I didn't see any Benro products on their website that looked remotely like a sidekick. Did you mean Jobu (they don't have a sidekick either) or some other manufacture?
Mike K
I was reading a test of the 3 different Benro Gimbal heads in a Swedish photo magazin last month. Maybe you can read Swedish when you are from Finland. It was the Proffsfoto number 2 magazin.
This is their internet site http://capdesign.idg.se/2.2563
Cool, it looks like Wimberley will get a bit more competition. Clearly they are not importing them to many countries yet. I like Benro tripods, good price, but they are a bit heavier.
Mike K
Lars Johnsson wrote:
I was reading a test of the 3 different Benro Gimbal heads in a Swedish photo magazin last month. Maybe you can read Swedish when you are from Finland. It was the Proffsfoto number 2 magazin.
This is their internet site http://capdesign.idg.se/2.2563
You can't give us a hint? Not that I likely need one when it comes to Benro products.
Dec 20, 2009 at 03:26 AM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
dcains wrote:
You can't give us a hint? Not that I likely need one when it comes to Benro products.
They got a rather good or descent review in the magazin. And they wrote that they worked like they where supposed to do, like other Gimbal heads. But they also finished the review by writing. We don't know how they will last or work over a longer time. Because we only tested them for one day
I'd be curious about how they look inside. The internals of Benro Arca-style ballheads are notoriously shoddy, and don't hold up well over time (cheap metal bearing surfaces that get pitted and grooved with repeated use). If they've improved things, they would do well to promote that fact, though to do so would be to admit how badly they were made originally.
Smiert Spionam wrote:
I'd be curious about how they look inside. The internals of Benro Arca-style ballheads are notoriously shoddy, and don't hold up well over time (cheap metal bearing surfaces that get pitted and grooved with repeated use). If they've improved things, they would do well to promote that fact, though to do so would be to admit how badly they were made originally.
My guess is that they won't go out of their way to promote "we've changed" because: i) as you mentioned, companies don't like to admit to mistakes, ii) a quick scan of the Web indicates that the majority of people who buy the majority of Benro products are thrilled with their performance and value, and finally iii) aside from a few products (those ballheads in particular) people who have been using benro products for the past few years have anecdotally indicated that they're holding up very well (let me add my piece to that: not a year old yet, but my benro tripod has been in sand, fresh and salt-water, used across Southeast Asia, crashed inside my bag going really fast down a mountain in the Bavarian alps in the snow and ice-- that just happened a few hours ago), and served me very well for professional editorial assignments.
A months ago I was looking for an inexpensive arc-swiss type camera plate for the Arca-Swiss Z1 monoball so I brought my Wimberley WH-200 gimbal with me for testing. I found one for $15 and also noticed this Benro GH-2 gimbal in the store. So naturally I asked permission to take some iPhone shots comparing one with the other.
I wasn't able to test the stability or ergonomics under load as neither the store or I had a long lens and proper tripod to test with.
The four knobs of the Benro only unscrewed a quarter of the way compared to the Wimberley. The metal work felt sturdy on the Benro but has a finish appropriate for the price. The Benro assembles the very same way the Wimberley does.
Dec 20, 2009 at 04:15 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
The Wimberley costs $600 in the US vs the Benro that costs $300 in the Philippines.
A lot of companies make arca-swiss type lens plates to the point that Arca-Swiss (the company) puts a label on there Z1 monoball that warranty will not be honored with 3rd party plates used with their products. So Benro making arca-swiss plates may be unfairly looked at as a sin they're solely guilty off.
Though the store didn't have it the Benro China website describes 5 different lens plates that corresponds to the Wimberley one. Though the lengths are not an exact copy the width and height were. Adorama carries 4 of the 5 lens plates at nearly half the cost of Wimberley, RRS, Kirk, and other brands.
Dec 20, 2009 at 05:00 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Now would I buy one? Being the cheapskate that I am I may have bought one but I already have a Wimberley which I love to bits.
But the same with Swedish reviewers I wondered how long the Benro gimbal will last as I've read a number of local user complaints about other non-gimbal Benro products malfunctioning. Granted the market Benro sells their product to is very fault tolerant but gimbals normally handle gear north of $3,000 which isn't exactly their core customers.
Let's see here, Benro gimbal ...hmmmmm? Save $45 ....hmmmm? Benro high quality gear ...hummm? Benro, years of user experience ....hummm? Bend over to pickup smashed gear ....hummmm?
