Thanks adam. I think Im set on the Jobu BWJr. It looks like an awesome product at a really reasonable price and I feel pretty confident that Ill be able accomplish want I want with it. Thanks for all your help. :]

there's no other head like gimbal that gives You freedom of movement.

one more thing, there are several other "cheap" companies that copy wimberlay and jobu design patents and sell gimbals for much less - probably the most "famous" among them is chinese company Benro - I wouldn't buy it's products under any circumstances, as the quality goes down with price, not to mention the fact that the design is simply a copy-paste solution from wimberlay.

This might be a pretty suitable alternative for what I need to achieve what I want for shooting climbing videos:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/445434-REG/Manfrotto_808RC4_808RC4_3_Way_Pan_Tilt_Head.html

But if I can use a gimbal head to achieve the same result it makes more sense to me to buy one since I plan on owning a tele large enough to justify the purchase.

The best way to choose equipment is to try it out and figure out what works for you (and that may easily be different than somebody else's choice).

I chose the wimberley II, very solid, very fluid movement and the feel of the adjustments just match me. It's one of those things that you want to buy once, use forever and not have to worry about it.

I agree with adamz - changing the collar on the 300/4 AFS really does make a difference and is probably something worth considering when using a tripod. It matters at more than just slower shutter speeds depending on the subject distance. If you can tap the front of the lens and see the image move at all while you are looking through the eyepiece then you don't have a stable system (assuming your tripod and head are stable, with this lens it's the foot).

Whats wrong the 300mm AF-S for use on tripods? It has some at slow shutter speeds (less than 1/60s) but unless you do a lot of longish exposures there is no need to replace the collar. Actually I took some long exposures (about 1 second) with mine of the moon and it was fine.

I've shot everything handheld as far as wildlife goes, so I couldn't justify replacing a collar that I practically never use. Im more interested in getting a set up that allows me to pan fluidly with all of my lenses.

squamish - have You replaced the collar on Your 300/4 af-s? there is known issue with it, which makes this lens practically unusable on tripods, the solution is this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/555384-REG/Kirk_NC_300_NC_300_Replacement_Lens_Collar.html - just remember to go through BH link from NR page, in order to support our web page

Thanks, adam. That was exactly the kind of response I was looking for. The Jr. sounds perfect for what I need it for, which, at least for the next 10 months, will be for easy and smooth panning with the D300s in video mode. So far that has been a nightmare with my ball head Manfrotto. Im also hoping to be able to replace my 300mm F4 with the 2.8 version by next christmas, so it will serve me well to already have a gimbal head for it. And if anyone has any alternative suggestions for achieving smoother panning with smaller lenses without a gimbal head, please reply. Im getting the sense that i'll run into balancing issues setting up a gimbal on a 14-24, 50mm or 105VR, but I know Im going to want to own one anyway down the road so Im hoping that its something that can work around even if it ends up being makeshift.

squamish - to be hones there are only two companies on the market that produce decent gimbals: wimberlay and jobu design. the first one has better marketing while the second one has better engineers. depending on the gear You use, You have many different opportunities. if You wanna travel light, and don't have any lenses longer than 300/2.8 than BWG-J2 Black Widow Jr. mk II will do the job, and it costs only $250, if You have longer lenses than I would go for BWG-Pro Black Widow around $550 (both from Jobu) and add a Lens Support Pkg from Really Right Stuff for better stabilization.

What are you planning to use on it?(lens? body? how much weight etc)

Does anyone have any good advice on which gimbal head is worth investing in? Any replies are much appreciated, especially from those that can speak from experience.