ARCA SWISS SMOOTHNESS

[lucio_j._gomes]

I heard a lot of good things about the ARCA SWISS B1 being the best

ball head money can buy. I saved my money and bought one.I love the

positive locking and the panning.I use the friction adjustment a lot

and noticed that when I set the friction to be a little stiff when I

move the camera/lens around, the ball snags and I noticed the locking

knob moving in and out as I turn the camera around to compose my

shots.The plate beneath the ball, that pushes up against it to lock

the ball in place moves as I try to move the camera.Should it move?

Should I try lubricating the ball? try to take it apart?

I don't expose it to dust to make it jam, and always wrap a bag around

it when I'm not using it.It's driving me nuts! thanks for the help

[cwphoto]

Don't lubricate the ball & don't disassemble. How could you possibly see the "locking plate" move without a transparent housing. Anyhow.

I have an A-S for 3 years and mine isn't as smooth as I expected either. I submerged it in hot soapy water for an hour, thoroughly dried it & had some success with this method, although your mileage may vary.

[wildpicture]

Strangely enough just today I encountered a similar problem with my new B-1.

 

Similarly I saved up for a while for the B-1 and a new tripod. A few weeks ago they arrived. Arca Swiss B-1 and a Gitzo G1505 tripod. Immediately I fell in love with both the tripod and the ballhead. The smoothness of the B-1 was as everybody had told me and the tnesion control was great.

 

Since it arrived I have used it only a few times since spring hasn't really arrived here in Holland yet. Today however was a nice day and I went looking for birds. All morning everything worked perfect while I was photographing a Marsh harrier. Then I moved to another spot carrying my tripod against my shoulder with the camera and lens mounted. I had tightened the ballhead and the lens was resting on top of my shoulder. When I arrived at the new spot, I wanted to use the ballhead again but friction was much tighter. Although it was not locked up and I can still rotate the big knob, it feels like the friction levels from 0 to 4 or 5 are "gone". Only the higher levels with more friction are still working. When I have the friction control at 1 or 2 the lens should be flipping to all sides (as it always did before) very loosely but now it stays in position. I can still move it around but I do need to apply some force.

 

Has anyone experienced something like this before? Is there any solution? As it is only a few weeks old, I'll be calling the supplier tomorrow about it. But I am afraid to send it back and have to wait a long time to get it back. I do need it right now and I have heard that delivery times for new ones are around two months!

 

P.s.

My camera is a Canon F-1n with a FD500/4.5 and FD1.4x total weight about 4 kilograms (approx. 8 or 9lbs). The AS B-1 should be able to hold much heavier equipment.

[wildpicture]

Today I tried to clean the ball with alcohol. (70% alcohol for medicinal use/desinfection) As long as the ball was still wet with alcohol, the movement was much easier. But as soon as it gets dry again, it seems like te tension is set a higher level again. Moving the ball with camera and lens mounted is still possible (would say still usable) but when the camera/lens is taken off, it's much much harder to move the ball.

 

Any help? Please?

[rich long]

I don't have an Arca Swiss, so this comment may be totally irrelevant.

The brochure that came with my Kirk BH-1 ballhead says:

"When cleaning, loosen the ball and move into the 90 degree position then slowly turn the ball in the socket while wiping with a soft cloth lightly moistened with WD40 - avoid using any cleaner other than WD40 and do not spray WD40 directly onto ball."

 

No guarantees, but it might be worth a try if you don't get any better suggestions.

[willie_holdman]

I have the same problem that hans mentioned...only had for one week and noticed the numbers have no revalence to the amount of friction...its fustrating spending 300.00 bucks on a head and have it do this. I also walked around with the tripod-camera on my shoulder for a bit and this is what happened. It is also binding up on me on occasion...I whish I new the problem.

 

Willie

[wildpicture]

So far I have sent an e-mail to Arca Swiss customer service, but no reply.

 

Today I sent an e-mail to the dealer were I had bought the had and he replied immediately that he will ship a replacement head first thing tomorrow. I can use this replacement while I sent him my B-1 and wait for it to be repaired by Arca Swiss. Sounds like very good service, hope it all works out fine.

 

Hans

[brad_carlson]

i too regret ever purchasing such an expensive head that does not perform well. same problems as described above after one month of owning it. i sent it into the official repair facility and got it back after a month with stiffness still present (better than the very bad condition it was in when i sent it but still akward to use). also, after the repairs, i am not able to turn the locking knob to zero any more. very frustrating ballhead and i do not recommend it to anyone.

