Z8/Nikon 600 f/4E FL on Fotopro E-6H Gimbal

If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).

trav.sullivan

New member
Supporting Member
Hi all - new to the forums, but have followed the BCG YouTube channel for a few years. I did a search for this information but did not find anything. Wondering if anyone has experience using a Nikon 600 f/4E (or similar size/weight lens) with the Fotopro E-6H gimbal? It is rated to 22lbs, which is higher than the lens/body combined weight, but I wouldn't want to push my luck. I'll be mounting the gimbal to a Gitzo Systematic Series 4 tripod.

Thanks in advance for any information and advice.
 
Thanks in advance for any information and advice.
A couple of thoughts:

- Though he E-6H looks like it's well built I'd be a bit concerned about that weight rating. I'm sure it will support a 600mm f/4 and camera just fine while shooting but I'd be more concerned about security and weight handling while carrying the big lens and camera up over the shoulder which is pretty common when transporting a big lens setup on a gimbal.

- There's at least one review over at B&H where the user found the Nikon 600mm f/4 rubbed up against the gimbal side arm due to lack of clearance. Looking at the photos, the relatively small E-6H doesn't have a lot of side clearance for such a large diameter lens.

Personally I'd probably go with a better known and larger full gimbal for a 600mm f/4. If small size is the goal I'd recommend a Flexshooter Pro which easily handles the Nikon 600mm f/4 and a pro body.
 
You have a pretty robust tripod. I would go with something comparable in terms of quality.

The Winberley 200 is widely regarded to be the industry standard of quality. I have one of those and it is butter smooth, well-balanced, solid and reliable.
 
Look at the reviews on B H Photo for the Wimberley 200. There were 534 reviews of which all but 24 were five star. The 24 were 4 star mostly small issues.

The only gimbal that I have seen that arguably might be better performing is the Really Right Stuff PG-02 pano-gimbal head which is considerably more expensive.

The ideal gimbal standard of performance allows you to move the camera/lens smoothly and quickly with no resistance. At the same time you can take your hands off the camera/lens and it stays in place without having to tighten a friction control.

To get this to work properly the lens has to be properly balanced. This usually means adjusting the camera/lens position on the gimbal both horizontally and vertically. The horizontal range is controlled by having a long enough lens plate on the lens. The vertical range is controlled by the vertical adjustment range on the gimbal. These adjustments relate to a horizontal mount gimbal, one where the plate attaches under the lens instead of to the side. I personally prefer the horizontal mount because it is less risky to mount or unmount the lens.

There is a separate control issue if the camera is to be used for panorama shots. As I understand it for panorama to work properly you need to get the lens centered vertically on the rotation pivot point. Since cameras and lenses differ in dimensions this is accomplished by a control that allows the mount to shift in a third dimension, side to side.

I dont't do panorama shooting and I don't know how important it is to center vertically. Can you adjust for this in post processing, I don't know.

The Really Right Stuff PG-02 provides the ability to adjust in three dimensions, the Wimberley 200 does not. For that difference you pay $1000 for the Really Right Stuff instead of $600 something for the Wimberley.
 
Back
Top