Home > Heads > Gimbal Heads > GKJr. Katana Pro Telephoto Lens Gimbal Head

Rigid Travel Gimbal for 600mm Lens or Smaller

GKJr Katana Pro Gimbal Head for Telephoto Lenses up to 600mm, Canon, Nikon, Sony Etc.

42 Review(s)

| Questions about this item? Ask here.

(See 14 Questions)

Your Price: $699.95

In Stock

Part Number:GKJr

Quantity

Description
Customer Reviews
Questions and Answers

SPECS

GKJr., Katana Junior Gimbal vs. GK, Katana Gimbal

GKJr Katana Pro Gimbal Head for Telephoto Lenses up to 600mm, Canon, Nikon, Sony Etc.:

The #GKJr. Katana Jr. Pro Gimbal Head was created to provide the ultimate marriage between size, weight and functionality. The Katana Pro is able to support any lens, yet is portable enough to be backpacked through the jungle at just 2.40 lbs! The truss design manufactured out of rigid T6061 Aluminum required the PMG team of engineers to program the CNC machines to their limits. The Gimbal features an independent Pan and Tilt knob large enough to be handled with gloved hands. An Arca Compatible cradle clamp nestles your camera plate or long lens mount with precision and security. The fluid type movements will allow you to quickly control your camera and lens combo as if it were an extension of your body. The bottom of the Katana Jr. is a standard 3/8-16 threaded tripod adapter. Treat yourself to one of the smoothest and lightest gimbals on the market today!

The Katana Pro is manufactured out of hard anodized, scratch-resistant 6061 aluminum alloy and CNC precision machined in the USA. Designed with precision sealed, maintenance free, bearings for long life and durability to enable the heads smooth movements.

Made in the USA by photographers for photographers! We pride ourselves in being experienced photography professionals and design gear we would use. There's nothing more important than our customers' satisfaction. So, What Are You Still Waiting For? Order Your Own Premium PMG Pro-Stix Carbon Fiber Tripod Today!

GKJr. Katana Jr. Gimbal (Instructions)

Reviews Sorting

Owner

This has to be the most impressive Gimbal Head I have ever held in my hands. Built like a tank, yet light and workable. It is also beautiful, like a piece of Art. A great little brother to the Katana, light enough for bush planes and long hikes. I love this gimbal.

Did you find this helpful? 24 of 24 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: kevin dooley from Albuquerque. on 10/20/2016

Photographer

I received my Katana Jr gimbal head very quickly in-spite of a backorder situation at the time. I was hesitant to make the purchase due to my obsessive concern about low friction behavior and the locking mechanisms. Your assurance of a no questions asked 30 day return policy took care of those concerns. I have now had several months to use the Katana Jr with both a Canon 600mm F4 and a Sigma 150-600 Sport. I have to say that both of the rotational axes are as close to frictionless as I have found on any gimbal, including Wimberly. No stiction and no mechanical play or looseness is detectable. Absolutely remarkable! This gimbal sets the standard for uncompromising excellence in performance. The fact that it is lighter and less expensive than the competition adds to its price benefit ratio. I have spent a professional career as a mechanical engineer and designer/builder. I am impressed! Thank you for a beautifully designed and manufactured product. Sincerely, Paul J Yarnall

Did you find this helpful? 18 of 18 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Paul Yarnall from Canandaigua, NY. on 4/3/2017

Brilliant

Amazing gimbal. Light weight, yet sturdy and fluid. Beautiful design and solid construction. Easily handles 1DxM2 and 300 f/2.8 - weightless.

Did you find this helpful? 11 of 11 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Todd from Austin, TX. on 12/25/2016

Mrs

I bought this head to use on Safari in Africa with my 150 -600 sigma sports lense. It preformed superbly. I have used it since returning home and still love it. The light weight makes it easy to carry. I would recommend this gimble head.

Did you find this helpful? 10 of 10 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Suezette Shaw from NewZealand. on 5/10/2017

Mr.

Very impressed. I have previously used Jobu and Really Right Stuff gimbals. This is much better built then the Jobu head and much lighter and less fidddly than the RRS head. I am impressed with the design and build quality of this gimbal head, it is incredibly smooth to operate, yet very rigid when locked down. Unless you are using an 800mm lens, I don't know why you would want any other gimbal head.

