I have two of the Beike BK-45, I am very satisfied with them. The price was right and I too prefer the damping. I haven't missed a shot when birding and wildlife shooting. Great review...spot on!
I have had one of these heads for a couple of years now and have never really had a complaint except for when i have been shooting some images of the moon with my canon 600mmf4L lens.I need to lock it down extremely tight otherwise you will get some lens creep.I was thinking of spending some more money on a Katana or a Wimberley to look more professional but after watching your review on old faithful i will keep my Beike Bk45..They certainly are amazing value for money.Fantastic review..Thanks again...cheers
Got this off this review. I'd like to add that about 13 dollars in a hardware store improved it quite a bit. Following Gary Reed who bought the "Neewer" brand of this I added lithium grease to the joints, threadlocker to the screw that holds the base, a nylon washer to the base, and a washer and spring washer to the topmost knob. It runs more smoothly, tightens more linearly, and doesn't wobble as much after 20 minutes of tooling. Bring the head to a store so the parts fit properly.
Thanks, Mike for a good, common sense review. I have just bought a BK-45 and agree with you about the resistance. Some people have suggested that you can't use a zoom lens with any Gimbal head as the balance is affected as you zoom in and out. I have just done a test with my Nikon 200-500 zoom and found the balance is fine throughout the range and the slight resistance helps the use of a big lens.
Very nice review. Thank you for pointing out the pros and cons (haven't found cons yet though HAHA) I just ordered one myself and am very excited to try it out in a couple of days.
A good honest review with no waffling, just an honest assessment and it pleased me as I as had ordered one just a few hours prior to watching the video.
Thanks Mike, great review, much appreciated, just purchased a Nikon 200 - 500 and needed a smooth head...with some dampening. The Jobo Pro2 looked good but will now consider this.....brand names are not always the best in practice. Just ordered ours for £45 along with a 120mm quick plate to balance the lens between each focal length..
I just bought this beike 45. I bought it at $84usd, though this is my first gimbal head so this actually able to achieve what I expected. Actually I sold my ball head shortly. The con- lousy quality n good enough to support my d600 + tamron 150-600.
I see your point. I have a Wimberly. I usually try to make it behave like your excellent Chinese knockoff. I've heard complaints about some of the Chinese copies and that is that the fastening must not be done with too much force. It can destroy the threads.
Mike; I have added a Belleville spring washer in the 'stack' of the adjuster for the vertical 'swing' stage, which allows for a nicely-tunable friction, with 'lock-up' taking about 1/8 turn from a fairly stiff setting. SO, still quite easy to lock, but much more adjustment for 'drag'.
Great review, but one question people are not touching on. The plate that attaches to the lens mount, then you attach the camera via the plate to the gimbal head and then tighten the knob, is that it, is there no way of locking the knob/plate? Like on your video head, if it loosens it can only slide so far, and catches, and not fall off. What if I'm carrying on my shoulder and tha knob does not lock, is everything going to hit the ground?
Barry TRELEAVEN: now 3 months of use and my results speak for themselves,last night I shot a late afternoon big sea on the coast of Victor Harbour. 1DMk4 and the 400 F4 DO with a poleriser shot by mistake 100iso 1500 shots mostly using 10FPS using the gimbal fitted to a manfrotto monopod with a brisk breeze blowing . The number of soft shots was less than 5% which is incredible as I was shooting wide open F4 so I am more than pleased.
Thank you, Mike. Love every succinct point you made. I shoot with Nikon and Canons. Both take Manfrotto 1/4" threads. I assume that I do not have to buy step ups for Beike BK-45 Gimbal Tripod Head. It comes with standard 1/4" doesn't it? Thanks again for the very informative video Sir.
Sorry Mike, but your statement at 5.02 is completely wrong! A Wimberley head (or any other competent gimbal head come to that) when correctly set-up does NOT return to the central balance position - IT IS NOT MEANT TO! The camera and lens combo should stay in exactly the same position as where it is pointed - up or down. This state of intended balance perfection is achieved by first of all balancing the rig horizontally with the lens mounting platform in its LOWEST position by sliding the rig backwards or forwards. Once this is done, the camera and lens assembly is then lifted and secured when it (the camera + lens) remains exactly where it is pointed. Try it. The fact that you PREFER the Beike is beside the point. I have owned and used one; it's okay for the price but........
