Thoughts on Promaster Gimbal

[Ad Astra]

Does anybody have experience of the Promaster Gimbal heads? I have been looking at them as the price is reasonable. However, I cannot find much in the way of reviews on the web, are they good or are they on the lower price range for a reason?

 

[frdjohns]

I have no experience with Promaster gimbals. However, I feel that gimbals are similar to tripods in this regard; you get what you pay for. I would recommend waiting and saving until you are ready to purchase one of the higher quality gimbals available. That way you only buy once.

 

[Steve W]

It comes down to a number of factors, the size / weight of your lens/es, the weight you’re prepared to carry and your budget.
you could save for a top of the line model but it might be more than you need. If you buy a mid range one that suits your current needs then you’ll be enjoying the benefit of it now.

I chose mine (Sunwayphoto GH02) based on the above criteria plus frequency of use. Yep, it’s not a Wimberley or an RRS but it suits me fine

 

[EricBowles]

Recently a friend was having problems getting sharp images using his 500 f/4 lens. All the images were soft at a distance of 75 yards and longer. He was using it on a Manfrotto alloy tripod with a Jobu Jr. gimbal head.

While testing, we had his kit set up side by side with my RRS carbon fiber tripod and RRS ballhead with a Wimberley Sidekick and a 200-400 lens. You could see the front of his lens visibly moving any time a truck drove by or someone walked on the nearby boardwalk while my kit did not move. I was able to film the difference with my iPhone and you could see it clearly. Even with good long lens technique and a hand firmly over the lens barrel, vibration was reduced by 2/3 but still visible. He replaced his gimbal head and used a better tripod a few days later and suddenly his images were sharp.

There is a saying about overspending - something along the lines of "Don't put a $100 saddle on a $50 horse". It would not make any sense to buy a $1500 tripod and gimbal for a $1000 long lens. But if you have a good camera and an expensive lens, spending a reasonable amount makes sense. If you already have a good ballhead, a Wimberley Sidekick is an option in place of a full gimbal head. If you don't have a carbon fiber tripod, it's a good idea to get a good tripod that supports a long lens.

The Promaster gimbal head is probably good enough for occasional use with a moderately priced, light, long lens like a 200-500 or 150-600 if you have good tripod legs already. Invest in a better gimbal head if you have a bigger lens, a higher cost lens, or you are going to use it frequently and are fussy about image quality.

 

[tclune]

I'm a cheapskate. I've had a total of four gimbals. Here are my reactions to each: First, I got a monstrosity from Manfrotto which was truly awful. The panning motion wouldn't lock; the height of the lens in the gimbal was limited to three discrete positions, which limited the ability to balance the rig on the gimbal; and it had two sides, which blocked access to controls on the camera. Like all Manfrotto things, it lacked Arca Swiss compatibility. As you may gather, I don't recommend this one. Second, I got a Movo GH700 which I like and still use. My heaviest lens is the Nikon 200-500, so it doesn't have to support all that much weight, but I have never had a problem with it. I only use it occasionally because I normally use a monopod in the field, and when I saw Steve's review of the Wimberley MonoGimbal I knew I had found the product of my dreams. It is absolutely wonderful for use with lenses of about my size on a monopod. I can't recommend this highly enough for monopod shooting with anything short of the monster teles. Finally, I got a Wimberley Sidekick. I got this because I thought it would save some space when travelling (although, to be honest, I loved the MonoGimbal so much I thought I'd love it on my tripod.) I don't use it at all. I find the way it mounts on a ball head awkward and the side-mount on the ball moves rather clunkily. The Movo is a much better procuct for my money. FWIW

 

[bleirer]

I'd say get your hands on one at a camera store or a place that has free returns. Promaster as a brand I think is known for entry level budget gear.

 

[Steve W]

Recently a friend was having problems getting sharp images using his 500 f/4 lens. All the images were soft at a distance of 75 yards and longer. He was using it on a Manfrotto alloy tripod with a Jobu Jr. gimbal head.

