scott_dordick

Rubber does get harder and more slippery with age. Although spikes grip really well, they can be very destructive. They can even damage rock surfaces. So if you use spikes please use them carefully.

If you had a head that used Arcaswiss style plates, you could use a long lens plate on the bottom of your Hassy and slide it front to back in the quick release clamp to position the nodal point of the lens. Once you have it positioned correctly you could scribe a small line on the plate as a permanante reference point.

Hi Jeremy, At Acratech we have a 30 trial period. All products purchased directly through Acratech can be returned for 30 days for a for a full refund (less shipping) for any reason.

I do a lot of hiking, nature, and city photography. I have found a lightweight tripod and our Acratech ballhead is the diference between enjoying a walk with my camera compared to feeling like I am burdened by the load of my equipment. I am sure the quality of your images will be the same if you choose a quality CF tripod. If you are not bothered by the weight of your current tripod then there is no reason to change.

The camera specific plates offered by RRS, Kirk and ourselves (Acratech)are tailored to fit specific cameras and do not need to be removed to change film or to operate any of the cameras functions. You will need an Arca-Swiss compatiable quick release clamp...Scott

Hi Andun, You will not need a Hasselblad adapter. You will need an Arca-Swiss type quick release plate. They can be purchased from a variety of sources including RRS, Kirk and ourselves (Acratech). Any ballhead that has an Arca Swiss clamp will be compatiable with any Arca-Swiss style plate.

I almost always use a hand meter but, in simple lighting conditions the in camera meter works just fine. Carry a hand meter with you for a while and compare the readings. This way you can learn how the in camera meter reacts to different lighting conditions.

Our Acratech ballhead will easily hold your Hassy with a 150. It is lighter than the Profi II, it will hold more weight and it is cheaper. Even if you don't purchase one of our ballheads I recommend getting a ballhead with an Arcaswiss compatible quick release system. The "Arca" system allows you to use camera specific quick release plates. Camera specific plates as offered by RRS, Kirk and ourselves offer several advantages over the other types of quick release systems. First of all they prevent the camera from rotating on the plate, either with a lip that corresponds to an edge on the camera or with pins that locate into a camera body . Also many camera bodies have raised areas on the bottom and a flat or generic plate will contact the body only on these high spots, camera specific plates are contoured to fit the bottom of these cameras and provide much more surface area increasing stability and minimizing body flex. Camera specific plates are also clearanced to allow access to all controls and features without removing the plates. Many cameras have their tripod holes far from the center of balance of the camera. Camera specific plates are designed to bring the balance point closer to neutral balance. Camera specific plates are contoured to the camera body and are far less obtrusive than many other plates making it much easier to hand hold a camera especially in the vertical position. An added bonus is that the camera specific plates look like they belong on a precision camera not just a big block stuck on the bottom. Good luck, Scott

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the delay in responding. Our adapter bolts to the bottom of your Hassy adapter and has a dovetail that fits into the Arca clamp.

Scott

Camera specific plates as offered by RRS, Kirk and ourselves (Acratech) offer several advantages over the other types of quick release systems. First of all they prevent the camera from rotating on the plate, either with a lip that corresponds to an edge on the camera or with pins that locate into the camera body . Also many camera bodies have raised areas on the bottom and a flat or generic plate will contact the body only on these high spots, camera specific plates are contoured to fit the bottom of these cameras and provide much more surface area increasing stability and minimizing body flex. Camera specific plates are also clearanced to allow access to all controls and features without removing the plates. Many cameras have their tripod holes far from the center of balance of the camera. Camera specific plates are designed to bring the balance point closer to neutral balance. Camera specific plates are contoured to the camera body and are far less obtrusive than many other plates making it much easier to hand hold the camera especially in the vertical position. An added bonus is that the camera specific plates look like they belong on a precision camera not big hexagon stuck on the bottom.

We (Acratech) are in the process of making a "Arca" plate for the Rolleiflex TLR the generic Kirk or RRS plates should not be used because the bottom of the camera is not designed to support the weight of the camera without distributing the forces to the 6 mounting pads (4 on the bottom and 2 on the front) just like the Rollei tripod adapter. If you do use a generic plate be careful because the camera back/bottom is easily damaged.

APX 100 in Rodinal. Although the grain will be a little more noticeable it does have great tonality.