Great review, Mike. What Quick Release Plate would you recommend for shooting with a Ultra Telephoto 150-600mm? Would you recommend using the plate that came with the BEIKE BK45 or would you recommend getting one that is a little longer - to even out the load balancing? Thank you.
I'll think you'll find on video if your fluid head is as stiff as you say, when you start a pan on video it would jerk until you get the head moving and control the pan. A fluid head should be fluid, not tight or stiff but not loose, not that loose however that if you let go of the camera, the lens doesn't slowly creeps down until it's looking at the ground. It's a fine balancing act which requires adjustment with each lens/body combination and the better quality head, the greater success. One reason why Sachtler tripods and heads for broadcast cameras can cost upwards of 6K!
Hello Mike, Remeber me :) Happy BK-45 user. A friend also wants one but he has the first generation of the EF 600mm L lens from Canon. Is that the same your using in this video?
Daniel Schubert Hey Daniel, I got mine in the mail and had the canon EF 100-400 on it and yup even the EF 600mm prime. Works perfect in the field. Even a smaller lens will work on it as the plate can be lifted so the camera does not knock the side arm. And with an L bracket that smaller lens can even go vertical. Here's a shot taken with it www.flickr.com/photos/gipukan/14655999479/
Not sure if i already send you a reply but here goes.. my 7d is happy with the 1.4x converter and the 100-400 lens that i have. I'm using it on a sturdy manfrotto tri-pod Here's a shot i took with it www.flickr.com/photos/gipukan/14655999479/ Rob
I mentioned you and linked to your video in this document: tesselator.gpmod.com/_Text/Crispy_Landscapes.pdf So i thought I would share it with you and your viewers. This is a draft version of it and will likely grow much larger before I officially publish. I believe I'm the "first reviewer" of the gimbal head you mention reading in your review here BTW. :) Enjoy!
YOU ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS KIT!. .IT IS FOR SHOOTING "PANORAMA'S". THE POINT OF THE ADJUSTABLE ARM, IS TO SET THE "NODAL POINT" OF THE LENS, SO AS TO PREVENT "PARALLAX ERROR" WHEN TILTING THE CAMERA. HERE ENDETH THE LESSON!.
Not really. Its a cheap copy of a Wimberley and designed to carry big heavy telephoto lenses. The purpose of the adjustable arm is to put the center of mass of the lens at the same level as the upper pivot so that it will balance correctly when the plate is slid forward or back. Because the height above the plate is based on the height of the tripod foot which varies by the lens size and brand.
HEY, "LIGHTNING"! I ACCEPT THAT I WAS WRONG. THE REASON FOR THE "CAP'S", IS THAT, AS YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY OVER 65, YOUR EYE'S AREN'T AS SHARP AS THEY ONCE WERE. HAVE A GOOD DAY. .
+Geoff Fisher Sorry to say Geoff, is you who is missing the point. This gimbal is for use with big heavy lens that happen to also be good for panoramics!!
It's interesting to hear a perspective from an experienced user as yourself Mike. I recently purchased this head for $80 US (my first gimbal head) and just got it setup and adjusted. Seems to work just fine and the resistance (damping) is just about right for panning and changing elevation. The fact that it stays in the same location when releasing the camera is a plus in my opinion. I wasn't aware that the Wimberly returned to the level position when released but that would be an issue for use with my Tamron 150-600mm lens which extends when zoomed and slightly changes the center of gravity. That would cause it to tip either down or up depending on the zoom setting. The Beike has enough stiction to hold the lens in position when balanced with the zoom set to mid range. Thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Update: Ours was flawed so given refund and kept : It is ok and works well apart from this flaw that could be re engineered. th-cam.com/video/K6otBVuYnF4/w-d-xo.html
Hi Mike. Just read this excellent review, thank you. Just wanted to ask if the Beike BK45 has a rocking movement when turning the camera turns side to side? The one I have does, although it's solid enough once the side knob tightens down. Keep it up. MARK
Thank you for your informative review, I bought the gimble and it is nicely balanced with a 400f4 DO lens coupled with my 1D mk3 and 4 , now for the wildlife shots.
