Coastal Brown Bear and Gray Wolf Unlikely FISHIN' BUDDIES (Ursus arctos or Grizzly Bear and Canis lupus) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DMKIV, 500mm F4 L IS, 2X II Tele-converter, Tripod & Wimberley Head II. ISO 800, F8 @1/125s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

WH-200 Wimberley Head II review

If there is a single piece of photography equipment that I own and can't live without, but often abuse and take for granted, it's my Wimberley head. If it could tell a story, it would have many stories to tell; we've shared many adventures. From watching these unlikely fishin' buddies in Alaska, to the rainforest in Panama to photographing over the edge of a 5,000 foot cliff in Iceland, it's been my constant travel companion. I owned and loved my first version of the Wimberley Head for years, and now rely on my Version II to support my equipment while in the field. Simply put: The Wimberley Head II (WH-200) is the sum of a great idea, brilliant design & engineering, stellar customer service & support, product evolution and a small company that cares about their customers, their product; They care and they consistently prove that they care.

"The Wimberley Head is a specialized tripod head for telephoto lenses. Its gimbal-type design allows you to rotate your lens around its center of gravity and thus easily manipulate very large lenses. Since its introduction in 1991, the Wimberley Head has become the industry standard for serious nature photographers.

The Wimberley Head Version II offers the same stiffness, capacity, and fluid movement of the old version in a more compact and lightweight package (it is one pound lighter and about two inches shorter). The head’s redesigned panning base has zero play, and the pan locking knob has been moved to the side of the head, thus allowing the user to easily operate both knobs with the same hand. New lobed “soft-touch” knobs provide a more comfortable grip and perform better when using gloves.

In addition to the above improvements, Wimberley has examined all aspects of the head, tightening tolerances, improving friction materials and so forth. Our goal has been to make this head functionally and aesthetically better in every way than the old version and competing products." - Wimberley website

Speaking of competing products, there is a growing number of copies and knock-offs appearing on the market; some cheaper than, and others comparable in price to, the original Wimberley Head (and the new Wimberley Head II). Before saving a couple of bucks, simply ask yourself if your expensive camera equipment deserves anything less than a Wimberley brand product, and all that the Wimberley name stands for. Knock-offs are being mass produced with second rate, low grade, un-tested materials, and try speaking to a "customer care" agent in the Orient where they are made - these companies are more interested in producing profit than quality and are best avoided.

See more from Wimberley HERE.

I like my Wimberley Head so much that I'm giving one away on December 15th, 2011. Thanks to the fine folks at Wimberley, we are giving away a brand new Wimberley Head II (WH-200); simply sign-up for my newsletter in the column to the right of this post and your name will automatically be entered to win.

Coastal Brown Bear and Gray Wolf Waiting for leftovers (Ursus arctos or Grizzly Bear and Canis lupus) Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK. Image Copyright ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com All Rights Reserved. Canon EOS 1DMKIV, 500mm F4 L IS, Tripod & Wimberley Head II. ISO 1600, F4 @1/320s Manual mode. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A PRINT or LICENSE IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION.

Daylight Savings Time Ends

Whether it's the start, or end, of daylight savings time, I always use the occasion to change out the batteries in my smoke detectors and to make sure all of my clocks, watches and cameras are set to the right time. I typically set everything to match THIS SITE.

Great FREE Gear Giveaway Continues

Sign-up for my newsletter before Dec. 15th, 2010 and you will automatically be entered to win an amazing prize. Simply fill-in your name and email address in the form in the column to the right of this post and you are entered automatically (only sign-up once please). Tweet, Like or Share this blog entry on Facebook or Twitter, or leave a meaningful comment here for additional chances to win. Don't forget to tell your friends or fellow camera club members about the prizes.

WH-200 Wimberley Head version II (retail value of US$595.00)
Think-Tank Photo Urban Disguise 50 (retail value US$169.00)
Nik Software Viveza 2 (retail value US$199.95)
Digimarc for Images Professional Edition 1 year subscription (US$99.00)
One of eight Canon Long Lens Rain Covers (US$125.00 each)
More to come

Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Photo Safari / Photography Workshop

Both of the images in this blog entry were from my July 2010 Coastal Brown Bears of Katmai Workshop / Safari. Do consider joining me from July 24 to July 30, 2011 for the adventure of a lifetime. Only three spots remain. MORE INFORMATION HERE.