH-01 that works with the Wimberley, but I really don't want to support RRS so if the Jobu wide angle adapter works with a Wimberley I would love it. Feb 04, 2010 at 03:08 PM

rmc1 Offline Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #20 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Just in case you're not aware, Wimberley also has their own method to mount a camera directly to their head, the M-8 plate as shown here: http://www.tripodhead.com/products/p5-m8.cfm I'm a weirdo that doesn't like ballheads and am considering this myself. Feb 05, 2010 at 02:28 AM

SoundHound Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On p.1 #21 · Wimberley or Black Widow HD mk II Get the best get the Wimberly Mk II! Feb 07, 2010 at 02:45 AM

	FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell end

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username   Password   Lost your password?