While testing, we had his kit set up side by side with my RRS carbon fiber tripod and RRS ballhead with a Wimberley Sidekick and a 200-400 lens. You could see the front of his lens visibly moving any time a truck drove by or someone walked on the nearby boardwalk while my kit did not move. I was able to film the difference with my iPhone and you could see it clearly. Even with good long lens technique and a hand firmly over the lens barrel, vibration was reduced by 2/3 but still visible. He replaced his gimbal head and used a better tripod a few days later and suddenly his images were sharp.

There is a saying about overspending - something along the lines of "Don't put a $100 saddle on a $50 horse". It would not make any sense to buy a $1500 tripod and gimbal for a $1000 long lens. But if you have a good camera and an expensive lens, spending a reasonable amount makes sense. If you already have a good ballhead, a Wimberley Sidekick is an option in place of a full gimbal head. If you don't have a carbon fiber tripod, it's a good idea to get a good tripod that supports a long lens.

The Promaster gimbal head is probably good enough for occasional use with a moderately priced, light, long lens like a 200-500 or 150-600 if you have good tripod legs already. Invest in a better gimbal head if you have a bigger lens, a higher cost lens, or you are going to use it frequently and are fussy about image quality.

I agree Eric, part of the problem in providing advice is that Ad Astra didn’t give any idea of equipment, so rightly or wrongly I assumed it was not high end equipment.

 

[bleirer]

Recently a friend was having problems getting sharp images using his 500 f/4 lens. All the images were soft at a distance of 75 yards and longer. He was using it on a Manfrotto alloy tripod with a Jobu Jr. gimbal head.

While testing, we had his kit set up side by side with my RRS carbon fiber tripod and RRS ballhead with a Wimberley Sidekick and a 200-400 lens. You could see the front of his lens visibly moving any time a truck drove by or someone walked on the nearby boardwalk while my kit did not move. I was able to film the difference with my iPhone and you could see it clearly. Even with good long lens technique and a hand firmly over the lens barrel, vibration was reduced by 2/3 but still visible. He replaced his gimbal head and used a better tripod a few days later and suddenly his images were sharp.

There is a saying about overspending - something along the lines of "Don't put a $100 saddle on a $50 horse". It would not make any sense to buy a $1500 tripod and gimbal for a $1000 long lens. But if you have a good camera and an expensive lens, spending a reasonable amount makes sense. If you already have a good ballhead, a Wimberley Sidekick is an option in place of a full gimbal head. If you don't have a carbon fiber tripod, it's a good idea to get a good tripod that supports a long lens.

The Promaster gimbal head is probably good enough for occasional use with a moderately priced, light, long lens like a 200-500 or 150-600 if you have good tripod legs already. Invest in a better gimbal head if you have a bigger lens, a higher cost lens, or you are going to use it frequently and are fussy about image quality.

Though maybe the flip side of that is if one knows their support is a little less solid they would know to make a shutter speed adjustment. I agree it's better not to compromise if you can afford it and are able to carry the weight of the gear to where the action is. But if not, one can take steps to still get sharp results with the gear at hand.

 

[EricBowles]

Though maybe the flip side of that is if one knows their support is a little less solid they would know to make a shutter speed adjustment. I agree it's better not to compromise if you can afford it and are able to carry the weight of the gear to where the action is. But if not, one can take steps to still get sharp results with the gear at hand.

Shutter speed only buys you so much. You still get a benefit with stability for some photos at distance. This particular photographer has lots of experience and many published images. He was shooting at appropriate shutter speeds typical of those recommended here. It's similar for the reasons we use long lens technique - even fast shutter speeds need LLT. In this case, there was visible vibration of the front of the lens even with LLT.

 

[KP Birder]

Recently a friend was having problems getting sharp images using his 500 f/4 lens. All the images were soft at a distance of 75 yards and longer. He was using it on a Manfrotto alloy tripod with a Jobu Jr. gimbal head.

