Gimbal Heads for Telephoto Lenses wildlife photography

You know it.  Once you have that big lens, a whole lot of weight comes with it.  How do you handle such a beast?  How do you shoot for extended time without getting tired, and with great results?  You can use a traditional ball head but that's not ideal as the range of motion is limited and it tends to drop down away from leveled plane. 

The solution is the gimbal head.  With gimbal head you can balance the lens/camera perfectly so it's weightless and can stay pointed in the direction you're shooting with minimal friction.  Hence it's easy to maneuver since there is no friction and the whole system stays put once you let go (provided its balanced of course). 

ProMediaGear has three different types of Gimbal Heads, a big one #GK, Katana, and a smaller one #GKJr, which only weight in at 2.4 pounds and it's a full featured gimbal head for any tripod with 3/8inch-16 thread mount.  So any tripod on the market today.   Then PMG also has a Tomahawk, but that's like a sidekick that you attach to your ball head to make "poor mans" gimbal head.

Check out the pictures below.  ProMediaGear Katana Junior is the smoothest gimbal in it's class.  Due to compact size and weight it can also be easily traveled with.  You can now take your equipment on the plane and not worry about carrying excessive loads.  

Let's take a look at some of the pictures below:

ProMediaGear launches new Travel Sized Professional Tripod - Tripod you can take places.

ProMediaGear's bold entry into the tripod market had to be done with something revolutionary.  An average tripod just wouldn't do.

You've got state of the art quality carbon fiber, large diameter legs, for added strength and rigidity.  CNC precision machines components out of T6061 Aluminum.  Super clamps for tripod angles, accessible from inside and outside.  Aluminum Leg Locks.  Hidden Spikes in tripod feet.  All that in travel size.  This is the tripod you can take places.

PMG has taken all it knowledge, best brains, designs and materials and manufactured the 34mm  Series Pro-Stix Carbon Fiber tripod.  Let me give you some quick specs:

#TR343 Specifications: 

• Leg Sections: 3 (34mm top leg diameter)
• Leg Material: 10x Layer Carbon Fiber
• CNC Machined Apex: T6061 Aluminum
• Mount: 3/8-16 (Flat Center Disk)
• Max Height: 50.90 in. / 130 cm
• Min Height: 3.80 in. / 9.70 cm
• Folded Length: 22.10 in. / 56 cm
• Weight: 3.70 lbs / 1678g 
• 3 Locking Leg Angle Positions
• 3 Stainless Steel Spikes ($75 value included)
• Max Load Capacity: 60 lbs.

Let's look at some pictures, click link below to the website:


http://www.promediagear.com/Carbon-Fiber-Tripods_c_79.html

Carbon Fiber tripod, at Photokina 2016 by ProMediaGear

Hey so if you know us you know we manufacture all sorts of stuff.  Just recently we have introduced a pro line of carbon fiber tripods.  These beauties are made right here in good old Chicago.  So they're made in USA by definition.

Carbon fiber has cross weave pattern 10x layers, of that incredibly rigid material.  So yes it's very very stable and probably best in class.  The legs are whopping 42mm diameter, figure that our if you're in imperial system, but that's about 1.65 inches.  Now that is crazy thick.

Tripod is rated at 125 pounds, but it will hold much more, but alas it's not recommended.

Of course the top screw is 3/8inch standard thread, and apex has removable top plate, and can also be equipped with 75mm or 100mm bowl adapters, also sold by ProMediaGear.

Now the apex is a thing of beauty, truss bridge design, saves weight without sacrificing strength.  So for about $1000 you can have a tripod that's the best in class with weight of only 6 pounds.

Take a look at our Photokina Video, although some of the things Matt says are not 100% accurate, as it's a 10x layer now.

Identifying the Boomerang Flash Bracket

The Boomerang Flash bracket has been around for about 7 years now.  It has gone through a number of revisions and current models are BBX and BBGv2.  The BBX requires prongs to be inserted into the plate to mount, the BBGv2 doesn't.  There are two types of Prongs we have used on the BBX.  The older model has thin prongs whereas the newer has shorter thicker prongs.  In the picture below you can identify which model you have.  When inquiring for the prongs please let us know if you have the BBS or the BBX model.

Boomerang Flash Bracket for Weddings folding system

We've had some confusion as to how the flash bracket unfolds.  Of course there is not excuse not to create a video.  Here is a video for the BBX one.  We hope that this flash bracket will be of great use during Weddings or Events.

Enbedded Spreadsheet products by Camera Model

Products by Camera Model

To help make selection of our products by Camera we are setting up this table where compatible plates can be easily found following your camera model.  Sometimes the cameras share the same body design hence there is no reason to make a different plate for a new camera if it's the same as old.

