Chinese Gimbal Head : Triopo

[Flores]

Anyone heard good/bad/indifferent about this manufacturer?

they appear to make 3 gimbal heads...

I'm shopping for one for the new 300 2.8 and stumbled upon this on ebay:

Gimbal Head DG Triopo DG-2 - eBay (item 290437128949 end time Feb-13-11 16:14:55 PST)

looks a lot like the Induro GHB1, but a bit cheaper...

waiting to hear back from the seller if it include the quick release plate....

[jfoureyes]

I've never heard of them.

[Orogeny]

Originally Posted by Flores

Anyone heard good/bad/indifferent about this manufacturer?

they appear to make 3 gimbal heads...

I'm shopping for one for the new 300 2.8 and stumbled upon this on ebay:

Gimbal Head DG Triopo DG-2 - eBay (item 290437128949 end time Feb-13-11 16:14:55 PST)

looks a lot like the Induro GHB1, but a bit cheaper...

waiting to hear back from the seller if it include the quick release plate....

I have never heard of them. If you want a gimbal-type tripod head, you might want to look at this one:
Manfrotto 393 Heavy Duty Gimbal Type Telephoto Lens 393 B&H

I have never used it, but there is a guy on other forums who goes by the username liquidstone (his real name is Romy Ocon) that speaks very highly of this head and, if you have never seen his work, take a look and enjoy! (note he uses an earlier version of this head)

romy ocon's Photo Galleries at pbase.com

He is one very talented photographer.

[ldelacruz]

I have never heard of it but it looks like a well built head. It is sold out of California and their EBay store is written in proper English so they might be legit. For only $200 I say give it a shot, I paid close to $600 for a Wimberely II.

[rfortson]

If you're looking at those, you should consider the ones from Adorama, branded Flashpoint.

flashpoint gimbal - Adorama.com

I have one and it's fine for my needs, plus it's cheaper than what you're looking at. A final plus is you know Adorama will stand behind their product if you don't like it. I'd go with them.

[Kalrog]

Compensating much there, Russ?

Yes, I am envious. I thought the 35-100 was big.

[ldelacruz]

Originally Posted by rfortson

If you're looking at those, you should consider the ones from Adorama, branded Flashpoint.

flashpoint gimbal - Adorama.com

I have one and it's fine for my needs, plus it's cheaper than what you're looking at. A final plus is you know Adorama will stand behind their product if you don't like it. I'd go with them.

Yep! I agree.

[rfortson]

Originally Posted by Kalrog

Compensating much there, Russ?

Yes, I am envious. I thought the 35-100 was big.

Ha ha! I'm much better now, apparently. I sold the lens a few months back. :)

BTW, it was a Pentax SMC 1000mm f/8. Basically, a telescope with a bayonet mount.

[Daniel W.]

Russ! Long time no chat, guess who's in town from school this weekend to shoot with a borrowed EP2+pancake 17+14-150?

[rfortson]

Originally Posted by Daniel W.

Russ! Long time no chat, guess who's in town from school this weekend to shoot with a borrowed EP2+pancake 17+14-150?

Hi Daniel! What are you shooting with the E-P2? I still have a lot of fun with my E-P1. I just bought the M.Zuiko 40-150 a month or so ago.

The digital Pen is a little different from what you're shooting at school, eh?

[Flores]

Well, it came in the mail today. (I did a 'best offer' of $175, and he took it, so I paid $175 for it)

feels very solid, well made. everything swings freely once it's balanced, and no issues with the camera staying where you leave it when you let go.

I will give it a workout this weekend and report back.

It does appear to be a knock off of the flashpoint. (Which means I over paid), and I'm now seeing it on the wholesale sites for $129-$159 if you buy in bulk...

Ah well.

[newtune3]

I got one from Cine City. It works fine and I think comes from India or Pakistan. I use it with a 7D and a EF 100-400 f4-5.6L. It works well on a tripod or a monopod.
Gimbal Mount Sidekick for Large Telephoto Lenses

[doslyn]

I have no first hand knowledge, but I read in another forum that alot of Benro heads are rebranded Triopo. I have also read Induro is rebranded Benro.

[Flores]

well, I used this thing pretty hard at the track weekend, and I have to say, it made my shooting a heck of a lot easier.

[rfortson]

Originally Posted by Flores

well, I used this thing pretty hard at the track weekend, and I have to say, it made my shooting a heck of a lot easier.

That's good to hear. I like my Flashpoint (which I think is pretty much the same thing). I'm a big believer in "good enough" and I think these are definitely good enough.