Did you find this helpful? 10 of 11 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Evildogofdoom from Houston, Tx.. on 5/13/2017

Motion

I thought long and hard between the Katana and Katana Jr. I went with the Jr. for weight and size, buying one for me and one for my wife. Before buying, I called ProMediaGear, and they were responsive and helpful, so I proceeded to ask our local store to carry ProMediaGear as a dealer. I use it for all of my lens ranges - 10-20mm f/3.5, 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8, and 150-600 6.3. It is rock solid for stills, where I used it in Wyoming for the solar eclipse, and it is as smooth as glass for birds in flight and airshow flybys (all were shot with 400mm to 600mm). It blew away the cheaper models I had tried in the past, and given that it has everything I need, I do not know why I would go to other brands. If I had the 600mm f/2.8 I would go with the Katana, but the 600mm f/6.3 is handled perfectly with the Jr. I mentioned how smooth it was (get it balanced and loosen the friction locks and set your lens into a spin that will go for multiple seconds). This is especially important in cold weather, where other models will stiffen and ruin your chances to quickly move to a subject or track a fast mover. It is so light, I just use it in place of my other tripod heads for general photography. You will not be disappointed.

Did you find this helpful? 9 of 9 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Dave from Iowa. on 1/27/2018

nature photographer

first off let me just say what a great company to deal with, Betty was great with her help and follow up calls and customer service. looking forward to working with them in the future,!!!!!!!!

Did you find this helpful? 7 of 7 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: mark hanna from romeoville ill. on 4/25/2017

Gimbal head

Art of Engineering. Finishes coating should be improved to hihg durability and apperance.

Did you find this helpful? 7 of 7 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: (Verified Buyer) cw yung from Hong Kong. on 5/10/2017

veterinarian/amateur photographer

I recently purchased this Gimbal head after seeing at the St. Augustine Birding and Photo Fest. I do not have experience with other gimbal heads but this one is extremely fluid, well built, lighter to carry than many and is very reasonably priced. I was with a pro photographer when we both saw this gimbal head and he liked it more than the several others that he has and was going to get this one. He liked it better than his Wimberly head.

Did you find this helpful? 6 of 6 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Susan from Fort Pierce, FL. on 5/22/2017

Absolutely love the gimbal head. It balances my gear really well and the rotation is very smooth and noise free. Also because it is so light I do not think twice about throwing it into the backpack and taking off on a trek. Awesome product and I love it. Thank you.

Did you find this helpful? 6 of 6 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Siddhartha Mukherjee from Hyderabad. on 5/10/2017

Mr.

I am new to using a gimbal head. I have been hand holding a Canon 7D MII with a sigma 150-500mm for several year trying to shoot the wildlife that visit my yard or that I see while hiking. What I have found is that it gets heavy. I recently bought this head and have been using it outside in temperatures form zero to 17 degrees F. It has worked flawlessly even as my fingers and toes were starting to go numb as I had it out there for hours at a time. I also found it relatively easy to follow the moving birds and without the fatigue of constantly hold the weight of the camera and lens. I am glad I did not buy a cheaper foreign made device.

Did you find this helpful? 5 of 5 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Craig from Vermilion, Ohio. on 12/31/2017

NONE

COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH THE KATANA JR. OUTSTANDING BUILD QUALITY AND SMOOTHNESS OF OPERATION. IT HAS IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF PICTURES IMMENSELY, SORRY I DID NOT PURCHASE THIS UNIT SOONER.

Did you find this helpful? 5 of 5 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: LARRY SHAW from DELAWARE. on 11/1/2017

Owner Photography by Pudder

The GKJr. Katana Junior Gimbal Head is my first gimbal head. I am impressed with the quality, fit and finish od this head! I shot a Nikon 600mm f4.0 telephoto lens with great results. Would recommend to anyone needing to handle larger and heaver lenses.