great review...many thanks! I was just wondering would the Beike screw onto a gitzo flat base tripod or do I need some sort of adapter?...I just got a second hand Gitzo g1325 on ebay. What height would the Beike 45 add to the flatbase of the tripod? Thank you for your help :)
Excellent review! I do own one of these, and use it with my 600/4 Minolta lens, which is very large and heavy. It works wonderfully well. The head does have bearings - needle type thrust bearings. The stiffness is intentional, and as you say, desirable. When mine was new, I read in a forum how someone took his apart and cleaned it up, using a lighter grease to free it up. I followed his directions, unfortunately. It now operates very freely, but I would prefer the damping. The grease that I cleaned out was very thick, and is a special purpose damping grease called "kilopoise". It is very difficult to buy in small quantities. The only thing I'm not fond of is the tiny knob that tightens down on the lens plate. It is too small, and sometimes, I haven't gotten the lens clamped tightly. That is scary with a big lens like that. While I haven't done it yet, I plan to replace the small knob with a stainless steel wing nut to be able to clamp it down more securely. I do agree with DonningtonArts that a properly set up gimbal by any manufacturer does not return to center. That is a simple function of adjusting the height so that the swing-arm pivot is right at the center of gravity of the lens/camera assembly. It is not a function of the damping grease. If it goes back to center, your lens mount is adjusted too low.
Great video, Mike, useful and informative. One question: which fluid video head were you using, and where (in the UK?) did you get it. I can't afford a top of the range video head and am nervous about buying cheaper ones.
This is an accurate review IMO. I own and use this product and am very pleased with it. When you properly balance the camera and set the knobs to provide just the right amount of friction/dampening for your situation your camera will stay exactly how you placed it with no more fiddling yet provide smooth movement. This is my first and only gimbal head and if it keeps performing as it has been it will be my last.
These heads are offered on ebay under different brands. I just bought one for $54 US or 42 pounds. Looking for the spring washer that is mentioned below.
Right on the mark, that was. great review sir. I have been looking and trying to decide on the perfect head, i think i just found it. Straight and to the point, using common sense. thank you for a great review
You have the most commonsense approach that most people these days don't come close to using..
A+
I have two of the Beike BK-45, I am very satisfied with them. The price was right and I too prefer the damping. I haven't missed a shot when birding and wildlife shooting. Great review...spot on!
I have had one of these heads for a couple of years now and have never really had a complaint except for when i have been shooting some images of the moon with my canon 600mmf4L lens.I need to lock it down extremely tight otherwise you will get some lens creep.I was thinking of spending some more money on a Katana or a Wimberley to look more professional but after watching your review on old faithful i will keep my Beike Bk45..They certainly are amazing value for money.Fantastic review..Thanks again...cheers
Got this off this review. I'd like to add that about 13 dollars in a hardware store improved it quite a bit. Following Gary Reed who bought the "Neewer" brand of this I added lithium grease to the joints, threadlocker to the screw that holds the base, a nylon washer to the base, and a washer and spring washer to the topmost knob. It runs more smoothly, tightens more linearly, and doesn't wobble as much after 20 minutes of tooling. Bring the head to a store so the parts fit properly.
I have the same head on a Manfrotto tripod, it's great for the money, very easy to move as you demonstrated.
Thanks, Mike for a good, common sense review. I have just bought a BK-45 and agree with you about the resistance. Some people have suggested that you can't use a zoom lens with any Gimbal head as the balance is affected as you zoom in and out. I have just done a test with my Nikon 200-500 zoom and found the balance is fine throughout the range and the slight resistance helps the use of a big lens.
Very nice review. Thank you for pointing out the pros and cons (haven't found cons yet though HAHA) I just ordered one myself and am very excited to try it out in a couple of days.
A good honest review with no waffling, just an honest assessment and it pleased me as I as had ordered one just a few hours prior to watching the video.