While testing, we had his kit set up side by side with my RRS carbon fiber tripod and RRS ballhead with a Wimberley Sidekick and a 200-400 lens. You could see the front of his lens visibly moving any time a truck drove by or someone walked on the nearby boardwalk while my kit did not move. I was able to film the difference with my iPhone and you could see it clearly. Even with good long lens technique and a hand firmly over the lens barrel, vibration was reduced by 2/3 but still visible. He replaced his gimbal head and used a better tripod a few days later and suddenly his images were sharp.

There is a saying about overspending - something along the lines of "Don't put a $100 saddle on a $50 horse". It would not make any sense to buy a $1500 tripod and gimbal for a $1000 long lens. But if you have a good camera and an expensive lens, spending a reasonable amount makes sense. If you already have a good ballhead, a Wimberley Sidekick is an option in place of a full gimbal head. If you don't have a carbon fiber tripod, it's a good idea to get a good tripod that supports a long lens.

The Promaster gimbal head is probably good enough for occasional use with a moderately priced, light, long lens like a 200-500 or 150-600 if you have good tripod legs already. Invest in a better gimbal head if you have a bigger lens, a higher cost lens, or you are going to use it frequently and are fussy about image quality.d to trouble-shoot even more…

I think I would have wanted to trouble-shoot this situation even more and determine if it was the tripod, the gimbal or the combination that was at fault.

 

[Ad Astra]

Many thanks for the replies, I get the feeling nobody on the forums has first hand experience of the Promaster gimbals (they have a range). My gear is Nikon Z9 plus 800 PF so a heavy combo. I wondered why there are no reviews online, that could be because they don't spend a massive amount on marketing and which in turn can mean cheaper products or is it cheap because they are low quality. Maybe I will need to ask for a try and return order.

 

[BlackRockArt]

Ad, I would NOT trust Z9 with 800PF on an unknown brand gimbal, but that's just me.

Speaking from personal experience, an unstable tripod, a wobbly gimbal would cost me dearly.

While there are "rare" exceptions, the only three brands I trust are: Really Right Stuff, Wimberly.

Oliver

 

[BlackRockArt]

Also on the subject of marketing, a good product can sell well even by the word of mouth.

Over the years I have seen dozens of tripods brands come and go, on my last count, I still have 12 tripods scatterd around in the garage.

Oliver

 

[bleirer]

Many thanks for the replies, I get the feeling nobody on the forums has first hand experience of the Promaster gimbals (they have a range). My gear is Nikon Z9 plus 800 PF so a heavy combo. I wondered why there are no reviews online, that could be because they don't spend a massive amount on marketing and which in turn can mean cheaper products or is it cheap because they are low quality. Maybe I will need to ask for a try and return order.

Given that you've put pretty big bucks into your gear I wouldn't buy a cheapo support.

 

[EricBowles]

I would not consider Promaster gimbal for a Z9 and 800mm PF. The added cost for a first rate gimbal head is not much compared to the rest of your kit. I'd stick with a well known kit - probably a Wimberley. The 800mm is relatively light, but the length of it means it will tend to vibrate more than a heavier lens of similar length. I saw a 4th Generation Design Mongoose on eBay at a good price today. My choices would be Wimberley, ProMedia Gear, RRS, and possibly Benro. For all these, I'd only consider the full size gimbal even though a less than full gimbal might work. Expect a budget of $400-700.

 

[Calson]

In general I shop on the B&H Photo website as it provides technical information and dozens of review by people who bought a product.

One aspect with a gimbal head to consider is whether the height of the lens can be adjusted. This allows one to place the center of the lens at the center of the rotation of the gimbal head. My Custom Brackets gimbal makes this easy to do with not tools needed and I can break it down to three sections which makes it easier to pack for travel in carry-on bags. The Custom Brackets is one of only two gimbal heads I know of that also have a safety lever so when a camera is removed from a mounted lens it does not crash forward if one forgets to completely tighten the gimbal head when replacing a lens or adding a teleconverter. The other such gimbal with that lens saving feature is the Zenelli Carbon ZX sells for 3 times as much.