[gooseberry]

Hi there,

 

I'm about to make this important investment, i.e., spent several hundred dollars on a ballhead. What I had in mind was, of course, Arca-Swiss B1 monoball, but this thread featuring *exclusively negative* opinions (not typical for A-S B1) made me thinking about reconsidering my choice. Are there any satisfied users left out there to defend this product and preferably provide some hints as to what may be going on here -- a bad batch, some redesign failure, ...? Or maybe those encountering problems figured out the root cause and a way to solve it? Please follow-up!

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tomasz

[lucio_j._gomes]

I did what Richard said, to rub a WD40 soaked rag on the ball

and it seems to be doing better. If I knew more about the Arca Swiss

and its little discussed "imperfections" I probably would have bought

the Kirk ballhead and saved about $60.00 in the process. The only bad

thing I heard about the Kirk, is that the PAN KNOB doesn't grip the

ball enough to keep it from turning when using heavy(500-600mm) lenses. My heaviest lens is a 400 f5.6L, so it wouldn't affect me.

[scott_long]

I haven't used the Arca Swiss, but I recently purchased the Kirk ballhead (www.kirkphoto.com) after reading Shaw's recommendation at (www.johnshawphoto.com) . The Kirk BH-1 works very smoothly and the variable tension adjustment does what it is supposed.

[bob_royse]

I've had a B1 for a couple years. Before that I had a StudioBall. I've found them both to be equally smooth for practical puposes if kept clean.

 

The general ergonomics of the StudioBall was far superior, but the panning base became too wobbly, even when tightened. One thing I absolutely HATE about the ArcaB1 is that it takes so damned long to tighten the head. It also takes a lot of hand strength to do it, and is basically impossible with gloves on (which is about 1/3 of the time here in Ohio). Since my most used lens is a 600/f4, I really do need to keep the thing tight. If I had to do it again I would definitely NOT get a B1, I'd opt for a Foba.

[drc]

Like Bob Royse says, i'd spring for the Foba. What the superball lacks in terms of the silky slick B1 smoothness, it makes up for in consistent, reliable and bombproof service. Oh, and i forgot to mention, it's a heck of a lot quicker to giddy up and use than most other ball heads. I've also noticed that when i'm done shooting, most of the other guys are still fumbling with their funky little nobbys. Nope i'm not going to give up my Foba Superballs, you'll just have to pry them from my cold dead hands!

[birdsofearth]

Tomasz,

I have been using B1 since 6 month now with 500 f4 lens(+1.4x,2x TC's). I am very happy with it. No such smoothness problem. But only once it did locked up, that too because of my mistake of keeping its tension tight during travelling. As I have not used any other ballhead I don't know the difference. Many people are using it with 600mm+ lenses with TC's, including stacked!

[customer_support]

Dear Monoball owners

 

We are going to post you directly some answers about comments being done in this thread as it is a rather long.

Nevertheless allow us to ask: Did anybody of you read the instruction manual before using the Monoball ?

If you experience problems with your Monoball do read first the instruction manual.

 

You can reach us at: arca-swiss@swissonline.ch

 

Kind regards

 

ARCA-SWISS International

Customer Support

[wildpicture]

Of course we (or at least I) have read the instruction leaflet. If you buy such an expensive piece of equipment, that is what you do first.

 

The dealer where I bought the ballhead (Isarfoto in Germany) deserves all praise. After I sent him a mail with the problem, he shipped a replacement head the very same day. It was just delivered. I can keep this replacement until my own has been repaired by Arca Swiss.

This is really a very good service!!!

 

With regards to the e-mail I have sent to Arca Swiss describing the problem and asking for advice. No answer at all. Not such a good service.

 

The replacement head is noticably smoother. Friction settings from 0 to 3 do work perfectly.

 

I will keep this forum up to date on any new developments.

Regards,

Hans

[wildpicture]

Today I have received the e-mail promised by Arca Swiss in the posting above. Unfortunately they have not yet answered my e-mail from a week ago. I had hoped they would have posted the entire mail here in this group. Since they choose not to do so, here are some parts of their mail. The parts between "" are from Arca Swiss, the rest is from me.

 

"Did anybody of you carefully read the instruction manual before using

the Monoball ?"

Of course we do, we are not stupid. If you buy such expensive equipment, you want to be sure to handle it correctly.

 

"Following are some answers to comments in this thread which are caused by not understanding the ballhead."

So Arca Swiss does think that their customers can not understand their products?

