Why not much mention of Arca Swiss?

[jcothron]

I'm not in the market for a ball head, but in the threads of people who ARE looking...I don't see Arca Swiss mentioned that much. I've had a B1 for a long time and love it... not looking to change anytime soon.

Have other manufatures really outpaced Arca (like Markins/RRS) or is it bang for the buck difference?

[Mark1]

Arca is undeniably nice stuff. But the law of diminished returns comes into play. At least for me. Simply put, the more you pay the less of a value it is. Many heads are "almost" as good, but cost a lot less. And unless you need that last 5% it simply is not worth the money.

Bad example....say your heaviest body/lens combo is 6 pounds...you can buy a great head that holds 8 pounds for $120, or a really great head that holds 9.5 for $350. Both will do fine, and given that both are good quality equipment,...but which is really worth the money.

As I see it Arce is the brass ring of heads, but it is a hollow brass ring.

[jcothron]

Arca is undeniably nice stuff. But the law of diminished returns comes into play. At least for me. Simply put, the more you pay the less of a value it is. Many heads are "almost" as good, but cost a lot less. And unless you need that last 5% it simply is not worth the money.

Bad example....say your heaviest body/lens combo is 6 pounds...you can buy a great head that holds 8 pounds for $120, or a really great head that holds 9.5 for $350. Both will do fine, and given that both are good quality equipment,...but which is really worth the money.

As I see it Arca is the brass ring of heads, but it is a hollow brass ring.

Okay, I can see that. At the time I got mine there wasn't really many comparable alternatives. It's easy to see that Markins, etc. have closed the gap a lot (if there still is one).

[NYPhotog]

IMO, the A-S Z1 is the best head on the market, and I would choose it over the RRS BH-55 (which is slightly more expensive). I don't like Markins heads.

[jcothron]

IMO, the A-S Z1 is the best head on the market, and I would choose it over the RRS BH-55 (which is slightly more expensive). I don't like Markins heads.


This is the first time I've seen someone say they don't like Markins heads. Care to expand on that?

[NYPhotog]

This is the first time I've seen someone say they don't like Markins heads. Care to expand on that?

The panning locks suck. They don't lock down tight enough and the head will spin, especially if you carry your rig over the shoulder.

[jcothron]

The panning locks suck. They don't lock down tight enough and the head will spin, especially if you carry your rig over the shoulder.

Wow.. that's significant. Thanks.

[MR do little]

Unless you do panos with your camera/tripod over your shoulder im not sure why its a big problem ?

Also if you do tighten it, it wont really move unless you force it, so i can honestly say i never experienced it as an issue. Then again i dont run around with my camera/tripod over my shoulder so what do i know. ;)

[ChrisMc73]

The panning locks suck. They don't lock down tight enough and the head will spin, especially if you carry your rig over the shoulder.

What kind of gear was on there when you had this issue?
Thats the first I've heard of that issue and scenario...anyone who owns a Markins care to test that out and comment?

[MR do little]

Well it can happen with bigger lenses. I just tested with my A900 and puny 135/1,8 no movement at all.

[tvphotog]

Unless you do panos with your camera/tripod over your shoulder im not sure why its a big problem ?


:D:D:D

The panning locks suck. They don't lock down tight enough and the head will spin, especially if you carry your rig over the shoulder.

Never had the problem. Tight when you want it.

[btaki]

From experience neither Manfrotto with their hydrostatic 468MGRCX series nor Giotto's with their top of the line MH-3300 series can match the friction and silky smooth movement of the B1. You notice that right away when you're doing macro > 1:2 Magnification ration or above 300mm.
I did own a BH-55pro at some point but didn't have the B1 to compare it to.
Markins was initially a rip off of the B1 so was Kirk, Arca Swiss sued them and they changed their designs, Photo Clam comes to mind as a Competitor to Markins and Benro with their new J-3.

[jcothron]

From experience neither Manfrotto with their hydrostatic 468MGRCX series nor Giotto's with their top of the line MH-3300 series can match the friction and silky smooth movement of the B1. You notice that right away when you're doing macro > 1:2 Magnification ration or above 300mm.
I did own a BH-55pro at some point but didn't have the B1 to compare it to.
Markins was initially a rip off of the B1 so was Kirk, Arca Swiss sued them and they changed their designs, Photo Clam comes to mind as a Competitor to Markins and Benro with their new J-3.

While I haven't owned many other ballheads, I did own a BH55 I think it was, which was pretty bad in my opinion. I used it less than a month before getting the Arca B1. I really can't imagine anything being smoother than the B1.

[JohnJ80]

Does Arca Swiss have a website yet?

J.

[NYPhotog]

Does Arca Swiss have a website yet?

J.

No, but Precision Camera Works usually has pretty comprehensive information: http://www.precisioncameraworks.com/Pages/arca_core.html

[JohnJ80]

Not having a website has to really limit their ultimate success. They invent the standard and everybody else takes off with it through web sales.

J.