Small But Mighty - Leofoto PG-2S
I am always looking to refine what gear I take out with me to make taking my photos and videos easier, be it electric clothing to keep me warm in winter, camera feeds to monitor the garden birds, or weight reduction to make carting around all my gear easier for my back. This last option, is where my new Leofoto PG-2S gimbal head comes into play.
My first gimbal I got a couple of years ago, was a great entry level gimbal for me to get used to using, however the biggest downside to it, was it’s weight, at a whopping 1.375kg! I have been on the lookout for something a fair bit lighter, and ended up going down an internet search rabbit hole. I eventually came across the Leofoto PG-2S in a video review from South West Optics, it was small and light weight – perfect for what I was looking for!
South West Optics was one of only 2 retailers here in the UK stocking this gimbal (the second being their sister company!), so I reached out to them and after a bit of emailing and a phone call later, not only had I got one on the way to me, I was also now going to be an ambassador for Leofoto, through South West Optics! This partnership is a massive step for me, and I am excited to see where this takes me, and what opportunities it may lead to.
The gimbal arrived within a few days and I have to say, I am so pleased with it. It weighs in at less that 850g! (on my home scales without the tripod plate, it read 804! That is not far off being half the weight of my original.
Don’t let the size fool you though, it is capable of a maximum load of 15kg! It is made from durable aluminium and comes with its own carry bag.
The gimbal itself is really easy to set up and balance, and the action on it is so much smoother than my original gimbal. While it is arca swiss compatible, I chose to get myself the Leofoto SF-02N tripod foot, specifically for the 200-600 Sony lens, with its build in plate, so that I don’t need to constantly put the tripod plate on every time I wanted to use it.
The gimbal arrived before my trip to Scotland, where it accompanied me on a few outings – though none of these videos turned out into a full YouTube video, due to one reason or another, having the gimbal on hand was brilliant and I was able to capture some video footage that I know I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
On the boat I used the gimbal on a monopod to get some clips of a family of otters on the loch late one evening, remember that while the boat is anchored, it does still swing around in the tides. I was also able to get all the footage and images one could ever want of some Canada geese, a seal frolicking in the seaweed and much more.
These clips were all taken with the use of the gimbal at 25fps (except for the seal which was at 50fps and slowed down to 50%). I didn’t add any additional stabalisation in post, so that you could see what the clips would look like straight from camera. None of these would have been possible without the gimbal taking the weight of the lens off my arms. The otters and seal clips, were also filmed while I was on the boat, which even while anchored, goes still move around in the tide.
While I still have a lot of practice to do at following the subject in question, the gimbal really held its own, given its small size, and I am finding that I am more than likely to actually take it along with me due to the weight savings.
There is one downside to a gimbal this small, and that is with these larger lenses, there isn’t much room on the back end of the tripod foot/plate for clearance over the centre of the gimbal.
For me this isn’t and issue, I don’t tend to photograph birds that are high up in the sky, so have not had any problem with it. I have only tested the gimbal with my Sony cameras, which are quite lightweight when compared to something like the Nikon Z8, so other cameras may not have this issue. I think that with the addition of a battery grip for the Sony’s, or by mounting my Osmo Action 5 Pro in the hot shoe of my camera, this added weight will allow me to move the camera forward on the plate, giving me more clearance.
For me this is pretty much the perfect set up for my on the fly style of videos and photos, I can see myself taking the gimbal out paired with the monopod on my photo walks, as a stable base for me to use.
If you are interest in pickup up the Leofoto PG-2S for yourself, then do check out South West Optics, along with a whole range of Leofoto gear, they are one of the largest stockists of binoculars and optics here in the UK, they also have a huge range of accessories, used items and tripods to choose from. You can check out South West Optics on the links, or you can visit them at their Bird Show on the 23rd and 24th October 2027, near Budleigh Salterton and get hands on with some of the equipment they stock.