The LensMaster Gimbal

 

The vision was to produce a strong simple to use affordable gimbal mount capable of holding most of the current super telephoto lenses available today.

There are several Gimbal type mounts available worldwide with prices ranging from approx £140 to well over £500. As a bird photographer I have tried quite a few of them because this type of mount gives me exactly what I require, a full range of movement making large lenses feel very light to use.

Notably, most of those Gimbals had a revolving collar where they attached to the monopod/tripod ( I'm mostly a monopod user ) so as far as i was concerned paying for that extra feature was pointless.

The LensMaster Gimbal Demo

The tripod I do use occasionally has its own rotating collar so I already have the panning movement.

What I wanted was a gimbal that simply fixed directly to a monopod or tripod and gave me a full range of movement with my camera lens. After making and testing many prototypes I have what, for me is the perfect tool for the job, robust with full freedom of movement but at a realistic price.

The steel body is powder coated in a satin finish, chosen for its high resistance to abrasion.

One large soft touch control knob operates the friction control allowing the user to either lock the lens in position or releasing the knob just enough to give movement, e.g. when tracking birds in flight.

The gimbal has a 3/8 fitting that you simply screw onto your monopod/tripod ensuring it is fixed securely.

As with most monopods the panning movement is provided by turning the monopod itself but the vertical movement is taken care of by the gimbal. How much movement you want is up to you if you want to set it up so you can move the lens with one finger even a 500/ 600 f4 with a pro body attached this gimbal will allow you to do just that but having said that I think most will just set it to what feels right for normal use.

Setting up is very simple first mount the gimbal on the monopod then tighten the adjuster knob, attach the lens to the quick release plate making sure its secure and locked in place. Holding the lens, slightly slacken off the soft touch adjuster knob and move the lens forward or backwards in the quick release plate to find the balance of the lens/camera in use, what your looking for is a point were the lens and camera sit on the plate without tipping either forward or backwards then tighten the quick release to lock the lens in position

That's it from now on the vertical movement friction is controlled by the soft touch adjuster knob.

Warning: if your tripod does not have a central rotating collar, do not use this gimbal, it is not designed to be used on a tripod with a fixed non rotating plate because unlike a monopod it would be possible to accidentally unscrew the gimbal with inevitable results. Tripods with a rotating collar can be used in the normal way i.e. horizontal friction is governed by how you set it on the tripod.

The LensMaster Gimbal is very easy to maintain, there's nothing complicated about dismantling it washing it in mild soapy water adding a little grease to the bearing and reassembling, just take note of the washer/bearing sequence.

Specification: All sizes approx.
Height 170mm - 6 5/8"
Width 120mm - 4 3/4"
Weight inc quick release plate 1.42 kg - 3lb.3oz

LensMaster Gimbal Head - hand made in the UK