Clearsight Hassy foot for Arca Swiss B1

Greetings All -

 

I am very close to purchasing an Arca Swiss B1 and am wondering if

anyone on this forum has used clearsight's Hasselblad replacement

foot. It seems to me that replacing the foot would be a better

alternative to screwing on a mounting plate and provide more

stability. Any input appreciated.

 

Thank You!

 

- Jason Thompson

 

http://www.clearsightusa.com/hassyfootcs.html

Jason,

 

I have not used the Clearsight foot. I have an Arca B1 and use the Really Right Stuff plate with it. I have not had any problems with stability using the RRS plate.

 

-Nick

Jason

 

No question in my mind. If I had an Arca Swiss Ball Head, I would

buy Hassyfoots for my 500cm and SWC.

 

I'm not a big fan of ball heads, preferring a Gitzo low profile

pan head.

 

Jerry

My buddy Jim swears by the Arca Swiss B1 and Clearsight foot. To me, the

downside is that once it's fitted to the camera, the standard Hassy grip which I

use with flash, etc is no longer compatible, so I've been reluctant.

 

I am in the process of working this out for myself too. I just picked up a nice

lightweight Manfrotto 3444D set of legs, for the moment I'm using my existing

Manfrotto 3562 Speed Grip head on it. But I think I want the Kirk or A-S

ballhead soon.

 

Godfrey

I can't speak for the Clearsight foot, but the RRS B-9, recommended

for the Hassy 905, etc., works great.

I appreciate all the replies. I ordered the Arca Swiss B1 today and a Kirk mounting plate. I probably would have ordered the clearsight CH-1 had they not been on vacation. The inability of being able to use a flashgrip with the CH-1 is definately a drawback. However, presently my focus is macro photography so using a grip isn't all too important. I will probably order a CH-1 once they return and I'll be sure to let everyone know how it's working out.

 

- Jason

 

Godfrey -

 

I recently purchased a Manfrotto 3444 and so far it is an excellent tripod. However, a tripod is only as good as the head your using and the head that I am currently using is aweful (Manfrotto 3437). The best part about the 3444 is its size and weight. I do a lot of travelling so the compactness is important. In terms of stability, there are probably better performers out there but it's all a tradeoff. I've been thinking about purchasing some spiked feet for a little additional stability when I'm out hiking.

Don't trust your camera to anything but an Arca-Swiss-compatible head and plate. Bogen heads are well-made, but it's easy to improperly position the plate in the head, or to dislodge it accidently, and there is no lip to prevent rotation. I use Really Right Stuff plates on all my cameras. They're well-made, light weight and don't rotate. Use the B-22 if you have a 3/8" tripod socket. Otherwise, use the B-9, which is 1/4-20. The Hasselblad tripod socket is easy to replace, if you don't have a 3/8" socket. RRS plates have a 1/4" socket in the base, so you can use a standard tripod head in a pinch