> I don't understand the King Cobra design. Isn't the whole rig more stable > with > the weight of the lens pressing directly down onto the tripod (as with the > Wimberly) rather than having the lens hanging out in the air and attached > from > the side (as with the King Cobra)?
The biggest real world difference is what happens when the lens is tilted off horizontal. The lens pivots around the side mount point on the King Cobra and it swings through an arc with the Wimberley head. I think the King Cobra is more stable with respect to that movement because the lens' center of gravity isn't moving as far. The side mount King Cobra design puts low sheer and bending stresses on the lens collar but I'm sure they are so slight that they can be ignored. > Is there anything else about these that I should consider? I would be concerned with how robust the two designs are. The bushings are probably the weak points in both units. It would be interesting to know if they can be replaced. It might be easier to mount the lens onto the Wimberley unit because of the side vs bottom difference but I'd have to try them to see. I've used the Kirk Window Mount and the Kirk Low Pod and they're both serious pieces of equipment. I would expect the King Cobra head to be of the same high quality. I don't think you could go wrong with either one. You could call and ask them: "why should I buy your unit instead of the other one?" Tom Reese
