I enjoy watching online videos of the expert wildlife photographers who use a d500 with the 200-500mm lens, and one of the wildlife photography experts, who apparently has won awards, mentioned what a great buy the neewar gimbal was, that it was solid and had performed well for him for years, and he seemed to think the neewar gimbal was as good as the more expensive gimbals, and well made, and (this was important to me), that wildlife photographer in that video said he had not been paid for that endorsement, it was just a recommendation based on his experience with the neewar gimbal. Elsewhere in the video he noted other products he had been given products to test, so that makes his saying he wasn't paid for the neewar gimbal praise more credible (in my eyes anyway). I decided to buy one. I was torn between the older version of this gimbal, that was slightly lest expensive (and which I assume is the one that expert wildlife photographer had, based on the date of the video) and this newer slightly more expensive version. I decided to go with this newer slightly more expensive version, and so far it is really easy to work with, moves smoothly, lots of different ways to adjust to my tastes and height/angle/directional needs. I have used it every day now since its arrival with a d500 (which is not a lightweight DSLR) with teleconverter and 200-500mm Nikkor lens with grip (definitely not light weight), and even when used with that sort of bulk, it is very easy to set up, easy to adjust, easy to manipulate to my tastes in the moment. It's early days yet, but if this gimbal works this solidly and consistently a year from now, then this is truly a great buy. While this gimbal is not super light, it's light enough for my needs. That said, I'm not a rigged wildlife photography expert like the person on the video. Right now we have some new tenants (bird tenants that is!) building a nest and I use the gimbal to keep my camera pointed up at the nest 'construction site.' Would definitely be exhausting and unsteady holding the camera in just the right position WITHOUT a gimbal, and this gimbal holds the positions fine, no slippage. I definitely recommend (so far). If you shoot photos looking out your window using a tripod or tabletop tripod, this gimbal so far works great for that. Per the video I saw, it seems to have worked well for the 'real' wildlife photographer that I saw in the video, which is how I learned about this gimbal. I hope this review is helpful to you, happy photo adventures! Read more
The media could not be loaded. This was a total game changer. I have a Nikon Z8 and a sigma 150 to 600 mm contemporary lens that I use for wildlife photography on trips. This year, I went to glacier national Park, Yellowstone, and grand Tetons area. I have a DJI Ronin 4 gimbal that I use for stabilization, but it’s large and cumbersome, and not always advantageous for wildlife photography. Sometimes you want something a little quicker and easier to set up. Or ready to pull out. This worked like a charm. The Z8 is amazing but really requires stabilization for the video especially when using a huge zoom lens. This was so easy to set up and very quick. It’s high-quality and durable, and with so many micro adjustments you can get it as stiff or as flexible as you want it. I’m so glad I bought this before I went on this trip. It works great for panning when you’re using the video,and you can leave it a little loose to be able to have a little wiggle room to go up and down a bit. It really enabled me to get some great shots and some great video, much better than I could’ve done handheld on my own. It’s a pretty heavy lens and every camera set up so the swing arm really helped. All in all, it was amazing and I’m so glad I brought this on the trip. Read more
The media could not be loaded. ***UPDATE*** Neewer customer service reached out to me based off the below review and video; I didn't reach out to them at all. They replaced my gimbal head free of charge with a prepaid shipping label. Absolutely top notch, 5-Star customer service. The gimbal is very smooth and works as advertised. It is large, stable, easy to adjust and balance your lens, and locks tight. It is a great value compared to the top brands and a great choice for a first gimbal head or if on a budget. This is a 4-Star product and a 5-Star company. This thing is heavy. I hoped it would be robust and stable, but it's not. The bottom portion that spins on the horizontal axis is not tight. If the bottom is not locked down, it wobbles horribly. I do not recommend. What's the saying, "buy nice or buy twice." Read more
Great solid build and finish; smooth action; love the large knobs that work with light gloves; well thought out. Wonderful for photographing moving birds and animals when using a big/heavy telephoto lens. Read more
Solid as a rock! None of the issues I saw on YouTube including a bit of wobble at the base, gritting, not smooth aren't present. I had the opportunity to play with it for an hour after unpacking and set up and appears to be quality build and a bargain for $115! I ordered a longer arca swiss plate which will add to stability. I think this will perform best with prime telephoto lenses. Zoom lenses that extend out will change balance and require tension adjustment. Full disclosure: I'm a very experienced amateur, not a professional and this is my 1st gimbal, so I have nothing to compare. But I've done many hours of research on YouTube before purchasing. I will do an update as necessary as my experience with it dictates. But for now, 1st impressions, a solid 5 star! Read more
It's... huge. And very solid. Quite light at the same time. Works smooth, locks firmly. I bought it to use on a monopod, it's too big and heavy for that though. It will stay on my tripod. Good value for the price in my opinion. Read more
Excellent quality. Very pleased with look feel and function. Read more
Well built, smooth movements, worth the cost. Using it on both monopod and tripod for camera and 500mm lens and it has dramatically improved my ability to take shots of birds in flight. Read more
