Arca Swiss B1 jams

[john_perry1]

When transporting, should you set the main (large) tension knob to the minimum, the thumbscrew to minimum tension, or both. Also, I had a good experience with the U.S. Arca cutomer service provider. The inconsistent customer service experiences seem puzzling, but a review of the threads on most of these companies (Kirk, Arca, etc.) indicate that all of them have "dropped the ball" at one time or another.... very disappointing to those who feel they have been let down.

[jarrod_connerty]

As to the last poster, you leave both screws @ zero tension-that is, both completely counterclockwise.<p>Bob; let me first state that I don't want you to think I'm not a <b>big</b> fan of Linhof's fine ballheads. They're great, exquisitely fluid jewelry-like pieces of machinery. Their pan bed is superior to all others. I think the Universal Ballhead 1 is by far the best little ballhead on the market. When someone wants the best tabletop setup I steer 'em towards the little Gitzo or Novaflex tabletops with this head or its' smaller brother.<br>That said, I think that the Professional III is similar to the massive Studioball; both are perhaps a bit better than the B1 for <i>studio</i> work due to the larger diameter, but not my choice in the field for weight considerations. <p>I hold no one person in particular at fault for these load rating specifications; I am an equal opportunity offender in this regard. I think they're all hooey when in use, some more obstensibly so than others. The B1 <b><i>won't</b></i> hold a 17lb. 600/f4 & F5 combo, & it is rated for 90 lbs. Perhaps their claim is based on a 90lb. weight concentrated to the size of an atom directly over the support axis. I'd love to see how they conjure up that experiment.<br>The Linhof Pro II, rated @ 'over 10 kg.(22lbs)' by their own catalog, <b><i>won't</b></i> hold a 9 lb. F5 w/ 300/2.8 AFS combo. I am angered by these #'s because I have to deal with customers in the store who've read these load ratings and are now convinced that a <br>[insert whatever name of "11 lb." rated tripod legs here]<br> and a<br> {insert whatever name of a "8lb." rated ballhead here} <br>will hold a <br>(insert camera/lens combo weighing, oh let's say 7 lbs. here). <p> They insist on spending the total they had in mind, despite my warnings about load ratings, and refute my claims based on the manufacturer's numbers. They then return either angered or ashamed and return the merchandise. So it just gets old, and if some universal, life-applicable system were incorporated to these #'s it would make every tripod salesperson's life easier.<p> Isn't that what we're all after?

[bob_salomon]

Jarred,

 

Every HP printed price list and promo that we supply dealers with

claims an 18lb capacity for the Profi II and a 22 lb capacity for the

III.

 

No where do we claim 22 lbs for a II.

 

bear in mind that frequently translations and conversions printed

in foreign printed catalogs are incorrect due to conversion errors.

that is why we specifically give you the capacities in our printed

matter that is sent to all dealers.

 

Sorry if somewhere you found misleading specifications.

[jarrod_connerty]

Bob; You are correct; the Linhof pamphlet I'm looking @ reeks of poor translation qualities.<p>Nonetheless, any 300/2.8 & 35mm body w/ motor drive weighs much less than 18lbs. and I don't find the Pro II to hold that where you tell it to stay. I have tested this in the store. When unlocked & @ full tension, the head creeps when you begin to put the weight off center. When locked on Gitzo 1348 series legs, you can see the trembling in the head in the viewfinder of a 1NRS & 300 IS during exposure(this was done with a cable release). With the Pro III(either model) & the same setup, I see no vibration in the viewfinder during exposure. I have repeated this experiment numerous times always with the same result. By the scientific method, that's enough proof for me that the Pro II is ill equipped for 8+ pounds of weight with the majority being heavy glass far off axis.

[bob_salomon]

Then the head is defective. Our specs are correct. Send it to us

for warranty service or replacement.

[boris_krivoruk2]

Wow, what a response. I wish I heard all these opinions before I decided to buy B1. I'd rather own a piece of "agrucultural equipment" like Bogen as somebody mentioned, then this piece of expensive precision junk. After all, what would you prefer to drive - a tractor that works, or BMW that does not. When I photogrpaph, I think about the photographs I take, not about my equipment, even less about the ballhead. All these mentions of vibrations, dust, water etc... Is this what, a crystal vase? My bogens, benbos, cullmans served under all these conditions for over 10 years. Yes, they are not as stable. But they work. And their movements are far smoother than B1, even when B1 was out of store. Well, I am willing to give it another chance. I sent B1 to Arca to fix or replace. There will be a followup, I will let people know.