Extremely happy with the Bk45 Gimbal Head and for the cost (£46) is excellent value for money.
Thank you sir for taking you time to made this video review about this gimbal head. I was searching all over the net for this video. Thank you.
Thanks Mike, great review, much appreciated, just purchased a Nikon 200 - 500 and needed a smooth head...with some dampening. The Jobo Pro2 looked good but will now consider this.....brand names are not always the best in practice. Just ordered ours for £45 along with a 120mm quick plate to balance the lens between each focal length..
I use one. The large “on off” lock is not very precise and can slip after locking. But it is more convenient than a standard tripod head.
great review sir Mike, i am including this on my to buy list for this year. thanks for sharing this.
Sir, that was a fantastic review. You covered a lot of points that helps a newbie like me. Thanks a lot!
An excellent review, many interesting points raised and certainly food for thought!
cheers
tony
Thank you Mike will get one soon.
Great review, i totally agree with you the Beike BK45 is hard to beat for quality at this price!
Very good video, and the Beike BK-45
I just bought this beike 45. I bought it at $84usd, though this is my first gimbal head so this actually able to achieve what I expected. Actually I sold my ball head shortly.
The con- lousy quality n good enough to support my d600 + tamron 150-600.
I see your point. I have a Wimberly. I usually try to make it behave like your excellent Chinese knockoff.
I've heard complaints about some of the Chinese copies and that is that the fastening must not be done with too much force. It can destroy the threads.
Thanks a lot! This review helped me in deciding whether to order this gimbal head. Well, it's on the way.
I managed to purchase one after your review, I agree with what you said about dampening . I hope to use it with my Sigma 120-400 mm. Thanks
Very nice and straight forward review. Much appreciated
thank's a lot for the review mate, I ended up buying it.
Mike; I have added a Belleville spring washer in the 'stack' of the adjuster for the vertical 'swing' stage, which allows for a nicely-tunable friction, with 'lock-up' taking about 1/8 turn from a fairly stiff setting. SO, still quite easy to lock, but much more adjustment for 'drag'.
hi, what do you mean exactly? Pics please. Thanks
Excellent review thank you
Great review, but one question people are not touching on. The plate that attaches to the lens mount, then you attach the camera via the plate to the gimbal head and then tighten the knob, is that it, is there no way of locking the knob/plate? Like on your video head, if it loosens it can only slide so far, and catches, and not fall off. What if I'm carrying on my shoulder and tha knob does not lock, is everything going to hit the ground?
Top review there Sir. Thank you!
(From New Zealand...)
Very helpful...helped me make up my mind. Going to get one to replace my pistol head.
A nice solid to the point review! Thank you.
Barry TRELEAVEN: now 3 months of use and my results speak for themselves,last night I shot a late afternoon big sea on the coast of Victor Harbour. 1DMk4 and the 400 F4 DO with a poleriser shot by mistake 100iso 1500 shots mostly using 10FPS using the gimbal fitted to a manfrotto monopod with a brisk breeze blowing . The number of soft shots was less than 5% which is incredible as I was shooting wide open F4 so I am more than pleased.
Thank you, Mike. Love every succinct point you made. I shoot with Nikon and Canons. Both take Manfrotto 1/4" threads. I assume that I do not have to buy step ups for Beike BK-45 Gimbal Tripod Head. It comes with standard 1/4" doesn't it? Thanks again for the very informative video Sir.
Well done.
Thanks for the review - the best out there!
Sorry Mike, but your statement at 5.02 is completely wrong!
A Wimberley head (or any other competent gimbal head come to that) when correctly set-up does NOT return to the central balance position - IT IS NOT MEANT TO!
The camera and lens combo should stay in exactly the same position as where it is pointed - up or down. This state of intended balance perfection is achieved by first of all balancing the rig horizontally with the lens mounting platform in its LOWEST position by sliding the rig backwards or forwards. Once this is done, the camera and lens assembly is then lifted and secured when it (the camera + lens) remains exactly where it is pointed. Try it.
The fact that you PREFER the Beike is beside the point. I have owned and used one; it's okay for the price but........
