bob_mcbob Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I ordered an Arca Swiss Z1 from B&H last November. I have been using it regularly since then, and I am extremely impressed with the way it handles. I always thought it was a bit odd that the safety stops on my Wimberley plates were useless because of a second lower dovetail groove below the main one. I remember reading a post by a user with a similar issue, so I decided it wasn't worth worrying about. <p> I've just been looking over photos of the Z1 to advise a friend on which head to buy for his own tripod, and noticed that none of the product photos of the Z1 show the double groove. Even the-digital-picture shows two versions (one with level pan lock and one with knob), and both have the same QR head. I don't get it. I seem to recall someone mentioning that the lower groove is used for large format plates, but I have no use for that. It just makes the head less functional for me. It's also substantially different from what I expected to receive. Is this a universal change in the AS line, or is B&H just selling the wrong product? <p> <br> Product photo:<br> <IMG SRC="http://sig.fortepianos.com/as1.jpg"> <p> What I received (not my photo):<br> <IMG SRC="http://sig.fortepianos.com/as3.jpg"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I have two Arca-Swiss B1 Monoballs, one from the 1990s and the other from 2003, and a late 1990s Arca-Swiss B2 Monoball. I've never seen that lower dovetail groove design in second photo. Or one with the notch on the opposite side from the clamping mechanism Mine look like the top photo. Where did you get that second photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_mcbob Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 The second photo comes from a <a href="http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/630371">thread</a> on the Fred Miranda forums. The poster was complaining about exactly the same things noted here, and linked to a photo he took of the head he'd purchased from B&H. I also found photos of the same clamp design in the quick release lever version on a French photo site <a href="http://www.galerie-photo.com/rotule-photo-arca-flm.html">here</a> (scroll down a bit). <p> I've e-mailed Arca Swiss and Precision Camera Works to try to get to the bottom of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_smothers Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Interesting. I agree with Ellis, all of mine look exactly like the stock first photo. Hopefully it is not a repro --- like my last 2 SanDisk Extreme III cards. :P Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul beiser Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Same here, Chris, I have a B1 and have not seen the lower dovetail groove design before. Please let us know what you find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 I've got a couple of contacts at Arca-Swiss. let me see what they have to say about that second photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here is Arca_Swiss USA's official response: "Ellis, This is a new design which will take the camera bracket (lower dovetail) and the camera plates (upper dovetail). It came out late last year. Diane" thein other words the lower dovetail connects directly to the monorail of Arca-Swiss View cameras, eliminating the need for a tripod block between the clamp and the monorail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_mcbob Posted May 12, 2008 Author Share Posted May 12, 2008 <i> Yes, there has been a change in the Quick Set Devices (locking knob or Flip Lock lever). There is now two dovetails. The lower one is for the camera bracket, the upper for the camera plates. I do understand your frustration since no visuals of the change have gone out. The change occurred in late 2007. I will forward your note on to ARCA-SWISS France so they do know your concerns.</i> <p> Well, now we know why they changed it, but I am not really all that happy. They say the design was updated in late 2007, but every single reseller is still using the old product photos. This change is only useful for large format users. For everyone else, it makes the Z1 clunkier and less functional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_yee Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Ellis: Could I trouble you to pester your Arca contacts to see if they'll ever add numbers to the pan markings to make panos simpler? That's a pretty funky looking QR design. I'm surprised it's not offered as an option instead of standard since I doubt that many Arca users are large format owners... At least the clamp looks rounder/smoother than the old clamp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Chris I have to say that I take the safety stops off of my QR plates, but I can certainly see your concern . Yee , I'll pass that on but I replaced the clamp on my newer B1 with the Really Right Stuff panning clamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now