Please follow the link to Google Docs Document

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AzneRUDZIfOoS9aqqa5ZHl5PadPXqMXRvCPIHJaZUWs/pubhtml

What's the purpose of flash bracket?

The simple answer to that question would be to keep the flash above the lens at all times, so that shadows created by the flash can be hidden behind the subject being photographed (instead of creating a sideways shadow).  

There are many skeptics to using the flash bracket, and it's true if you have an assistant and time to use off camera flash you can get better results.  But in fast paced environment such as Weddings or other Events and when you're a one man show, few seconds of delay can mean a difference between getting a shot or not. For those situations flash bracket is essential and lets you create much nicer images.

Nick G. From New Jersey says this:

I am a pro event photographer and I have tried every bracket. I am not a paid spokesperson for PMG, and I paid full price. The Boomerang does exactly what the other brackets do, it gets my flash pointing in the same direction regardless of camera orientation. The others are crap, this one rocks. 

Here's why:

1.     The boomerang lets me keep my hands on my camera, not the stupid arm of the bracket.

2.     It weighs nada.

3.     It locks the flash in the position I want it to be in quickly and intuitively.

4.     IT STANDS UP WHEN YOU SET IT DOWN!!!!

5.     It looks cool. It's a conversation starter, and conversations mean sales.

6.     The only thing I would change about it is that I would like another spot for a cold-shoe on the arm. This is an easy fix with a $5 cold shoe from B&H, but it would be nice (we will do just that in should be available soon - Tom .F -PMG).

If you are on the fence, get off. This is the one you've been waiting for.     

              

So as you can see there are many benefits to using a flash bracket. We have engineered it for ease of use, compact size and as little weight as possible, while being tripod mountable.

The ProMediaGear's Boomerang Flash Bracket can be equipped with following options:

·       Custom Arca-Swiss compatible plate for Pro Camera Bodies or Bodies with optional Battery Packs or Grips.

·       Quick Release system to quickly disengage the Flash Bracket from Camera Mounting Plate

·       Stand to rest the camera safely on tables or other flat surfaces.

·       Extended Flash Cord Mount for flash guns like Quantum etc.

·       Color options to further customize the bracket: Black, Gold, Red, Blue, Titanium finishes are available

The Boomerang Flash bracket is CNC machined in Chicago area facility (Tinley Park IL to be exact) out of T6061 aluminum.  For the locking mechanism our team went out as far as using a Titanium part for years of trouble free function.

The Boomerang Flash Bracket is proudly manufactured in the USA.          

What is the purpose of L-Bracket or L-Plate with Arca-Swiss style

Why you might need an L-Bracket / L-Plate

Not many think much about mounting plates.  We all know that camera mounted plate with tripod head or ball head with Quick Release is the fastest way to attaching and removing camera from such a contraption.  Typically such Quick Release plates are only attached to the bottom of the camera as that is the only place where mounting thread is available.  But what if you had to quickly change from Horizontal (landscape) to vertical (portrait) orientation.  That could be really problematic depending on what subject you're shooting.

Usually that would involve:

-Rotating the ball head to the side adjusting where the camera is pointing, reframing and refocusing on the subject as the framing has shifted (to the side and lowered)

-The Camera would be hanging off to the side away from the center of gravity over center of tripod. 

With an L-bracket/ L-plate that process is easier.  Because L-plate offers two mounting surfaces one in horizontal and one in vertical plane it can be attached via either one to your ball head, usually via Arca-Swiss style system.  One would simply need to detach the camera from Landscape orientation and attach is back into Portrait orientation without ever changing where the ball head is pointing to. This way L-bracket offers a very efficient way of photographing subjects in portrait and landscape orientation.  It's an essential piece of gear especially when working with micro (macro), wide-angle and tilt-shift lenses.

A well designed bracket offers these features, or can be equipped with:

-Anti Rotation System

-Strap loop(s)

-Cable Management / anti cable snag

-Safety Stops

-Access to cable ports

-Sliding out for cables

-No tools to slide out, or allen pockets (Slot for Allen Key) to keep it handy

+ProMediaGear Tomahawk Manual

+ProMediaGear instruction manual for Tomahawk Gimbal Head

Tomahawk Manual

Arca-Swiss type L-Bracket Plate for Nikon D600 custom fit by ProMediaGear

Arca-Swiss type L-Bracket Plate for Nikon D600 Grip MB-D14

Take a look at our new Arca-Swiss type L-Bracket for the Nikon D600 DSLR.  Features slide out mechanism.  The vertical component is held by two "ultra-strong" hardened steel rods.  Main bodies are still made out of aluminum for great strength and weight characteristics. We're offering this L-bracket at very attractive price of around $130.  Please click here to purchase it on our website:
http://promediagear.3dcartstores.com/L-Bracket-for-Nikon-D600-Body_p_124.html#