Great review, Mike. What Quick Release Plate would you recommend for shooting with a Ultra Telephoto 150-600mm? Would you recommend using the plate that came with the BEIKE BK45 or would you recommend getting one that is a little longer - to even out the load balancing?
Thank you.
I'll think you'll find on video if your fluid head is as stiff as you say, when you start a pan on video it would jerk until you get the head moving and control the pan. A fluid head should be fluid, not tight or stiff but not loose, not that loose however that if you let go of the camera, the lens doesn't slowly creeps down until it's looking at the ground. It's a fine balancing act which requires adjustment with each lens/body combination and the better quality head, the greater success.
One reason why Sachtler tripods and heads for broadcast cameras can cost upwards of 6K!
Hello Mike, Remeber me :) Happy BK-45 user. A friend also wants one but he has the first generation of the EF 600mm L lens from Canon. Is that the same your using in this video?
Has it broken yet? I'm tempted to try one for my 300 2.8, or get the Lensmaster? But the Lensmaster costs 3x as much?!
hi mike, thank you very much for the review. it made my mind clear. as of 2016 how is it the gimbal working ?? any degradation in the performance??
Totally agree! Do you know of any higher quality gimbal with some resistance built in?
Thanks for the info got one on the way.......
how much money?
Thanks for the video!
Nice review, i'de like to know how it would fare with a canon 7d and the EF 100-400L and a 1.4x coverter. I've done some DIY's but came to this one.
That'll be a piece of cake for it.
Daniel Schubert Hey Daniel, I got mine in the mail and had the canon EF 100-400 on it and yup even the EF 600mm prime. Works perfect in the field. Even a smaller lens will work on it as the plate can be lifted so the camera does not knock the side arm. And with an L bracket that smaller lens can even go vertical. Here's a shot taken with it www.flickr.com/photos/gipukan/14655999479/
That cool. Am really excited about mine coming soon
Not sure if i already send you a reply but here goes.. my 7d is happy with the 1.4x converter and the 100-400 lens that i have. I'm using it on a sturdy manfrotto tri-pod Here's a shot i took with it www.flickr.com/photos/gipukan/14655999479/ Rob
Nice review. thank you
thank u very much for the review
Great review.
so get this instead of fluid head, interesting.
thanks
thankyou for the information
I mentioned you and linked to your video in this document:
tesselator.gpmod.com/_Text/Crispy_Landscapes.pdf
So i thought I would share it with you and your viewers.
This is a draft version of it and will likely grow much larger before I officially publish.
I believe I'm the "first reviewer" of the gimbal head you mention reading in your review here BTW. :)
Enjoy!
YOU ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS KIT!. .IT IS FOR SHOOTING "PANORAMA'S". THE POINT OF THE ADJUSTABLE ARM, IS TO SET THE "NODAL POINT" OF THE LENS, SO AS TO PREVENT "PARALLAX ERROR" WHEN TILTING THE CAMERA. HERE ENDETH THE LESSON!.
Geoff Fisher
Not really. Its a cheap copy of a Wimberley and designed to carry big heavy telephoto lenses. The purpose of the adjustable arm is to put the center of mass of the lens at the same level as the upper pivot so that it will balance correctly when the plate is slid forward or back. Because the height above the plate is based on the height of the tripod foot which varies by the lens size and brand.
HEY, "LIGHTNING"! I ACCEPT THAT I WAS WRONG. THE REASON FOR THE "CAP'S", IS THAT, AS YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY OVER 65, YOUR EYE'S AREN'T AS SHARP AS THEY ONCE WERE. HAVE A GOOD DAY. .
+Geoff Fisher Sorry to say Geoff, is you who is missing the point. This gimbal is for use with big heavy lens that happen to also be good for panoramics!!
these are garbage plain & simple. get a Lensmaster if you want top quality at the best price!
Excellent review.
