Wimberley sent me a photo showing that the P-5 and M-5 camera mount can be used to mount a camera on Winberley Head.
Also a PDF describing it.
Mounting a Camera Body on the Wimberley Head
The Wimberley Head was originally designed to support professional cameras equipped with long, heavy 400mm, 500mm and 600mm telephoto lenses. However, with the cost of professional level camera equipment approaching the financial reach of the mass consumer, many more Wimberley customers are now demanding increased flexibility of use with the Wimberley Head. Mainly, they wish to be able to mount a camera body on the Wimberley Head when using a non-collared lens. There are a few different ways to achieve this. You will not be able to achieve the free-floating gimbal balance in this situation, but you will be able to put tension on the swing arm to position the camera at a variety of angles, and you will be able to track moving subjects with fluid panning motion. You will also be able to lock the panning base and swing arm for steady scenic shots.
1. You can attach a lens plate to the bottom of your camera (so that the plate is parallel with the lens barrel) this allows you to attach the camera directly to the quick release of the head. This works okay, but you have to adjust the legs of the tripod to level the horizon, and you are limited to horizontal format pictures.
2. Some people carry a small ball head with a quick release plate attached to the bottom of it and attach the ball head directly to the quick release on the Wimberley Head. This at least eliminates the need to remove the Wimberley Head, but it is a pain to have to carry an extra head with you.
3. Another option is a beanbag. You can set the beanbag on the head itself, or even on your big lens while it is still attached to the head.
4. Our regular suggestion is to pair a Camera body plate, either our P-5 Camera Body Plate or a Kirk Enterprises or Really Right Stuff camera L-Bracket, with our M-8 Perpendicular plate. (see figure below)
P-5 Plate (under camera) & M-8 Perpendicular Plate
This will also allow you to use the M-8 as a rudimentary macro focusing rail when used on a ball head.
Note: The Perpendicular Plate is not designed to give you the range of motion and precise adjustability of a rack-and-pinion focusing rail. The Perpendicular Plate gives you about 1.7 inches of total forward-backwards adjustment. This amount of adjustment is most useful when you are doing macro photography in the 1:1 scale range. Often you want to get as close to a subject as possible, but
after you’ve positioned you tripod, you find that you are too close and the subject is out of the focal range of your lens. Use the Perpendicular Plate to slide your camera back just enough to get your subject in focus.
Caution: When Using the perpendicular plate as a macro slider, you may end up sliding the plate so far back in the clamp that it is no longer properly clamped.
In order to insure that the Perpendicular Plate is clamped securely, it is important to make sure that the end of the plate extends at least ½” beyond the middle of the clamp.
The Perpendicular Plate comes with one 3mm screw and a matching hex key. This screw can be inserted into the threaded hole in the bottom of the plate to serve as a stop that prevents the plate from accidentally sliding out of the quick release clamp in one direction. (The knob at the back of the Perpendicular Plate keeps it from siding out in the other direction.)
If you opt to use the stop screw, you must open the jaws of the quick release wide enough to load your lens from the top (instead of sliding it in). Top loading is a little less convenient, but if you use the stop screw you can be certain that your lens will not slide out of the clamp.
Using the stop screw will make it more difficult to quickly attach a flash bracket to the bottom of the plate. The stop screw will not interfere with attaching a flash bracket to the top surface of the plate.
The stop screw will also limit the amount that you can slide the plate backward in the jaws of your quick release clamp. If you are using the Perpendicular Plate as a macro slider (see Application 3), you may not want to install the stop screw. (Note: This is not a problem if your tripod head is equipped with a Wimberley quick release clamp: our clamps have special grooves that allow your plate full range of motion even when using the safety stop.)
M-8 Perpendicular Plate US$85
P-5 Camera Body Plate US$52