Hi Chiris, If your budget allows it would be a lot easier to carry a medium format rangefinder. I love my slr's but for travel photography they are just too heavy and bulky. Good luck, Scott

Hi Dane, I originaly designed our Acratech Ultimate Ballhead as a ballhead for backpacking and hiking. Weighing less than 1lb it is the perfect companion to a lightweight carbon fiber tripod and it will hold 25lbs. You can see it on our website at http://acratech.net/products.htm It is also available with an arca type clamp. Good luck, Scott

About a year ago I tested a bunch of different FB papers and developers. The developer affected the final image as much as the paper. My personal favorite was Oriental Seagull graded paper developed in Edwal Ultra Black, it worked well for my images. You should try several diferent papers and developers and see what looks best to you.

Hi Paul, At Acratech we strive to have perfect quality control but, occasionaly something happens. Our ballheads lock solid. If your ballhead doesn't lock solid I want to fix it. Our service records for you only show "add rubber knob". I am sorry we missed the problem. I want it to be right. Please contact us and we can send you a new ballhead in the morning. Best Regards, Scott P.S. Thank you everybody for the positive comments.

If you are carrying your equipment around for 18 hours a day take a look at our Acratech Ultimate Ballhead acratech.net/products.htm it weighs less than 1lb and will hold 25lbs and is very rigid. Our camera specific quick release plates do not need to be removed to access any camera functions or controls similar to Kirk and RRS but cost about 1/3 less. Also a good carbon fiber tripod although expensive it will save a lot of weight. Our Ultimate Ballhead on our modified Velbon 630 weighs only about 3.6 lbs. Good luck , Scott

I own the Mamiya 6 and have used the 7. The lenses are exelcent for both. The Mamiya 6 stuff has gotten real cheap on the used market. Overall the bigger negative of the 7 is it's only real advantage except maybe it's slightly larger diameter lens mount that seems to make lens changing a little easier. The 6 gives more exposures per roll, you don't have to turn the 6 on it's side for vertical images, the 6 lenses collapse into the body for more compact travel. Also 1 roll of 6x7 negs doesn't fit into 1 archival neg storage page like 6x6 negs do.

In answer to what is so special about RRS plates. It is camera specific plates that are special. Kirk and also us (Acratech) also make camera specific plates. This type of plate offers several advantages. First of all the plates have a lip that corresponds to the edge of the camera, it is designed to prevent the camera from rotating on the plate. The next advantage is the plates are contoured to allow access to battery doors, etc without removing the plates. The camera specific plates also provide more area of contact with the camera this adds stability especially with todays plastic camera bodies. Another advantage with the plate designed for the specific camera, is the plates can be designed to position the cameras weight directly over the tripod this is especially important on cameras where the tripod thread is offset to one side.

The rangefinder should be very accurate if the proper cam is used. It is very easy to check, put the camera on a tripod, focus using the range finder, then double check the focus on the ground glass. Check the focus at several different points from infinity to close up. The camera will work for handheld portraits but, it is much slower and more awkard than a modern rangefinder or SLR.

Hi lawerence, Your camera will not fall with either the 1127 or 1227 they just are not as stable as the bigger heavier tripods especially with the motion of the large mirrors in medium format SLR's. I would go with the 1227, our Acratech ballhead (it is much lighter than the B1 and balances well on light tripods) and if we don't have a plate that fits your camera we will make one. When hand holding the camera the quick release plate will not cause any problems. The plates are compact and have radiused edges.

I have owned both the S2A and Hassy. The S2A Nikon lenses were very sharp. The Hassy T coated lenses seem to have the advatage in high flare situtations. The biggest problem with the S2A is it is just too old to be reliable, I sold mine after I started having problems with the shutter. If everything still works OK keep your S2A. I am sure the Hassy lenses are slightly sharper but careful camera work (and a tripod)is more important than the slight difference.

Hi Jarrod, It is impressive that it will hold your F5 with the 85mm lens but, it is removeable so it will unscrew with enough torque and as the distance of the weight from the center of the pivot point increases so does the amount of force trying to rotate the camera. And Louis with a 150mm lens a 2x teleconverter and a filter holder has a lot of leverage. Another factor although it is not a problem for the Bronica or your F5 is that many cameras have plastic bottoms with no metal frame to support them and the increased surface area of the camera specific plates adds a lot of support.

I am sure it will support your 6lbs. The biggest problem I see with the Q-top is the lack of camera specific plates. Which is a problem when using your camera in the portrait mode. Your camera will want to rotate forward on the mounting plate especially with the added length of a teleconverter and filter holder.

Hi David, Take a look at our Acratech Ultimate Ballhead on our modified Velbon carbon fiber tripod for a combined weight of a little over 3 1/2 lbs. It is very sturdy and is capable of holding a much larger camera. You can see them at our website at acratech.net