Originally posted by 672 Atlq9, you mention that your wimberly doesnt get used often, so, what head do you favor for supertelephoto? I am asking because i finally had it with a manfrotto 501 (video head) and just recieved a wimberly mark one which i am very excited to try out. I tried an acratech long lens head , but it's not so good with medium format glass. The only downside i can see so far with the wimberly is size and weight for longer hikes.
Arca Swiss Z2. Wimberly has a lot of shake and vibration issues with a long lens at 40mp. Z2 is rated for nearly 4 times the load capacity. Has independent adjustment of 3 axis', Wimberly only has 2; Wimberly requires perfect leveling of tripod, leveling base (which induces a lot of vibration wit long lenses), or fiddling with the lens collar rotation, Z2 does not. Adjusting the composition is quite easy as each axis can independently be adjusted. You loose the ability to track moving subjects as effortlessly but who tracks fast moving subjects with a 645D and manual focus A* 600mm? Besides most of the time to improve stability you need to be using a 4th leg (from camera body to tripod leg...) which makes tracking impossible. It stays mounted on the Berlebach wooden tripod all the time. I don't go on long hikes with a 645D and 600mm so carrying the extra 8 lbs isn't an issue if it less than 5 miles. I will be trying out attaching my gyro to the camera and using the wimberly to see if there is an improvement but I am not optimistic.