 

"The index ring is rotating free (no mechanical impact) on the

Multifunction knob. You can set and change its position anytime. So, talking about numbers of the index ring in this thread doesn't make sense, its relative. The index ring can be turned to any number."

You don't have to be a genius to figure this out. When talking about numbers, the Multifunction Knob was set fully open, then the numbers scale was turned so that the 0 would be at the correct position.

 

"Smoothness:

1. The Monoball is a high precision product indeed. A Monoball is not as smooth at the beginning as it gets with use. Compare it to a gearbox in a new car."

As mentioned in my posting, my B-1 was indeed very smooth at first, but became much less smooth later. This is exactly opposite from what AS describes.

 

"Keep the ballhead clean and if necessary use a cloth with a little bit alcohol to clean the ball. A Monoball is as precise as your camera, would you grease or clean your camera with oil or soap?"

This is exactly is done by me. I would neither grease my camera nor by B-1.

 

"Finally after reading all the comments we wonder if following advantages of the ARCA-SWISS Monoball (exclusive an patented) have been understood?"

Once again Arca Swiss seems to think that their customers are somehow "mentally challenged"?

 

"If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us anytime."

Yes, but if you don't answer, what is the point of contacting you?

 

"Last note: No, ARCA-SWISS does not sponsor Mr. John Shaw."

No comment from me on this one.

[kevinoneil]

The fact that AS doesn't sponsor John Shaw shouldn't come as a surprise since he uses the Kirk BH-1!

 

Posted from the Kirk web site:

 

John Shaw, John Shaw Photography

"The Kirk BH-1 has become my standard

ball head. I feel it's the best buy on the

market."

[jack_pohler]

I've had my B1 for about a month now. I experienced much of the same problem. I cleaned the ball with alcohol several times. It's become smoother. Every time I clean it, I still see black residue on the cloth. Perhaps the cleaning process was forgotten in the rush to keep up production.

[frolov]

Since everyone seems to be dumping on Arca Swiss on this thread, I feel obliged to speak up, even though there are users in this forum with bigger glass and longer milage on their AS monoballs. Arca Swiss is a good ballhead :). I have come to appreciate it's smoothness when I was using 400/4 lens. And it is the lightest ballhead around, even though it supports the biggest load. I store and transport the head loose, and have not experienced the notorious lock-up problem (knock on wood :). I feel it's worth the price (maybe because I like well-made things)...

 

But there are other AS users here... Bob, Don, everybody, where are you, our heads are getting flamed! :).

[wildpicture]

Maybe I need to explain myself better. I do think the AS B-1 is a very good piece of equipment. It worked very well and I was very pleased with it. The problem is just that it malfunctioned. This is never nice, but certainly not when you have just paid so much for it less than two weeks ago. I hope to get it back repaired and be happy again soon. The replacement head I received from Isarfoto as a "loaner" is very good as well. So there was clearly a malfunction in my own B-1.

 

For such a price you can expect a good service as well. The service provided by Isarfoto where I bought it was outstanding. The service from Arca Swiss was not so good. No answer to my e-mail and than a standard mail as a result of this thread. I have told Arca Swiss also that I think it will be to their benefit to be frank and open about all discussions on this forum.

 

I am not going into discussions about which is better: Arca Swiss or Kirk. This is as irrelevant to me as the the Canon-Nikon debates. Maybe John Shaw likes the Kirk and Arthur Morris likes the Arca Swiss. Great, but so what? John Shaw likes Nikon and Arthur Morris likes Canon. Fine. Both take great pictures with their equipment, and so do many other photographers. Even those with still other equipment.

 

Luckily I have a replacement B-1 now from Isarfoto (www.isarfoto.de) and it works fine. Hope to get my own back soon.

[chris_ross1]

Hi, all very interesting discussion, I am the proud owner of a B1 purchased last week, and next month I am taking it to Botswana with me to support a 500 f4.5. I understand you should unlock it in transport, but what about when I am carrying it around with the lens on the tripod, or riding in the back of a 4WD with the lens on the tripod? Also I've heard a lot about lock up and how the procedure for recovery is in (I think ) the RRS catalogue. Unfortunately I don't have the RRS cat. and living in Thailand am unlikely to be able to get it. I've looked all through this forum, but can't find it. Can anyone point me to the procedure for unlocking, just in case, (knocking on wood) it happens in the middle of Botswana? thanks.

[wildpicture]

<p><font face="Arial">Chris, I have never had the freeze up problem with my B1.

