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Wimberley Products User Report by Steve Traudt Go to a nature hotspot like Bosque or Ding Darling and you will see a forest of big lenses, most of them perched atop a strange looking head. Your first mistake (like my own) would be to assume such a contraption might only be intended for those monster lenses. You'd be wrong. Your second mistake would be to assume such a head offered no real advantages and was just another expensive toy. You'd be wrong again! When I finally tried out the Wimberley head, I was only sad I had not done so years sooner! First, what is a Wimberley head? It is a specialized tripod head for telephoto lenses. The gimbal-type design allows you to rotate your lens around its center of gravity and thus easily manipulate large lenses. Since its introduction in 1991, the Wimberley Head has become the industry standard for serious nature photographers. You can not believe how smooth and easy it becomes to pan your lens. It lets you track a fast moving bird and get a higher percentage of sharp photos. When I first checked the Wimberley website (www.tripodhead.com) I did not own a "big" lens. My Canon 100-400 zoom looked small next to those real lenses! And it is an easy lens to handhold, at least for awhile. I made two trips to Bosque and did pretty ok, or so I thought.
I ordered out the Sidekick, using Wimberley's great 60 Day Loaner program. They will send you what you need, on approval. If, after 60 days, you want to keep the items, only THEN do they charge your credit card. They can make this offer because very few folks ever return their stuff! Well, I mounted up the Sidekick on my ball head, put my camera and 100-400 on it and was simply amazed at the result! The balance and smoothness of panning is a real joy. I found I was even using it on landscapes. My next trip to Bosque proved the value of this critter. I have subsequently used the Sidekick with a Canon 500 f4 and it handles it just as well. You will also be quite pleased with the quality and finish of these products. The father-son team at Wimberley know a thing or two about machining! They make other great stuff as well. I use their Flash Bracket setup to hold my flash and Flash X-tender high about the lens to minimize red eye in my nature photos. For the Sidekick, I use the F-6 Bracket, plus an M-6 extension. You don't need to take my word for it though. Just order out the items you are interested in. Tell them you want to use the Free Trial Program and go from there. I know that you will be as pleased as I am with their products. Steve
Wimberley Sidekick on Acra Tech head. Canon 100-400 IS Zoom Lens with Wimberley F-6 Flash Bracket Holding a Canon 550EZ
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Contents Copyright 2008 by Steve Traudt and
Fay Timmerman
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I then took another look at
Wimberley products. I did not feel I needed their large, original head but I was
intrigued by the gimbal principle. As I read about their "Sidekick" model, I
realized that might be the answer, at least for me. You s
