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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
05-15-2015, 12:32 PM
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I started with one of the eBay units and ultimately bought a Katana myself.
All of the lower priced units seem to be the same clones of each other, the next step up is much more expensive.
In looking at the Opteka, and reading the reviews, I get the sense that Opteka just buys whatever generic gimbals it can get its hands on and slaps its name on it.
For example, the picture shows an uncoated metal unit, but reviews state that it is rubber coated.
I suspect that they are the same units that are being sold for $79 elsewhere, so if you want to just start out with items in that range get the $79 version as it will probably turn out the same.
With some DIY effort you can probably get it to perform better than new, as described in the reviews.
With the one I bought I did end up taking it apart and sanding down a washer and adding some lubricant and it was much smoother, but I could never cure the issue that when I loosened the swing knob it would droop ever so slightly.
That's when I decided to cut my losses and invest in a better gimbal.
I think these will all work similar to the Opteka based on the critical reviews.
camera gimbal head | eBay
And the BK-45 can be ordered from China much cheaper.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
05-15-2015, 11:58 AM
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Yes it does say that. From the exploded view the bearings do not support the arm weight.
That type of bearing will work on the central pivot but will probably still not give smooth motion on the swing.
For the swing you need to have bearings of the type found in roller blades.
The critical review here 'bears' this out. :)
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Opteka GH1 Pro Heavy Duty Metal Gimbal Head (Supports up to 30lbs)
Anyway the Bigma does not weigh too much and so the gimbal will probably work fine. it does look bettter than the eBay ones that I disassembled and found no bearings at all, just some nylon washers inside.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
05-15-2015, 11:39 AM
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The Katana is worth the $$, I can attest.
But back to your budget, if you already have a good ball head, a sidekick style gimbal like the RH1 is not a bad option for the Bigma that has a rotating collar.
The problem with all the cheap eBay gimbals is that the movements are not ball bearing supported, so the little adjustments you need to make when on a long focal range will not be smooth.
This is why better gimbals cost so much. The RH2 seems like a good compromise as they use bearings in the pivot points.
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