I bought the 35 mm ballhead to top off one of my carbon fiber go to tripods. The main reason I chose this head is the ball tension lever is on the left side. To me that makes perfect sense in that I do not have to remove my right hand from the grip and camera controls. I received it in two days and had the opportunity to try it today. No discernible creep in any of the adjustments with a 5D MK IV, battery grip and 70-200 lens. I think it will work out fine. Hesitant giving it 5 stars until I see how it holds up.
30/09/2023
Overall I am very pleased with the gimbal head. The construction is well fit and finished with no sharp edges and the pan is nice and smooth. The adjustment knobs all lock well as intended. It was delivered very well packaged with just 2 parts to assemble.
Some issues to point out that need attention.
- The lock knob action for the pan adjustment needs to be redesigned. Unlocked when panning is fine, although there is a little bit of slop, but upon locking, the camera will tilt enough that you will have to re-level to shoot in the locked position. This won’t be an issue for me, but it might be for others.
- The instructions are horrible. No explanation of mounting to tripod. I ended up calling the tripod manufacturer to figure out how to mount it.
That being said, I would purchase again.
Some issues to point out that need attention.
- The lock knob action for the pan adjustment needs to be redesigned. Unlocked when panning is fine, although there is a little bit of slop, but upon locking, the camera will tilt enough that you will have to re-level to shoot in the locked position. This won’t be an issue for me, but it might be for others.
- The instructions are horrible. No explanation of mounting to tripod. I ended up calling the tripod manufacturer to figure out how to mount it.
That being said, I would purchase again.
22/09/2023
Faultless and exceptional value for money. Works with my 6kg outfit.....just fine.
01/09/2023
Great gimbal holds my canon 90D with EF 100 400 F4 with 2x converter. Balance well hold firm where I leave it great for Astro photography. Pans horizontally and virtually smoothly for bird in flight. Have use on tripod and monopod with great success. Well worth its price.
27/08/2023
My initial thoughts on this gimbal
It’s heavy, robust and that’s what I was looking for. Easy assemble. Smooth movements. Stop screws on the Arca Swiss plate that can help stop catastrophic bad handling.
One issue
I use this with a 70/200 2.8 in combination with a mirrorless camera with a battery grip. The challenge is that when flipping from Portrait to Landscape the a locking bolt stops the full rotation.
Options
Set the gimbal to the opposite side, but the it’s not easy to use the zoom and it’s not a natural hold.
Or find a bolt with a shorter head so the battery grip clears it.
Time will tell.
Bottom line is worth the money absolutely:))
Now all I need is a tripod adapter for a 24/70 that will allow rotation:))
It’s heavy, robust and that’s what I was looking for. Easy assemble. Smooth movements. Stop screws on the Arca Swiss plate that can help stop catastrophic bad handling.
One issue
I use this with a 70/200 2.8 in combination with a mirrorless camera with a battery grip. The challenge is that when flipping from Portrait to Landscape the a locking bolt stops the full rotation.
Options
Set the gimbal to the opposite side, but the it’s not easy to use the zoom and it’s not a natural hold.
Or find a bolt with a shorter head so the battery grip clears it.
Time will tell.
Bottom line is worth the money absolutely:))
Now all I need is a tripod adapter for a 24/70 that will allow rotation:))
30/07/2023
When looking for budget priced geared tripod heads in the past we really only had 3 to choose from. the GD3WH from Benro, the quite overprice Manfrotto 410 Junior (not to mention this head is getting REALLY long in the tooth) and the Sunwayfoto GH-PROIIS. Now we have this $199 model from K&F.
I have had all 3 of these heads. The Benro is quite good...for several months before the gears start wearing and plastic bits start breaking off. It is a well operating head but cheaply made. The Manfrotto head which has been around for decades now are ok but lacks features of more modern heads. It is not very smooth when trying to really dial in smooth movements and the proprietary top plate is just a pain. It also gets unsteady after about a year of use. The Sunwayfoto is a solid head but making quick/fast adjustments are a bit difficult to do.
So how does this new K&F one stack up? Incredibly well in my opinion. It is built like a take with mostly metal parts. You have a standard ARCA Swiss top plate. Fast adjustments are incrediblely easy with the spring loaded collars than simply snap back into locking position once you let go of them. The bubble level is offset enough so you can see it even when your camera is mounted to it. Something the others are lacking as it gets covered when you mount your camera. Basically the K&F geared head solves all of the issues I had with all the other budget heads.
Being a real estate photographer, having a geared head is a must. Having used all the other budget geared heads on the market, THIS one is the one that is going to stay on my tripod. I think you will find this is going to quickly become the #1 recommended geared tripod head on the market.
I have had all 3 of these heads. The Benro is quite good...for several months before the gears start wearing and plastic bits start breaking off. It is a well operating head but cheaply made. The Manfrotto head which has been around for decades now are ok but lacks features of more modern heads. It is not very smooth when trying to really dial in smooth movements and the proprietary top plate is just a pain. It also gets unsteady after about a year of use. The Sunwayfoto is a solid head but making quick/fast adjustments are a bit difficult to do.
So how does this new K&F one stack up? Incredibly well in my opinion. It is built like a take with mostly metal parts. You have a standard ARCA Swiss top plate. Fast adjustments are incrediblely easy with the spring loaded collars than simply snap back into locking position once you let go of them. The bubble level is offset enough so you can see it even when your camera is mounted to it. Something the others are lacking as it gets covered when you mount your camera. Basically the K&F geared head solves all of the issues I had with all the other budget heads.
Being a real estate photographer, having a geared head is a must. Having used all the other budget geared heads on the market, THIS one is the one that is going to stay on my tripod. I think you will find this is going to quickly become the #1 recommended geared tripod head on the market.
20/06/2023
Very good when using a large lens where the gimbal attachment is direct to the lens. (I am using with a Sigma 150-600mm)
Seems sturdy and the lens locks in place and is fluid for video tracking as well.
Seems sturdy and the lens locks in place and is fluid for video tracking as well.
12/05/2023