RH-2 Gimbal

I do not have this particular gimbal head, instead I have a Movo GH700 and for someone who does a lot of shooting with my 14 lb 600mm f/4 ED-IF AIS Nikkor (which I affectionately refer to as "the beast") I can say unreservedly that a sturdy gimble head is a near necessity for wildlife photography. My normal setup of Nikon D850 with battery grip, 600mm lens, gimbal and a sturdy but lightweight carbon fiber tripod pushes 25 pounds so every bit of stability you can get is definitely a plus.

i used the product on a recent safari for my 500mm and body. I must say given the price compared to a wimberley I was highly impressed by the sturdiness of the product.

I found the head stable and responsive and was able to shoot in veey low light.

Stunning. Congrats on a great product

The Lensmaster Gimbal RH-2 is a great gimbal head that is supremely easy to set up. As well as being perfect for use with long telephoto lenses for wildlife photography it also works extremely well with a scope / SLR combo for digiscoping.

What I wasn't expecting was how good the RH-2 would be for general observation through a spotting scope. I leave the gimbal mounted on my main tripod all the time, and find it a joy to use for general observation... especially when guiding when the ability to just point the scope and step away to show other people birds and wildlife is a real boon.

Top marks to Lensmaster for making a great product at an affordable price.

You'll find a full review on the Ireland's Wildlife website here:

http://www.irelandswildlife.com/lensmaster-gimbal-rh-2/

I have a longer detailed review on my web site at
http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/RH-2_gimbal.htm
so this will be a more concise treatment.
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I've used the Manfrotto 393 gimbal for six years, but desired a lighter and less cumbersome looking single post gimbal for quite awhile. Since every gimbal known to man (except the Manfrotto 393) comes with an Arca-Swiss clamp, of which I am no fan, there were no single post gimbals I would have at any price.

Then I discoverd the Lens Master RH-2. Though it too comes with an Arca-Swiss clamp, I learned it was attached with a single bolt, which could simply be unscrewed to remove the clamp. That offered the possibility I could mount my quick release of choice, the Manfrotto 357 Pro QL clamp, of which I am a devoted fan for its safety features. I was introduced to the 357 Pro QL because it comes original to the Manfrotto 393 gimbal I'd used for so long. In fact, I'd used the same clamp for heavy video cameras as far back as 1985.

Being something of a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to my photography equipment, I was ready for the challenge. So, with my hopes raised, I ordered the Lens Master RH-2. I found the gimbal very sturdy, and more robust and beefy than my 393 gimbal, while at the same being lighter in weight and much less cumbersome to deal with. It was a simple matter to enlarge an existing hole in a 357 quick release and then countersink it to accept the M8 bolt from the RH-2 gimbal's original quick release mount. With the Arca-Swiss clamp removed, I simply bolted on the 357 clamp into the existing threaded hole of the RH-2's inner arm. Voila, I had my own clamp on a great single post gimbal. It could not have been easier to do. Here are some photos showing the before and after.

http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/images/rh-2gimbal/Arca-SwissClamp-600.jpg
Original Arca-Swiss clamp

http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/images/rh-2gimbal/TwoClamps-and-bolt-750.jpg
Original with the modified 357 Pro QL clamp

http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/images/rh-2gimbal/357clamp-600.jpg
The replacement clamp mounted to the RH-2 gimbal

I am extremely pleased with my RH-2 gimbal. It is sturdy and more than sufficient for my 500mm f/4 L IS with 1.4x TC and 1D4 body mounted. The fact that the gimbal has no vertical adjustment on the inner arm has not been an issue for me, since the center line on my 500mm already sits properly aligned with the tilt pivot point for proper balancing. Now I not only have the single post gimbal I've desired for several years, but it sports the safety of my favorite quick release. I see this as a long-term relationship.