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ABOVE A snaplink eyelet is provided for attaching a sling strap.

ABOVE: Foam rubber cuffs protect hands from the cold and shoulders from the weight of the gear.

ABOVE The new Giotto can be used both high and low. Foldedit is slightly longer than a large equipment rucksack.

New Custom Bracket Heads

Since the bulk of the article was drafted we have had the opportunity to use the whole rig on a number of shoots. After a while different things become more apparent and in some instances little niggles start to show. Aware of this the manufacturers strive to continually update their product and we find that they are generally more attentive to the photographers' needs.

Flaghead Photographic have announced two new Custom Brackets Gimbal heads. They are the lightest and most affordable Gimbal heads yet and follow Jon Ashton's review a few months ago. We assume that the build quality is the same as it was (it was excellent) but they have managed to pare off a few more ounces which can only be a good thing. The other feature we have come to appreciate is the 'set-up and transport lock' of the Custom Brackets' designs. There is no doubt that your £5,000+ investment in lenses is most vulnerable as you set the lens onto it or if it slips off as you move along the trail. Most nature photographers move location/position with an ultra-telephoto lens attached to the tripod and with the junction of the lens's barrel and the tripod resting on their shoulder. This demands two things: a well-padded shoulder (see Stealth Gear review) and a certainty that the lens tripod combination is going to stay locked. In our experience the sound of a 10lb ultra-telephoto landing at your feet usually signals the end of the day's shooting! Moving about with a rig like this, trying to keep quiet and remain hidden is difficult enough without having also to worry if your gear is going to plummet to the ground. For the same reason, captive lens foot-plates are also vital in our opinion.

The Wimberley head has also been lightened and they have moved the knobs so that they are aligned one above the other. This aids fast locking and unlocking but the rotation lock is now sticking out, one more thing to chaff an un-protected shoulder.

Our comments about the need to handle tripods is equally applicable to counter-balanced heads such as the Wimberley and the Custom Bracket Gimbal. Flaghead will be present at the Convention so there is another reason to attend!

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