Did you find this helpful? 4 of 4 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: (Verified Buyer) Gary Pudder from Kanawha Head, WV. on 8/28/2018

Photographer

With all the products out there, it is always hard to determine the best product. Especially the Gimbal head, which few if any stores carry different models to test. So I had to spend hours of research time finding the right one. When it arrived, I knew this one was special, with a design second to none and very light weight. Now for the function aspect, it's flawless and Super easy to adjust on the fly. I use mine with a Canon F4 II lens for sports shooting, what a great piece of equipment. This product is so good I just bought a second one so I can have two rigs going at once.I always buy direct from Promedia, great service and quick shipping.

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Greg Papazian from Los Angeles. on 11/26/2018

photographer

love this Gimbal. There are many cheaper and much more expensive gimbals out there. I did not want to chance a 5k camera on a cheap mount and I also did not want to break the bank. This product is AWESOME. It is built like it is a High end Gimbal but without the High price. As soon as I opened the package and had it in my hand I knew it was quality. Very smooth action and it locks up tight. The finish is smooth and the action is sweet. A+++ on this model. Now I want to try the other models as well.

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: John Galarza from Poconos PA. on 3/3/2019

Katana GK Jr is !Pura Vida!

After considering multiple opinions about the Katana GK Jr, including the opinion of personal photographers, I decided to try it. It is an excellent product, with a beautiful design, very light and safe. It works perfectly with my Canon 5d MK IV and my Canon 600 mm f4 II. He has already started to explore the forests of Costa Rica and I can say that the Katana GK Jr is !Pura Vida!

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: (Verified Buyer) Giovanni Sandoval from Costa Rica. on 6/5/2019

“Jr.” can be deceptive!

I mount my old manual focus Nikon 800mm f/5.6 AI (11.9 lbs) and camera to the Katana Jr. and it handles it with ease. The movement is silky smooth and the support is rock solid. I highly recommend this awesome gimbal head.

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Ken from Santa Rosa. on 1/2/2020

Solid and light

I have been using the Wimberly Gimbal head for years, which is about twice the weight of this item. I was skeptical about the this Gimbal being solid enough, but when I attach my 500mm or my 180-400, along with the weight of my Nikon D850 with the battery pack, this thing is as solid as a rock. FOr travel, this is a welcome change for me! So happy!

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Cookie from Berkeley. on 9/12/2019

Photographer

I bought the Katana Jr to hold my heavy lenses for wildlife photography. I wanted a very high quality Gimbal that was made in the USA. I quickly narrowed my choice down to three. At the end of the day, the price and the looks of the Katana Jr won out over the other two options. I have no complaints about the gimbal head. It has taken me a couple of weeks to get used to using this device over the ball head that I have used over the years. I finally realized that with just the slightest amount of friction applied, this gimbal will hold its position and still allow for free range of motion. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a very high quality gimbal head. Plus it looks great.

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 3 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: Glenn from Central Texas. on 6/4/2018

Great gimbal head

We were looking for a gimbal head that we could get and not spend a ton of money. So we bought a few other brands over a few months and never was happy. After loosing enough money that we could have paid for a PMG GKJR. We saw the pro media gear gimbal heads at the photo . Expo in New York and they were so smooth and well built we know soon as we got home what we were going to do. The same day that we got home we put all of the other gimbal head up for sale and ordered three Katana Juniors and have not looked back. They have been all over the world with us Africa, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, Great Smoky, Tetons and Yellow stone in the winter were the temps were -45 THATS RIGHT -45* and it worked prefect. we could not be happier. This Gimbal works great with every lens I use my 400F2.8 and 800mm on it with no problems at all. Its super smooth and strong. So if you want a Gimbal that you'll be happy with the first time THIS IS IT!!!!!!!! Save your self the headache and money and buy a GREAT GIMBAL THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!

Did you find this helpful? 3 of 4 Found Helpful

Reviewed by: jeff Birmingham from Corpus Christi. on 5/18/2019

Really pleased with my GKJ.r Katana Junior Gimbal Head fitted with my Sony A7RM3 and 100-400mm lens. The head is so well engineered, lightweight and it is very easy to balance and adjust when the lens is extended. The horizontal and vertical movements are so smooth with easy adjustment to fix the lens in a position or to freely rotate the lens.