[customer_support]

The unique technical specifications of the ARCA-SWISS

monoball B series:

 

The design and engineering of the monoball B series was

equivalent to reinventing the and resulted in the B series with

following features:

 

1. No migration in the movement of the ball by axial stabilization.

 

2. Progressive load capacity depending on the angle of the

set-up which balances the camera weight.

 

3. Highest load capacities at the touch of the fingertips.

B1 > 70lbs.,

B1g/B2 > 120 lbs.

 

4. Lubricant free ball with no jerking.

 

5. Special, dry coatings

 

6. Precision and vibration free panning.

 

7. No migration of the set-up when being locked, fine tunable

locking mechanism.

 

8. Variable and repeatable friction preset with index.

 

9. Separate movements in two axes on the B2

 

10. Small and lightweight, starting at 1.4 lbs.

 

 

These are lab tested and approved characteristics. (Load

capacity: 8" off the center of the ball in vertical position)

 

The key to the elaborate design is the continuous research by

ARCA-SWISS over 50 years, holding many patents, and known

for its precision engineering and manufacturing.

 

Clarification:

 

The unique and patented aspherical ball used in the

ARCA-SWISS Monoball heads has nothing to do with �lock-up� or

�jams�.

 

You can travel or store your Monoball loose or locked, it doesn�t

matter as long as you understand the operation of the

multifunction knob.

 

There was indeed a small number of Monoball heads in which a

part was used that changed sometimes its shape over time.

Our three Year Warranty covers those ballheads. If you feel that

you have received one of those few, or if you have any

further questions, please feel free to contact us anytime.

 

e-mail: arca-swiss@swissonline.ch

 

Kind regards

 

ARCA-SWISS, Customer Support

[jarrod_connerty]

The below comment is from <a href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00055r>this</a> thread:<p>

 

<i>Following the discussions if the ARCA-SWISS B1 can hold a 600/4, we are surprised that we (ARCA-SWISS) have informed customers that the 600/4 is too heavy for a B1. We are confident that the B1 can hold even more than the rated 90lbs.

 

-- odd ea, December 12, 1998; 10:31 A.M. Eastern </i><p>

 

 

And we have the comment directly above in this thread...<p>

<i>3. Highest load capacities at the touch of the fingertips. B1 > 70lbs., B1g/B2 > 120 lbs...-- odd ea, May 08, 2001; 11:59 A.M. Eastern</i><p>

 

Well which one is is fellers? 70 or 90 whopping pounds for the B1?

[mark_mitchell4]

Boris, this is just my 0.02 worth, but I've seen 6 or 7 of these (B1's) used by friends, that have all locked up at one time or another. Two friends have returned their's and bought BH-1's and a couple of others have them for sale. With all respect to Ellis & other B1 users, and after handling/examining one, to me, this WAS a great ballhead, but no longer, certainly not for it's cost. I've been using (abusing?) the Kirk BH-1 now for over a year and, to me, it exceeds the B1 in just about every respect. If it comes down to these two heads, I can't imagine you would ever be unhappy with the BH-1, it's truly great. We already know your feelings on the B1. Good Luck.

[sean_leach]

After reading the reams of responses / discussion about the Arca-Swiss B1, I almost hesitate to ask this question....I recently bought a 500 F4 lens weighing 8.5#, does anyone have any sound advise on what ballhead to choose? I have been considering the arca-swiss and the Kirk BH1 primarily, however, I don't have the opportunity (due to lack of local dealers) to trial the ball heads myself.

[mat_nikon]

Questions:

 

Lock up/jam is when the ball wont budge or when the big knob wont turn?

[boris_krivoruk3]

In my case al all knobs worked, but ball movements were toooo stiff and jerky, even when friction control was set to zero. I sent it to Arca, they sent it to France to fix. It work for few months of very modest use and then started doing the same thing again.

[mat_nikon]

When did you buy the B1? Was it at the time they shifted factory/

[boris_krivoruk3]

I bought it around February/March of this year. If the changed the factory, then either they have to reduce price by factor of 10 or 20, or if they charge $400 it must be really good quality. Producing junk for $400 - it sucks.

[ray_wong]

check for manual: precisioncameraworks.com/Pages/monoball_core.html