While the Wimberley gimble head is without doubt a very usefull head, unfortunately it costs an arm and a leg to purchase it at more than £400 and is not much use for close-up work. On the other hand, the Manfrotto 488RC2 ball head is a good buy at less than £70 from Warehouse Express. It's an extremely smooth and rugged head complete with a quick release plate, very good for close-up and more than sturdy enough to support a long lens setup. Details at the following web address.
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/2306?
nirofo.