Although we have reviewed a large number of gimbals on our blog we have never actually reviewed a gimbal head. After seeing a number of people consistently readying out for advice on the Benro GH2, we have decided to use it as the very first gimbal head that we will be reviewing on our blog.
We are hoping that our Benro GH2 review will help any of our readers who are considering adding it to their collection of camera accessories. With the GH2 becoming more and more popular month to month we are expecting to see a few of our regular readers who love their gadgets to start considering picking it up.
The excellent performance, excellent build quality, and ease of use of the gimbal head lead us to think that it is only going to keep increasing in its popularity in the months to come. Additionally, out of all of the gimbal heads at this price point in the market, we also feel that the GH2 has the best reputation within the community. In the age of social media, the reputation of a product can make or break it and we feel the great reputation of the GH2 is only going to help increase its popularity as time goes on.
Click Here To Check For The Current Price For The Benro GH2 Gimbal Head!
User Interface And Control System
Although the Benro GH2 has a pretty solid intermediate level price tag so we doubt many entry-level photographers or videographers will be looking to add it to their camera accessories, we like the fact that the gimbal head is so simple to use that even if you are new to photography, you will be able to quickly get it working.
Although the control system for the GH2 is pretty basic, it allows you to quickly and easily adjust the performance of the head to get exactly what you require out of it. Not only does this make it very easy for initial set up for use but it also ensures that it is very easy to tweak mid-session. Although at this price point in the market, it is expected that you should be able to quickly tweak the resistance and flow of your gimbal head, some products can still be a pain. Thankfully though, the GH2 is not one of them.
The gimbal lock is also very easy to use allowing you to go from full freedom of movement to have your camera rig firmly locked in place when required too. All in all, provided that you go through the quick and easy initial set up for the gimbal head, it is a great bit of kit that is very easy to use.
Click Here To Check For The Current Price For The Benro GH2 Gimbal Head!
Performance And Functionality
As you would probably guess by the reputation that the Benro GH2 has managed to earn for itself over the years, it is a great bit of kit that offers you some excellent performance. Although the GH2 is a few years old now, it can easily hold its own against many of the newer gimbals heads in this price range due to it having been designed and put together so well.
It offers your camera rig some very smooth movement while also ensuring that your camera has plenty of range when mounted to the gimbal head. In addition to this, you can also easily lock the head in place to use it like a traditional ball head or when required. When set up for free movement, the GH2 can adjust to some pretty extreme tilt angles without issue allowing you to get some angles that many competing heads simply can’t match.
As the GH2 is fully compatible with the popular Arca Swiss quick release plate system, it is very easy to source new, spare, or replacement quick release plates for the head too. If you do own multiple camera bodies that you use on a regular basis, being able to easily source additional quick release plates for the Benro GH2 allows you to mount a plate to each camera you own. When working you can then quickly and easily hot-swap between your camera that you have mounted on the GH2 within seconds helping to save you time.
Now, although the officially listed maximum load capacity of the Benro GH2 is 50 pounds, you have to remember to take into account the load capacity of the tripod that you are using! Many of the top end tripods at this price range will probably have a payload of between 20 and 35 pounds so double-check that your tripod of choices payload is.
The last thing that you want to do is see the 50 pound payload of the GH2 and mount a 45 pound camera rig on it only to have a tripod that has a 20 pound payload and for the tripod to give way. This is a potentially very expensive lesson that can easily be avoided.
All in all though, Benro has done a great job of ensuring the GH2 offers some excellent performance and it easily sits within the higher performance level for its price range.
Click Here To Check For The Current Price For The Benro GH2 Gimbal Head!
Build Quality And Design
Another reason that the Benro GH2 has been such a popular gimbal head is that both the design and build quality of the gimbal head are great. The design not only ensures that it is easy to use but it also lets the various parts of the head work together seemlesley to maximize performance. Although the build quality of the GH2 is solid resulting in a very robust bit of kit, the GH2 is not the lightest and comes in at around 3 pounds.
Remember that this 3 pound of weight also needs to be factored in to your tripods load capacity. So say your tripod is listed as having a 20 pound load capacity and your camera rig is 18 pound, the 3 pound weight of the Benro GH2 would actually bring the full weight to 21 pounds, a pound over your tripods load capacity.
FAQs
Question – Can the Benro GH2 be mounted to my tripod?
Answer – The GH2 uses a standard tripod mounting thread so it should mount to any tripod with a standard tripod mounting screw.
Question – Is the vertical arm of the GH2 fully adjustable?
Answer – Yes, the various control knobs on the head allow you to adjust the length of the arms.
Question – What is the diameter of the base plate for the Benro GH2?
Answer – It comes in at around 2 3/8 inches.
Our Verdict
That brings our review of the Benro GH2 to a close and we know that it is a short review compared to what we would usually publish, you have to remember that this is just a simple gimbal head and there is only so much you are able to write about. That said, we can definatley see why the GH2 is so popular and has the reputation that it has earned over the years.
It is an excellent bit of kit that we feel will make a great addition to your camera accessories. If you are looking for a way to improve your image quality via adding some image stabilization to your rig then the Benro GH2 is a great option.
Click Here To Read Independent Third Party Reviews Of This Product!