My B1 however developped a problem when walking around with the tripod while camera and

500/4.5 were mounted. So although others might consider this safe to do, I would not

advise it. Personally I don't think I will do it again anymore. Maybe it caused the

problem, maybe it didn't but I will be carefull about it.</font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial">Maybe a bit off topic, but when and where are you going? I

will be in Botswana in June myself. I don't know how you will be travelling in Botswana.

Normally you won't get much opportunity to wlak around with a tripod. Leaving your car is

prohibited in all the parks and reserves, except in the camping areas. There is lots of

dangerous wildlife walking around. Photographing from a 4x4 with a tripod will be very

difficult unless you have your own vehicle. Even then it will be difficult to put down a

tripod. A window mount will be the best option, depending on the type of vehicle (do

windows open vertically or slide horizontally?). Otherwise a beanbag will be the thing to

use. If you like you can contact me directly or in this thread about Botswana: </font><a

href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000oUL&topic_id=&topic=">Response

to Botswana or Namibia</a></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial">Here is the exact text from the RRS late 1999 catalogue. I

am just quoting them, if anything goes wrong don't sue me. :-)<br>

<em><br>

"There have been some reports of a problem, incurred by some B1 ballhead users,

wherein the ballhead was recieved (new in the box) in a frozen locked-up condition.

Generally, this has happened with the ball and locking knob frozen open (loose ball), but

sometimes with the ball frozen closed (clamped ball). This freeze-up could also happen

during in-the-field usage, but it is generally more common in transit, when constant

vibration is prevalent. Here are some guidelines on what to do about this condition.</em></font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial"><em>First, combat all tendency for this freeze to develop

by always storing your B1 ballhead in an unlocked mode. This has two further benefits: It

will help protect against loosening, and loss, of the thumbscrew (now help captive in all

post '92 production models), and it will allow the head clamp to move when it strikes some

obstruction due to careless handling. (But do pack your tripod center column, with

ballhead, inside your luggage when travelling by air, because it is too valuable to trust

to airline handling.)</em></font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial"><em>Second, learn what to do if your B1 ballhead does incur

this freeze-up problem. The fix is quite easy, and can be administered safely, with no

risk of any damage to the B1 ballhead. Here's what you do: Check the thumbscrew to confirm

that it is indeed jammed, and not free to rotate counterclockwise. Then, get a firm grasp

on the main locking control knob (you might want to use a piece of cloth th help get a

good grip), and force-rotate that main knob clockwise (clockwise only- as if trying to

lock the ball). You will need to rotate this knob by about 1/8th inch of movement in order

to free the internal lockup. When this is done, normal operation is restored. Full hand

force is quite sufficient to accomplish this fix; no tools are required unless grip is

physically impaired.</em></font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial"><em>Don't let this potential freeze-up problem inhibit your

decision to buy the B1 ballhead. You may never experience this condition if you always

leave your head unlocked when in transit, and the B1's assets are too good to forgo.

Anything that can support loads that are substantially greater than the competition

ballheads can handle, and yet do so with about 50% less size and weight, fully deserves

this praise."</em></font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial">Arca Swiss themselves write this text in their instruction

leaflet. (translated from German)<em> </em></font></p>

 

<p><font face="Arial"><em>"Attention. Forcing the multifunction knob

counterclockwise can lead to freezing up. By turning clockwise and releasing the

frictionscrew this can be solved again." </em></font></p>

 

[wildpicture]

Last week I received my malfunctioning Arca Swiss B-1 back. All together it has been at Arca Swiss for over 4 months.

 

Luckily it is fixed now and it is as smooth as in the beginning again. Don't know what caused the problem.

 

I do have to praise my dealer (www.isarfoto.de) in germany for his outstanding service. I was able to buy the replacement B-1, which I received from him two days after the first mention of the problem, for only $150. Thats a real bargain, as it was new as he sent it to me.

 

Conclusion, when a B-1 Ballhead by Arca Swiss works, it works perfectly. If you do have a problem with it, their customer service is a disaster.

[rick_d]

My Arca Swiss B2 suddenly became stiff and virtually unuseable after 5 years of outdoor use

with nature photography. This happened during a period of unusual high humidity - curious.

Anyway I found good information at the Precision Camera Works site.

http://precisioncameraworks.com/Media/MonoOperMan.pdf

and followed the Arca Swiss recommended cleaning procedure, which is to simply wipe the

ball with a soft cloth and alcohol. I did this a number of times and will do so regularly from

now on. This worked very well and is the only cleaning I would contemplate. :-) Rick.