I got my Markins M10 head today and am astonished at the quality and craftsmanship of it. Any one of you use it with a Nikkor 200-400 lens or similar mass lens and a digital SLR? I have the Wimberly 2 gimbal head and very happy with it but there may be times when the gimbal head is not around. I have no doubt that the M10 can handle with weight. I realize that I would not be using it to capture action shots but more for stationary subjects. Just looking for comments/precautionary notes on its use.
I am using M20 with 300 f2.8 on a Gitzo3530LS regaularly without any issues. M20 gives more control over friction adjustment than M10. You can set the friction and point the lens where ever you want, problem area is when you point down, you will have to increase the friction else it may flop down. I do use my D3+600 combo on this head when not carrying the 5541+Wimberly. For the small price difference M20 gives more value for money.
My wife and I regularly use a 200-400 plus D300 on an M10 with a Sidekick. Never used it straight on the M10, the Sidekick is so much easier to work with. For stationary subjects, i.e. locked down, the M10 can handle almost anything. I've tried to move the Sidekick when locked in the M10, using both the Sidekick and tripod legs for leverage, but can't.