Man I love Acratech

It sure does, thanks for that info.

After some back and forth with Acratech support and some thought triggered by peter_n's comments above, I bought the Ultimate this morning. The main draw for me has always been the open, simple design and ease with which it can be cleaned. After figuring out how one could position it in various ways to increase the range of motion, I decided that the Ultimate would suffice.

I found myself getting sucked into the features of the more expensive models, which happens quite easily, but it ultimately came back to wanting a simple design that I could use in places & conditions I might feel apprehensive about bringing other equipment. Do I need the gimbal? No. Do I need the leveling function? Don't think so. Both might be nice to have, but I am only a hobby shooter, so I don't NEED anything. If/When I find the need, I'll upgrade.

Now, to find the right set of legs....

Good buy! There are few companies in the last few years who truly wow'd me with the purchase of their product. 1) Acratech 2) Subaru 3) MSI all, great great companies with great quality,CS & warranties.

You guys are selling me on the GP models,.

I use a Wimberly Sidekick with my Markins head. I love the light weight and rock solid sturdiness of the Markins, but it's not able to easily be reset to a perfect 90* on the side for use with the Sidekick, it's always guess work.

Going to look at the video now.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #15982745
You guys are selling me on the GP models,.

I use a Wimberly Sidekick with my Markins head. I love the light weight and rock solid sturdiness of the Markins, but it's not able to easily be reset to a perfect 90* on the side for use with the Sidekick, it's always guess work.

Going to look at the video now.

I talked to a guy out in the field one day last summer who was using the Actratech that way. He was very happy with it. I personally have no experience with them. Just passing along what I heard.

I have a GP on a GT2531 and a GPs on a 1541T. I use the gimbal function all the time with up to a 400L f5.6. It is really very steady, but still easy to reposition. When I need to pick up the tripod and move to another spot, I just tighten the ball lock knob and off I go. I have also used the panorama feature on the GP and it works quite well. It only takes a minute to turn the head over and level it, and the markings make it easy to overlap by the correct amount. I have been lucky enough not to drop the heads in the sand, but I know if I did they would be easy to clean.

I've got a GP on a 1541T (bought *just* before the GP-S was available - doh!) and it is absolutely rock solid. Best ballhead I've ever used, period. I bought mine without a clamp and installed an RRS quick release. Like Yno above, I often use the gimbal feature with bigger glass, and while it's not exactly like using a Wimberly gimbal, it works well and is *much* more portable.

Highly recommended!

Does any one have any experience or comments (positive or negative) on the acratech lever clamp. It looks beefy.

pdrober2 wrote in post #15987483
Does any one have any experience or comments (positive or negative) on the acratech lever clamp. It looks beefy.

No issues with mine so far. It locks in place and feels quite solid.

GP Offered me the greatest flexibility of features of any head I looked at. Great warranty and beautifully consistent holding force. Clean simple lightweight design. Has held a 300-800mm without flinching. Gymbal it with a 120-300 f2.8 also.
Only possible complaint - the base is a little small on my Gitzo GT3542XLS tripod - but does it need to be bigger?? After all - It is a pound lighter than the RRS.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #15982745
You guys are selling me on the GP models,.

I use a Wimberly Sidekick with my Markins head. I love the light weight and rock solid sturdiness of the Markins, but it's not able to easily be reset to a perfect 90* on the side for use with the Sidekick, it's always guess work.

Going to look at the video now.

I have a Markins Q20 and it works perfectly at 90 degrees with my sidekick. Which Markins head are you using?

These look interesting. I'm thinking of a quality BH and never really considered these. Anyone purchased one in the UK as there isn't really any stockist apart from WEX.

RSMarco wrote in post #15988261
Anyone purchased one in the UK as there isn't really any stockist apart from WEX.

The only place I've seen with a decent range of Acratech gear is Bob Rigby. I was lucky enough to get a Long Lens Head from them fairly cheap at Birdfair several years ago.

pdrober2 wrote in post #15987483
Does any one have any experience or comments (positive or negative) on the acratech lever clamp. It looks beefy.

I specifically dont buy lever clamps. I prefer the manual clamp over lever clamps. Seems eaiser to munipulate and slightly faster use. Downside is it sticks out more.

I think the Acratech lever clamp is a 60mm wide clamp like most others. I got a 60mm RRS lever clamp for my Ultimate just because everyone says how marvelous they are - it's my first lever clamp. It's OK but nothing to write home about, the one advantage of my particular clamp is that it self-adjusts to any plate, RRS or not.

DanFrank wrote in post #15988522
I specifically dont buy lever clamps. I prefer the manual clamp over lever clamps. Seems eaiser to munipulate and slightly faster use. Downside is it sticks out more.

Call me retro or a luddite, but I went from a lever to a screw clamp and couldn't be happier. Also went from levers to twist locks on my tripods and never missed the levers. They seen just as quick to me, and frankly, when I am using a tripod, speed is not my top priority.