A gimbal is a pivoted support that lets an object rotate freely about one or more axes, and in photography the word refers to two related but distinct tools: a motorized stabilizer for video and a gimbal-style tripod head for heavy lenses. Both share the same core idea of balancing a camera at its center of gravity so it moves smoothly and stays where you point it.
The motorized gimbal is a handheld or mounted stabilizer with brushless motors on three axes, pitch, roll, and yaw. Sensors detect unwanted movement and the motors counter it instantly, so footage stays level and fluid even while the operator walks or runs. This is the device behind the smooth gliding shots common in modern video, and it has largely replaced bulkier mechanical stabilizers for handheld work.
Getting the most from a motorized gimbal depends on balancing the camera on it before powering up, so the motors only correct movement rather than fighting gravity, which also preserves battery and payload. They offer follow modes that smooth or lock the camera’s response, and many can perform motion time-lapses and programmed moves. A motorized gimbal complements in-body image stabilization and IBIS rather than replacing them, since the gimbal tames large motions while sensor stabilization handles fine vibration.
The gimbal tripod head is a purely mechanical support designed for long, heavy telephoto lenses. The lens mounts by its tripod collar so that its center of gravity sits at the pivot point, which makes even a large lens feel weightless and stay balanced when you let go. The head swings freely in two directions, letting the photographer track a moving subject with a light touch rather than wrestling a stiff ball head.
That tracking ability makes the gimbal head a favorite in wildlife photography and bird and sports work, where following erratic motion with a heavy lens would otherwise be exhausting and slow. It pairs naturally with panning technique for conveying motion, and on a monopod a smaller gimbal head gives much of the same freedom with far more mobility.
When photographers say gimbal, context tells you which they mean. On a video set it is the powered stabilizer; in a hide with a 600mm lens it is the tracking head. Both exist to remove the constant fight against gravity and let the operator concentrate on framing and the subject rather than on holding the rig steady.
If you are deciding which kind you need, let the subject choose. Smooth handheld video calls for the motorized stabilizer, while long lenses pointed at unpredictable animals call for the tracking head. Some photographers own both, since they solve entirely different problems, and neither replaces a sturdy ball head for static, carefully composed work on a tripod.