Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Really Right Stuff PG-CC Cradle Clamp for Wimberley Gimbal

I decided to replace my Wimberley version II gimbal clamp with the Really Right Stuff PG-CC cradle clamp as I have always adored the lever action from their quick release clamps.  It is much simpler and quicker (in my opinion) to pop open the release, slap the plate in and close the release.  I do not think there is anything wrong with the Wimberley set-up, it just has become a little pain to screw and unscrew the small diameter knob.  

Here is a quick view of the set-up:
Nikon 600mm f/4 G VR. RRS PG-CC
Nikon 600mm f/4 G VR. RRS PG-CC

The above pictures were taken at a local marsh and the quick flip of the lever let me get set up a lot quicker and sometimes just a few seconds is the difference between getting a shot and not.  
My Take: Overall, there is not really any weight savings as they are very comparable in weight.  I like that the lever is more compact than the screw knob, which makes it easier to fit a lenscoat pouch over the set-up.  The fit and finish of the RRS cradle clamp is perfect.  Machined and anodized to perfection.  Definitely worth the money.  The set-up shown above is a Nikon 600mm f/4 G VR lens with the Really Right Stuff LCF-13 replacement foot, Nikon D3s on a Gitzo GT5541LS tripod and of course, the Wimberley Version II gimbal head.

5 comments:

  1. Hello,
    First of all I woud like to thank you for a great review.
    I have some question to ask. Why you chose RRS foot relpacement
    instead Wimberey is it better ? how?
    I am into bird photography shoud I but 500VR or 600VR ?
    Thank you for your respond.

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  2. First, thank you for your post. As far as the replacement foot aspect, I chose Really Right Stuff for 2 reasons. First, it has a rounded top of the foot so that when carrying the lens by it, it is more comfortable in the hand. Second, RRS is a great company to deal with that make awesome products. I have had Wimberley's replacement foot before on an AFS II 600mm and it worked fine, but was not as comfortable when carrying as the RRS foot.

    As far as Bird Photography, it all depends on how close are you going to get to the birds and how big they are. If they are going to be small in the frame, then get the longest lens you can. The 600 weights a good amount more than the 500 and it is physically smaller too. I have pics of the 2 together (500 and 600 VR) on my flickr page : http://www.flickr.com/photos/grobarek/sets/72157613374242097/

    Hope that helps! Thanks, Scott.

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  3. Thank you very much Scott, this help me a lot.

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  4. Not a problem, glad I could help!

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  5. Thank you for your post and specially the photos. It help with the photos.

    ReplyDelete