When it comes to shooting with fill flash, photographers all face the problem of how to mount a flash to their camera set ups. Attaching the flash directly to the camera causes several problems: 1) verticals are difficult to shoot this way and 2) most of the time, the subject will have “red” or “steel” eyes, due to the flash being too close to the focal plane of the camera. To avoid this effect, the flash needs to be higher and farther away from the camera itself. I tried several weak products from a variety of manufacturers before purchasing Wimberley Flash brackets to solve this problem. I should have done it much earlier.

This summer, I went on the adventure of a lifetime. The journey began on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Yorktown, Virginia, when my three friends, Jenny, Justin, and Dave, and I boarded our bicycles with a plan to ride unassisted across the United States. We expected to take anywhere from 60-70 days to reach Astoria, Oregon, our final destination, and our route had us traveling through ten states along the 4200 mile journey. As a photographer, I wanted to take pictures on the road, to capture the beauty of the country, preserve memories of the trip, and be able to share my journey with friends and family back home. We carried all of our own gear on our bikes, including our food, cooking equipment, clothes, sleeping blankets and pads, and a tent, so hauling my “lightweight” DSLR rig was out of the question. However, I didn’t want to skimp on the quality of my photos with some slow five mega-pixel consumer point-and-shoot either. That’s where the G10 entered the picture.

The most comfortable way to carry your camera and tripod setup from one area to another is to put the whole rig over your shoulder and carry it with the lens hanging out behind you. We all do it. Unfortunately, there have been some photographers reporting the base plate on their Gitzo Systematic tripods working loose. In the worst cases, the photographers’ entire lens and tripod head, complete with base plate have come crashing to the ground when carrying the setup this way! The most common cause for this is that the tension screw that clamps the base plate to the main body of the tripod works its way loose. There simply isn't enough pressure against the plate to hold it in and it falls out, along with whatever is attached to it.

The ultimate gimbal head for use with long lenses, the Wimberley II needs no introduction…So let's get on with the review and find out how the "king" of the gimbal heads performs...

Overview
Weight: 1.4kg (3.15lbs)
Height: 9.25 inches (23.5cm)
Width: 3.5 inches (8.9cm)
Depth: 9.73 inches (24.7cm)
Links: Official Wimberley website
Purchase at NSN: HERE