Manfrotto 393 Heavy Duty Telephoto Lens Support Modifications (Gimbal Head)

[Bear Dale]

Finally finished making the rest of the brass knobs for the Manfrotto gimbal head, must say I love using this gimbal head, absolutely brilliant bit of gear!


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[nardes]

Looks very nice - you also have a talent for machining it seems.:th3:

I have one of these in deep storage somewhere, as I now use a Jobu single arm unit, mainly due to bulk and weight when packing for camping trips.

Just curious, do you ever use it with the "U" Frame extended above the fixed yoke, with your lens suspended inside the inverted "U"?

Oh, and I noticed the cut out in the attachment knob - does some pin lock in there?

Cheers

Dennis

[Bear Dale]

Hi Dennis,

Yes I machined that notch out and drilled and tapped two holes. The photo below shows the brass knob in its 'holder' position, I can take it out of there and screw it into the other hole and it fits perfectly in that machined notch and locks the head down from spinning around for transporting it.

Before I bought this gimbal head I watched some YT vids and read some reviews and I did see that a few people had used it like an inverted 'U' but I've never used it like that and think it would be unwieldly.

I've used Wimberley gimbals before and much prefer this one over them. Its rock solid, yet movement is fluid and smooth as silk. I don't carry it far from the car though, combined with the Manfrotto 055XPROB its certainly not a light setup.

[nardes]

Hi Dennis,

Yes I machined that notch out and drilled and tapped two holes. The photo below shows the brass knob in its 'holder' position, I can take it out of there and screw it into the other hole and it fits perfectly in that machined notch and locks the head down from spinning around for transporting it.

Before I bought this gimbal head I watched some YT vids and read some reviews and I did see that a few people had used it like an inverted 'U' but I've never used it like that and think it would be unwieldly.

I've used Wimberley gimbals before and much prefer this one over them. Its rock solid, yet movement is fluid and smooth as silk. I don't carry it far from the car though, combined with the Manfrotto 055XPROB its certainly not a light setup.

Thanks for those additional details, looks even classier the 2nd time around!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Bear Dale]

Cheers Dennis :)

[Mark L]

Please explain for me and others what you use this piece of equipment for?:)

[nardes]

Please explain for me and others what you use this piece of equipment for?:)

You can use it this way:

https://www.thephoblographer.com/2014/03/12/review-manfrotto-393-heavy-duty-gimbal/

Or, that way:

https://www.digidirect.com.au/manfrotto-mf-393-telephoto-lens-support?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv9eQ5K6S5AIVGB4rCh203AYuEAQYASABEgJlYPD_BwE

Cheers

Dennis