Recently Cathy and I purchased a Nikon 200 to 400 mm, f 4 zoom lens for our nature and wildlife photography. This lens is a beauty. The images are tack-sharp and it focuses rapidly. And the fast lens speed of f4 allows fast shutter speeds and relatively low ISO settings, all ideal for wildlife photography. The image to the right was shot handheld with this lens at ISO 250, f4 and 1/2000 second shutter speed.Of couse this kind of performance comes at a price, and in this case the price is weight. This lens weighs 7.2 lbs. While it is possible to shoot handheld it is difficult and tiring. The obvious answer it to use a tripod. I tried the lens with my Manfrotto 322RC2 Grip Action Ballhead. While it worked fairly well it was difficult to track a bird in flight and simultaneously shoot.
Researching the options I discovered the Wimberley Tripod Head. Designed specifically for nature photography, the Wimberley Tripod Head is a unique, specially designed tripod head for long telephoto lenses. Superb balance is maintained by utilizing a lower pan pivot and an upper tilt pivot. (see below)
Cathy and I took it out to the Martinez Marina on Sunday to try it out, hoping to get some good bird shots. What we found was that the Wimberley was a snap to quickly aim and shoot. The camera and lens were perfectly balanced. With all the weight below the tilt pivot point there was no tendence for the lens to be front or back heavy. In only a few minutes we were both able to track birds in flight while shooting. The shots below are examples of the results we achieved.
While it is not inexpensive, if you are a serious wildlife photographer this is a great tripod head!
