ballheads

[marcel]

Hello. I am looking for a ballhead to use with a bogen 3046 and Rz +

tilt shift and various lenses and ext. tubes (mostly macro work).

Does the Arca ball head have a 90 degree slot? Is that the "best"?

Any other recomendations? 'Lot of questions!:-0 Thanks for your

patience and feedback.

Marcel Perez-Calisto

[jim_chow]

One friend of mine has an Arca B1 and hates it. It seems to jam unexpectedly if the slightest amount of dirt enters the head. I use the Linhofs, which also have the 90 deg slot for vertical shots. He used my Linhof 3 and remarked how smooth it was. I tried his B1...wasn't impressed. Knobs are also too small to my liking. The Linhofs are more reliable and metallurgy is of higher quality, IMHO.

[photomark]

Marcel, To answer your question, yes the Acra B1 has a 90 degree slot.

I like the Acra swiss. I've used it, banged it around, made it very

dirty, and it has never jammed. It also feels smooth as silk and I'm

quite comfortable putting lenses as heavy as 400/2.8 on it. I do

wonder it the kind of applications where one would use a tilt/shift

and macro lens might lend themselves better to a pan/tilt head rather

than a ball head. I'm sure you've considered that a ball head is great

for moving around and following subjects but is difficult to make

minute adjustments and move on one plane independently. I, and alot of

people I know, think it is the "best" ball head around, but as you can

see, it really is a matter of preference and opinoins will vary. Good

Luck.

[michael_heal]

<p>Yes, the Arca Swiss B1 (or B1g for very heavy equipment) is generally considered to be the best all-round ball head. They operate smoothly and are very strong and rigid for their weight. The biggest disadvantage is the price. There are other good choices in the same general price range, but the Arca Swiss heads seem to be the most popular, especially among nature photographers who value strength and light weight.</p>

<p>However, for the equipment you describe, the Manfrotto <em>Super Ball Head</em>, Art. 268 (Bogen 3038) would be another good choice. It is not as smooth as the Arca Swiss and is about twice as heavy, but costs <em>much</em> less and is every bit as strong. Manfrotto's hexagonal quick-release plates work fine, but are larger and less refined than the Arca Swiss ones, but again they are much less expensive. They can be a bit large for some 35mm equipment, but that would hardly be a problem with your RZ. The very smooth operation of the expensive heads makes accurate framing easier with large telephoto lenses, but you might well find the Manfrotto satisfactory for the application you describe.</p>

[frank_ward]

Marcel, I've carried the Arca B1 from Bosnia to Tibet and consider it to be very rugged and not prone to jamming. I've never had dust or dirt problems. I use it for my 8X10 and my Leica. The only problem, other than price, is the quick release. I once dropped my 8X10 on an unsuspecting nude. The release does not have a safety stop. The Really Right Stuff has the best quick release plates for the Arca. They do have stops. Frank

[lennart_estrvm]

Hi!

The Arca-Swiss is considered to be the No.1 ballhead, but I,ve seen one that looked even better. It was called Will Wetzlar and was even more expensive than yhe Arca.

 

Lennart

[boris_krivoruk2]

I used Arca Swiss only three times in winter. No dirt. It just got wet every time I used it. If does jam. Also, even when i just bought it, its movements were too stiff. It's an expensive piece of garbage. The cheap Bogens are better. Does anybody know whether there is a was to maintain it?