Frogfish wrote:
I was using a D800E with 300/2.8 VRII and TC20EIII on a substantial Benro monopod. Total weight was around 5-6 kgs including the monopod.
I wrapped all of my equipment with a black version of normal duct tape (don't remember the brand - bought it from B&Q, a DIY superstore from the UK, in Shanghai) so that : a) so my fingers/face would not stick to any uncovered metal parts b) because I was sticking hand warmers onto the outside of the camera and c) protection.
I have this Gimbal and LOVE IT. The cold temp stuff does not bother me much since I don't shoot in the extreme cold at all. The Wimberley lens foot on my Nikkor 200-400mm f4G VR1 fits the Nest mount perfectly and the safety pin on the Nest catches the lens in case it is tilted forward or backward without being tightened. It is very smooth and stable in all directions, a real joy to use. And the light weight makes it great for moderate hiking.
I just ordered and received one of these Nest gimbals from the US distributor Camera Cottage. It was defective - the tripod mounting screw was not square, so that it would not mount flush to the tripod. The bearing joints also had very sticky oil oozing from them. Even though the website says that the arca mount has been changed to allow drop in use without removing the safety screw, that was not the case. My biggest objection was the damping - I tried it in warm weather with a 500mm/4 and even with that weight I thought the damping was excessively stiff. I've used other gimbals, even much less expensive ones (Movo GH700) that were much nicer to use. Overall, although the carbon finish looks nice, I was pretty unimpressed with the product. Worse was the retailer - I contacted him, explained the defect, and as instructed returned it to him at my expense. He agreed the mounting screw was defective and offered to replace or refund. I chose refund. He said fine. The refund showed up without the original $30 shipping charge, let alone any reimbursement for my shipping a defective product. I questioned this and he rudely replied that shipping was my problem and "this matter is closed." So I'm out about $50 for receiving this defective product. I've never been treated like that by a retailer. Oh well. Subsequently, I did some investigating - although there are a few very positive review of this product on the internet, it turns out that most of them are in fact by the owner of the distributor, who goes by MT shooter. I now see that he freely recommends the product on forums and review sites without mentioning that "oh by the way, I'm the sole US distributor of the product." Oh well, you live and learn.
barefootdsh38 wrote:
I just ordered and received one of these Nest gimbals from the US distributor Camera Cottage. It was defective - the tripod mounting screw was not square, so that it would not mount flush to the tripod. The bearing joints also had very sticky oil oozing from them. Even though the website says that the arca mount has been changed to allow drop in use without removing the safety screw, that was not the case. My biggest objection was the damping - I tried it in warm weather with a 500mm/4 and even with that weight I thought the damping was excessively stiff. I've used other gimbals, even much less expensive ones (Movo GH700) that were much nicer to use. Overall, although the carbon finish looks nice, I was pretty unimpressed with the product. Worse was the retailer - I contacted him, explained the defect, and as instructed returned it to him at my expense. He agreed the mounting screw was defective and offered to replace or refund. I chose refund. He said fine. The refund showed up without the original $30 shipping charge, let alone any reimbursement for my shipping a defective product. I questioned this and he rudely replied that shipping was my problem and "this matter is closed." So I'm out about $50 for receiving this defective product. I've never been treated like that by a retailer. Oh well. Subsequently, I did some investigating - although there are a few very positive review of this product on the internet, it turns out that most of them are in fact by the owner of the distributor, who goes by MT shooter. I now see that he freely recommends the product on forums and review sites without mentioning that "oh by the way, I'm the sole US distributor of the product." Oh well, you live and learn. ...Show more →
Good feedback.
So far, my Nest has been holding up fine, and I am pretty happy with it. It does seem stiff, to me. Smooth, but stiff. However, I have no basis for comparison with other gimbals, so cannot comment. No issues with any leaking fluids.
Perhaps you might contact MT Shooter/Cottage Camera and direct him to this page? In today's world, especially if you are not a major vendor/retailer, reputation/review/opinions in photographic communities such as this one are important. And for many people, including myself, post-sales support and service are almost as important as the product itself. So perhaps if Cottage Camera was aware of this, they may respond and make good?
Thanks, the retailer agreed that the mounting screw was defective (this was a significant functional defect - it was off by several degrees) and offered to send a replacement, but I don't think that would have solved the other issues (stiff damping or arca mount limitations, which he says are normal), so I took him up on his offer of a refund. I can see that some may like the damping feature, but to me it somewhat takes away from the "weightless, effortless" experience offered by a gimbal. Frankly I'd have been fine with all this, but thought it was very unfair that he refused to refund the original shipping costs (let alone return shipping), given the product defects and lack of conformity to his own website description (re the arca mount).
Forgive me for not reading the thread, but I have no need for a gimbal head. I did want to mention that Hunts has a sale on the Induro gimbals if anyone is interested:
barefootdsh38 wrote:
Thanks, the retailer agreed that the mounting screw was defective (this was a significant functional defect - it was off by several degrees) and offered to send a replacement, but I don't think that would have solved the other issues (stiff damping or arca mount limitations, which he says are normal), so I took him up on his offer of a refund. I can see that some may like the damping feature, but to me it somewhat takes away from the "weightless, effortless" experience offered by a gimbal. Frankly I'd have been fine with all this, but thought it was very unfair that he refused to refund the original shipping costs (let alone return shipping), given the product defects and lack of conformity to his own website description (re the arca mount). ...Show more →
That is a huge disappointment, really glad I purchased my Nest second hand knowing it was a good copy (and not giving that terrible "distributor" any profit). I've found the damping to be very smooth in all directions so I am willing to bet there are some manufacturer QC issues. The mount grabs my Wimberley tripod foot on my Nikkor 200-400mm f4G perfectly.
Last I checked you can import two Nest gimbals via Alibaba for ~$300, totally worth it to split the deal with a friend. Cuts out the middle man who obviously isn't interested in taking care of his customers.
Not sure what that means, but if any of the "C's" stands for some variant of "Crap" and "F" for that good old Anglo-Saxon profanity ... I agree!!!
Good thing it was sitting in a plastic box by itself (at room temperature storage in Michigan, mind you --- I was told when I sent it in the fluid might leak at "high" temperatures). If it was in a camera bag or not in a water tight box, that fluid would have leaked onto my lenses and cameras. This would have been cause for quite a few more profanities ....
just tracked this down while looking for "leaking Nest gimbal head"... yep, same thing, leaking and sticking to everything it touches. So glad I had it in it's case, in the plastic bag it came with. Haven't sent it back yet but I guess I'll hafta dig out the original payment and merchant info.
