Sevenoak SK-GH02 Carbon Fiber Gimbal-Type Tripod Head for Large Telephoto Lenses and DSLR Cameras

2019-11-25T12:14:50

I recently purchased the Sevenoak SK-GH02 Carbon Fiber Gimbal-Type Tripod Head for my carbon Induro tripod. I use it with a Canon 7D MkII with a Canon 500mm II prime lens. I also have a Whimberly head which has a smoother operation but weighs 10 times heavier than the Sevenoaks and is alot more expensive. Have carried both in the field it is a real treat to have a much lighter setup thanks to the carbon fiber Sevenoaks. The lighter weight setup is will worth a little less smooth operation. I love the Sevenoaks! Chris Powell Jamestown, RI

Chris P.

2019-03-28T09:19:08

I found this carbon fiber gimbal head to be unsatisfactory in its function. On the positive side, it is nice looking and light weight. However, the unit I received did not function satisfactorily. The panning motion was a little stiff but not too bad. The up and down pivoting motion was rough and had a catch in it, a total fail in my opinion. When the pivoting knob was loosened enough to allow free movement, the swing arm would actually wobble on its axis, another fail. I take exception to Adorama's characterization of this to be Top Rated Gear and therefore will not take these Top Rated Gear characterizations seriously in the future. Item was returned to Adorama.

DAVID M.

2019-03-27T09:06:13

Given most quality gimbal tripod heads run considerably more, I thought I would give this Sevenoak unit a try in an effort to keep my cost down. It had the right sized thread to mount directly to my heavy duty Manfrotto tripod without use of a thread adapter (but they include one in the package anyway). Plus it has a decent build quality and weight to it that compliments the Manfrotto well. Even though it is carbon fiber, it still has a nice hefty feel. Tension knobs are big and work well. All swivel joints move freely once tension is released, as does the swing arm on which the lens mounts. I had several arca-swiss mounting plates already and they fit this unit nicely. Only had it out once so far but my Canon 80D with battery grip plus my 100-400 L lens balanced nicely on this setup. Hope it holds up over time, but only time will tell.

James S.

2019-03-25T16:10:35

Not as smooth as the Wimberley equivalent, but you save some weight and have similar adjustments. May not be as durable long term but for occasional use it's a good alternative. Buy a decent plate to go with your lens.

JOHN M.

2019-03-25T14:00:48

I have enjoyed this gimbal head. It is light weight. It fit right onto my Benro tripod. It holds my 150-600 lens just fine.

CHERIE H.

2019-03-20T14:36:33

Good enough for beginners

Don M.

2019-03-18T14:40:17

The item is as portrayed on line and performs as advertised. I had the aluminum version on back order and decided to go with the Carbon Fiber version. Works great excellent control with heavy long lens.Highly recommend.

JAMES B.

2019-02-19T11:48:43

Well built Gimbal Head. Supports my Nikon D610 with my Sigma 150-500 with no problem. Provides smooth tracking of moving objects!!! Great device for the money!!!

David C.

2017-10-11T12:35:14

This is an amazing head for the price. I have owned a Wimberley WH-200 series II for at least a decade; so when the Sevenoak GH01 arrived, I compared the two. The Sevenoak appears to be a copy of the Wimberley, except for the use of carbon fiber in the arm of the head, rendering it somewhat lighter (.7 lb.) (The machining on mine appeared inferior.) The two are similarly adjusted . Comparing performance, the Wimberley moves significantly more smoothly in the vertical plane, but panning of the two heads was about equal. Included with the Sevenoak was a plate for attachment to a telephoto lens foot. It was light and of inferior design to those I have bought from Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, and Kirk, but it is of standard Arka Swiss dimensions. (It features only one flat head screw for attachment to the foot instead of two or more, which would prevent lens rotation.) The Sevenoak GH02 accommodates all of my plates and replacement feet. It also works perfectly with a couple of Wimberley accessories that are not available from Sevenoak. One attaches Wimberley flash brackets directly to the head. The other fits into the clamp to change the angle by 90 degrees, permitting the head's use with cameras fitted with "L" brackets. I discovered on the Sevenoak web sight that it offers no plates, replacement feet, flash brackets, etc. This posed no problems for me, since I have excellent ones from Wimberely. The two Sevenoak features making it special are its price and its weight. For attachment to a lighter backpack-able tripod, it is lighter than a Wimberley II head, and also lighter than a combination of a Wimberley Sidekick and a ball head. Moreover, the availability of the elevation arm and the large panning knob make it much easier to use than the combination of a Wimberley Sidekick and a ball head. One can buy the Sevenoak GHO2 for the price of a Sidekick and needn't buy a ball head on which to mount it. (The Wimberley accessory for mounting a camera with an "L" bracket is much cheaper than the price of a suitable ball head.) One can buy two Sevenoak GH02s II heads and still pay less than the price of a Wimberley II head. Disadvantages of the Sevenoak are the question of how well it will hold up, its inferior performance to the Wimberley II, and the issue of how one would get it serviced, if defective. By contrast, Wimberly is an extremely reputable company here in the United States, and the Wimberley II head has a proven record of reliability. In my mind the Wimberley II head is unquestionably superior for use with a heavy tripod that will be carted around in a car or some other rolling device. (The 33 pound weight capacity of the Sevenoak is more than adequate for any camera and lens combination other than possibly Sigma's heaviest zoom telephoto, which to my mind (along with its price) makes that lens impractical for wildlife shooting anyway. I would recommend this head to anyone who could not afford a Wimberley II with the suggestion that he investigate Wimberley accessories to go with it. (I will probably never use the included lens plate since I have much better ones already.)

Robert S.

2017-04-02T16:23:23

I tried many different tripod head, included gimbal head. This piece not heavy, work perfectly and the cost was so less. Very happy with it.

Dee G.

2016-07-01T09:03:13

Never had a gimbal mount before, but for my first one, this is superb. Light weight, well made and solid. Maybe I should have opted for the non carbon fiber one (half the price) but I wouldn't know the difference unless I had tried it.

DONALD C.