 

[ARClark]

Many thanks for the replies, I get the feeling nobody on the forums has first hand experience of the Promaster gimbals (they have a range). My gear is Nikon Z9 plus 800 PF so a heavy combo. I wondered why there are no reviews online, that could be because they don't spend a massive amount on marketing and which in turn can mean cheaper products or is it cheap because they are low quality. Maybe I will need to ask for a try and return order.

Would agree with your assessment of lack of first-hand experience from commenters so far. As FYI, I fully agree with Eric Bowles comment, above, concerning use of a fiberglass tripod and Wimberley sidekick on a good ballhead. I’ve used that combination for ten years for my 500mm f4 lenses and TCs on full size Nikon bodies. These currently include a gripped D850 and Z9. Nice to able to quickly remove it when wanting to just use the ballhead, and much less bulky and less expensive than a full gimbal. Several companies make sidekicks, so not pushing Wimberley. I just think the sidekick approach is with considering if the Promaster doesn’t pan out.

 

[MikeInMI]

ProMaster is kind of a house brand for camera stores. Not well advertised or widely reviewed.

Henry Hudson reviews gimbal heads on YouTube and I found his reviews very helpful when I went to buy my gimbal. I think he has two videos based on two different price ranges. You might find that helpful. I'd also add that I have a FlexShooter Pro. It isn't technically a gimbal but it provides the same functionality as a gimbal and a ball head all in one. It isn't cheap, but I bought it because I was going on a photography trip to Costa Rica for 10 days. I was struggling to figure out how to get all my equipment to fit in my bag and luggage and not exceed weight limits. This "two in one" really solved a problem for me. Depending on what you are doing, not quite as good as a gimbal, but it worked very well for all the BIF I was doing.

 

[Schotzke]

I have the Pro Master Gimble head. I have used it typically with a D500 and a Nikon 200-500mm lens. It worked very well for several years. It then would not hold position. I sent it in for repair thru a Camera store where I recently bought a Z9. It was returned like new costing me only return postage. , It does have the capability to change the level of the support. For the money a very serviceable unit.

 

[Guy Harr]

Does anybody have experience of the Promaster Gimbal heads? I have been looking at them as the price is reasonable. However, I cannot find much in the way of reviews on the web, are they good or are they on the lower price range for a reason?

I have and use a Pro-Master Gimble . They were having a special when i bought the Tamron 150-600 G2 the ProMaster was only $50.00 with the lens purchase. I think they sold for like $300 normally. It seemed to work fine with the Tamron lens but when I use the Nikon 400mm 2.8 which is very heavey, the gimble started to show it wasn't made to handle the weight. The other issue I have with it is, The lock down for your up-down swing is graduated and when I get it on target and want to lock it down, the target will shift as the gimble locks into one of those graduated slots. Real pain in the butt. I would suggest going with another make. As they say you get what you pay for. I don't remember the model number, so other Promaster gimbles may be better.

 

[Ad Astra]

Thanks for the updates, nice to hear there are some first hand experiences. I like the look of the GH26 but it sounds like it may not be up to my Z9 and 800PF.

 

[Guy Harr]

Thanks for the updates, nice to hear there are some first hand experiences. I like the look of the GH26 but it sounds like it may not be up to my Z9 and 800PF.

Yea , I don't think it would workout to your satisfaction with the equipment your using. You'll wish you got a Wimberly, I know I do. Yes the Wimberly is expensive but look at your investment, no need to skimp on a gimble.

 

[Guy Harr]

On a side note. Promaster customer service is excellent. When I got the Gimble with a Panoranic head as well. I lost the spring loaded button for the Pan head I emailed them as I didn't see one listed in their parts. They responded with "What is your address" three days later one arrived in the mail No Charge.