Gimbal Head & Camera Hide Plate: a Match Made in Heaven

A gimbal head is a type of tripod head that works perfectly with the Camera Hide Plate. It perfectly balances the weight of the camera so that you can easily track birds and other wildlife, horizontally and vertically. Gimbal heads carry the load for you, making them great for long lenses and heavy DSLRs, with some models supporting over 30 lbs.

top view of the camera hide plate with a bolt in place ready for gimbal

Camera Hide Plate with a bolt in place ready for gimbal head attachment

When bolted securely to my camera hide plate, a Gimbal head provides great mobility for tracking fast moving wildlife. It also provides a rock steady support for big telephoto lenses. Most serious wildlife and bird photographers use a gimbal head.

The key to successful gimbal-head shooting is to get the camera properly balanced; then it rotates around its center of gravity. In the image below you can see that the lens ring foot is attached to the gimbal head base plate for balance.

side view of the camera hide plate supporting a gimbal to which is attached a DSLR with long lens

What is a Gimbal?

Your gimbal, combined with my Camera Hide Plate is a the perfect solution for allowing smooth movement without camera shake, and in situations where lugging a full sized tripod or an unwieldy heavy base plate isn’t feasible. They’re perfect when you’re in the thick of things, using a wide lens to shoot close to the action.

A gimbal head is a must-have for any wildlife photographer using a long lens. Telephoto lenses are unwieldy bits of kit that are heavy and not that easy to move around. When mounted to a ball head, you’ll probably find that the weight pulls the head down, and moves even when the head is locked in one place. A gimbal uses the base plate to attach a camera via the foot of its lens ring. It can be locked so that it only moves vertically or horizontally or both.