It's interesting to hear a perspective from an experienced user as yourself Mike. I recently purchased this head for $80 US (my first gimbal head) and just got it setup and adjusted. Seems to work just fine and the resistance (damping) is just about right for panning and changing elevation. The fact that it stays in the same location when releasing the camera is a plus in my opinion. I wasn't aware that the Wimberly returned to the level position when released but that would be an issue for use with my Tamron 150-600mm lens which extends when zoomed and slightly changes the center of gravity. That would cause it to tip either down or up depending on the zoom setting. The Beike has enough stiction to hold the lens in position when balanced with the zoom set to mid range. Thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Thank you sir for a excellent review!
Update: Ours was flawed so given refund and kept : It is ok and works well apart from this flaw that could be re engineered.
th-cam.com/video/K6otBVuYnF4/w-d-xo.html
Hi Mike.
Just read this excellent review, thank you. Just wanted to ask if the Beike BK45 has a rocking movement when turning the camera turns side to side? The one I have does, although it's solid enough once the side knob tightens down. Keep it up. MARK
Thanks Mike. Great info as usual. The negative comments had put me off previously, but it’s great to hear your opinion on it.
Here is a link to a video on how to easily customize the gimbal:
th-cam.com/video/jMNjpgb9kIc/w-d-xo.html
Height adjustment is for allowing the centre of the lens diameter to bisect the centre of adjustment diameter.
Fantastic review. Very informative!
Thank you for your informative review, I bought the gimble and it is nicely balanced with a 400f4 DO lens coupled with my 1D mk3 and 4 , now for the wildlife shots.
great review...many thanks! I was just wondering would the Beike screw onto a gitzo flat base tripod or do I need some sort of adapter?...I just got a second hand Gitzo g1325 on ebay. What height would the Beike 45 add to the flatbase of the tripod? Thank you for your help :)
Excellent review! I do own one of these, and use it with my 600/4 Minolta lens, which is very large and heavy. It works wonderfully well. The head does have bearings - needle type thrust bearings. The stiffness is intentional, and as you say, desirable. When mine was new, I read in a forum how someone took his apart and cleaned it up, using a lighter grease to free it up. I followed his directions, unfortunately. It now operates very freely, but I would prefer the damping. The grease that I cleaned out was very thick, and is a special purpose damping grease called "kilopoise". It is very difficult to buy in small quantities. The only thing I'm not fond of is the tiny knob that tightens down on the lens plate. It is too small, and sometimes, I haven't gotten the lens clamped tightly. That is scary with a big lens like that. While I haven't done it yet, I plan to replace the small knob with a stainless steel wing nut to be able to clamp it down more securely.
I do agree with DonningtonArts that a properly set up gimbal by any manufacturer does not return to center. That is a simple function of adjusting the height so that the swing-arm pivot is right at the center of gravity of the lens/camera assembly. It is not a function of the damping grease. If it goes back to center, your lens mount is adjusted too low.
Great video, Mike, useful and informative. One question: which fluid video head were you using, and where (in the UK?) did you get it. I can't afford a top of the range video head and am nervous about buying cheaper ones.
This is an accurate review IMO. I own and use this product and am very pleased with it. When you properly balance the camera and set the knobs to provide just the right amount of friction/dampening for your situation your camera will stay exactly how you placed it with no more fiddling yet provide smooth movement. This is my first and only gimbal head and if it keeps performing as it has been it will be my last.
These heads are offered on ebay under different brands. I just bought one for $54 US or 42 pounds. Looking for the spring washer that is mentioned below.
Thank you so much for your video review. On the strength of this and a couple of other reviews, I bought one for $72.00US
Right on the mark, that was. great review sir. I have been looking and trying to decide on the perfect head, i think i just found it. Straight and to the point, using common sense. thank you for a great review
Thank you for that concise review, Mike. Much appreciated. I feel sure you'll have a lot to offer in your photography tutorials.
Very well done! The best explanation of differences on TH-cam. Thanks!!
Hi,,,I had read somewhere that it do not fit Canon 400 f/2.8 IS lens. Can u clarify?
Just got one of these myself,very happy with it. I use my 1D mkii and 400 lens on it.
Very good video, and the Beike BK-45 is a good and economic gimbal too.
I have been using this head for the past six months with a 300 2.8 lens and it has served me well.
e one think I will buy one now was unsure but thanks for grate review
very informative, thank you!
Thank you !