Just got a new 488RC2 ballhead - questions

[aridan]

1. Does anyone recall if his/her NEW ballhead had some fine dust in the grooves - those immediate in front of the ball? (see crappy image bellow)

2. The main lever (ballhead position adjustment) appears to have a "click" when locking it down. I start tightening the lever, it gets stiffer, then I feel a single click and further continues to tighten until fully locked. - Is this normal?

Just making sure I didn't get a used unit (bought from Adorama).

Thanks.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/2364788074_24766cff26_o.jpg

[jlozano180]

I have to check my 488RC2 when I got home to see if I have the same thing.

[Mith242]

I recently got one as well. I didn't exactly have dust at that particular spot. It seemed more like some sort of powder that seemed to be all over the actual ball. It didn't look shiny like it does in your pic. But honestly I didn't think too much of it and haven't had any problems with it. I haven't had any 'clicking' sounds tightening it down.

[Lowner]

The lighter area is the white metal base that the ball sits against. My 486 came completely smothered in some kind of grease back in 2005. Maybe they've started using some kind of talc like product instead?

Richard

[Mith242]

The lighter area is the white metal base that the ball sits against. My 486 came completely smothered in some kind of grease back in 2005. Maybe they've started using some kind of talc like product instead?

Richard
Talc-like is exactly what it was like. Thanks for reminding me.

[aridan]

Interesting. Thanks guys. Any comment about the uneven tightening point?

[tomsem]

Mine has a coating of a very light grease on it. No dust or click when tightening though. You mean dust as in it has been sitting on a shelf for awhile? Is there any lubricant on it?

Lubricants lubricate of course, but also can be a great dust collector. It then creates more of "gummy" brown substance. That looks like it would be a common spot for this to occur. When the ball is swiveled down, the "gum" could get shaved off by the bottom chrome metal piece. Dry lubricants like the talc mentioned don't do this as much. I would think that would take awhile before that would occur though. Much more unlikely on a new unit that was boxed and sealed.

I think the click would be of greater concern to me. Does it seem to hold ok or does it slip under load?

[Beski]

Got my 488RC2 from B&H last month and had the Exact Same Dust....I wondered the same thing as you. It seems OK so far, but I haven't used it that much yet.

[medic-on-fire]

Hmmmm....interesting! I have the exact same head (only a few months old), but no weird metalic-looking dust on the ball. Mine also doesn't have the "click" on the ball head adjuster you described.

Adorama is a very reputable company, though, and I'm sure they would work with you if you called and inquired about the product.

Good luck!

[aridan]

The ball itself does not have any visible lubrication substance on it, but flipping the head upside down, and looking through the hole on the bottom of the head, you can see a screw in there - that thing is loaded with a lube substance.

I guess my main concern right now is the "click" (sort of like a speed bump) I feel when tightening the lever.

[medic-on-fire]

Just a thought....

You mentioned that the hole on the bottom of the head is loaded with "a lube substance". I'd be curious to know if that is the source of the "clicking" noise you described. In other words, I wounder if the click is coming from the lube being compressed around the ball head when you tighten the adjuster knob. Pockets of air can form in and around the lube and when pressure is applied, the air has to escape resulting in a "click".

I'm probably wrong, but it's worth a shot! I'd try rolling the head around in the socket a number of times and then tighten / loosen (repeat!) the head just to try and work that lube around. Maybe if you get enough of that overloaded lube on the head and out of that hole, you'll clear your problem....

Again, just a thought....

[grounded]

Hi, aridan.

I checked my 488RC2 too. The lever is as smooth as silk. I can't feel or hear any clicking at all.

The clicking may not be a big deal but, personally, I'd ask adorama for a replacement as the one they sent you is defective. Even though it works fine now who's to say it won't fail in some way later on?

...better safe than sorry, IMHO.

Good luck!

[aridan]

Hi, aridan.

I checked my 488RC2 too. The lever is as smooth as silk. I can't feel or hear any clicking at all.

The clicking may not be a big deal but, personally, I'd ask adorama for a replacement as the one they sent you is defective. Even though it works fine now who's to say it won't fail in some way later on?

...better safe than sorry, IMHO.

Good luck!

Thanks for checking. Upon further inspection and free play with the head in my hands, I'm thinking the click I'm feeling (sort of like a speed bump in the road... if that makes sense), is perhaps a stop mechanism to prevent the user from unscrewing the thing too much. In other words, is it possible that the head has a stop on the lever to prevent it from being opened too much, and thus my range on opening and tightening it back is between that click and the full locked position?... :confused:

[Mith242]

Mine has a coating of a very light grease on it. No dust or click when tightening though. You mean dust as in it has been sitting on a shelf for awhile? Is there any lubricant on it?

Lubricants lubricate of course, but also can be a great dust collector. It then creates more of "gummy" brown substance. That looks like it would be a common spot for this to occur. When the ball is swiveled down, the "gum" could get shaved off by the bottom chrome metal piece. Dry lubricants like the talc mentioned don't do this as much. I would think that would take awhile before that would occur though. Much more unlikely on a new unit that was boxed and sealed.

On mine it's not dust, it looks like some sort of powder. It wasn't shiny at all but had a coating of this talc like powder all over the actual ball. More like they had used some sort of powder lubricant rather than a liquid. I've had no problems with it what so ever. I never thought too much about it until I started seeing this topic about it.

[Mith242]

Thanks for checking. Upon further inspection and free play with the head in my hands, I'm thinking the click I'm feeling (sort of like a speed bump in the road... if that makes sense), is perhaps a stop mechanism to prevent the user from unscrewing the thing too much. In other words, is it possible that the head has a stop on the lever to prevent it from being opened too much, and thus my range on opening and tightening it back is between that click and the full locked position?... :confused:
I've even tried unscrewing mine even more than what I'd usually do and I'm still not getting a click.

[tomsem]

Mine doesn't click unscrewing or tightening no matter how hard I try. I never thought of medic-on-fire's idea. Lubricants can make a popping or clicking sound when compressed and it does happen to you when tightening. I wouldn't think you could feel that so much as hear it though.

If it feels like there is a physical resistance change while turning and it isn't smooth....I would agree with returning it for exchange. It doesn't seem to be common with anyone else.

[aridan]

I contacted Adorama today who agreed to exchange it. They sent me an email containing a return shipping label, so hopefully it's a bad copy.