After using a ball or pan/tilt head for years and not being fully satisfied about the way it performed for moving subjects, I decided to take a closer look at a gimbal head.  I was essentially looking for a head that was light (it only needed to balance the weight of a Nikon 500mm PF), solidly built and smooth in all directions. 

After many weeks of searching the internet for reviews and information, I decided to go for the Jobu Jr.3 Deluxe gimbal. It seemed to have everything I wanted in a smaller form factor than many bigger and heavier heads I was considering such as the Wimberley WH-200 and Promediagear Katana offerings and for about half the price. The fact that Jobu's products are made in Canada and have the approbation of Brad Hill of Natural Art Images helped me make that decision as well. This Jobu model weighs in at 680 grams and the Wimberley and Promediagear models are all over 1000 grams.

https://www.jobu-design.com/

The head comes in a practical soft storing case with instructions and a hex key to adjust the mounting arm height if needed. It does not come with a lens foot but a lens foot of any size can be ordered from the Jobu site. I mounted the Nikon 500mm PF with a dedicated Kirk quick-release lens foot to the gimbal and tested it in the field. Once balanced on the arca-swiss mount, it is a joy to use. The movement is very smooth in the 2 axes and a moderate amount of tightening on the vertical/horizon axis knobs will lock all movement effectively.

A few hiking trips with the intention of photographing birds made me realize how supremely superior a gimbal head is to a ball head for any type of action shot. For mainly static subjects, a ball head will work fine but for skittish wildlife of any kind, there is simply no comparison. In fact, the moment I started using it I immediately wondered why I waited so long to get one. It is as close to shooting hand held as one can get with several degrees of added support and comfort level.

This gimbal head is everything I wanted it to be. I am positive it will help me get better shots of birds and other wildlife. I highly recommend it. It is quite possibly the lightest quality gimbal out there. It can be combined with a light travel CF tripod for a very compact and light setup. The following image shows it mounted on a compact carbon fiber tripod. This combination can be strapped to the back of any good quality photo backpack and doesn't add too much weight to the carried camera body and lens.

Although it can support up to 12 lbs meaning it will take on a heavier 500mm f/4 or 600mm f/4, the Jobu MK IV model is preferred and recommended for these heftier lenses. I would have no hesitation in getting the MK IV if I owned one of Nikon or Canon's bigger prime glass. For lenses such the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 and 500mm f/5.6 PF, the Jobu Jr.3 Deluxe gimbal head is a perfect match. Photos below were taken with the light travel carbon fiber tripod shown above and Jobu Jr.3 Deluxe.

song sparrow Photo above taken with the D810 and 500mm PF at 1/2000 F/5.6 ISO 400

Eastern Kingbird

Photo above taken with the D500 and 500mm PF at 1/800 F/5.6 ISO 400