Arca Swiss P0?

Are you still using this head?

Does it have a tension control like the Markins ballheads, or do you just turn the dial to that point?

yeah, still using it erok. And Jay, not sure what you mean, but ALL the tension is set via the dial around the body. Once you get used to it it's quite nice. You NEVER have to feel or look for where the knobs might be.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but besides the convenience of the dial control, what you have is an inverted standard ballhead, now with the weight and momentum of not just the camera and lens on top of it, but the half poound weight and size of the housing on it as well.

I still like the Markins. Most of the time, the only knob to worry about is the tension. The pano knob is used occasionally. The setup never bothered me. And this still has a panning lock knob.

As Ben does, I have an L bracket, so the convenience of easy portrait shots is not an issue. And using the portrait position here puts the weight outboard and changes camera position.

tvphotog wrote in post #14462353
Correct me if I'm wrong, but besides the convenience of the dial control, what you have is an inverted standard ballhead, now with the weight and momentum of not just the camera and lens on top of it, but the half poound weight and size of the housing on it as well.

well, you could always flip the P0 and use it the "normal" way if it bothers you, but I've found (with ~6 months of use?) it's not a problem IRL. For two reasons. First is the flipped aspect doesn't really make it any less stable -vs- normal once you add a camera's weight to it. Second is that because there's only ONE control for drag and tension, you just don't loosen it as much so the drag is more likely to be exactly where you want it. And if it's not, you just tighten it.

this has a panning lock, it's just tiny and I keep mine "hidden" under the lever for my clamp. I know what you mean about usually not needing anything more than the tension knob. I was the same with my acra tech. My issue was with WHERE it would be each time I setup. Sometimes in the front, sometimes on the side, it was just all over the place as I wouldn't check that before plunking down the tripod. I'm usually shooting at ~5am, well before coffee has really kicked in, so for me I need things as automatic as possible.

it's obviously also personal preference, so whatever works for YOU is all that matters. I just never liked traditional ballheads in terms of their design. Both aesthetically and functionally. They work but I'm always searching for knobs. So the GV2 drew me in, it looked better but had the same knob issue. Then this P0 got my attention when I saw it at the show.

jnd wrote in post #14472296
Hi Ben! Have you tried the 50mm wide lever clamp yet?

nope, I've been using my same old clamp, no reason to upgrade really so I haven't spent the money....

jacobsen1 wrote in post #14472684
I know what you mean about usually not needing anything more than the tension knob. I was the same with my acra tech. My issue was with WHERE it would be each time I setup. Sometimes in the front, sometimes on the side, it was just all over the place as I wouldn't check that before plunking down the tripod. I'm usually shooting at ~5am, well before coffee has really kicked in, so for me I need things as automatic as possible.

it's obviously also personal preference, so whatever works for YOU is all that matters. I just never liked traditional ballheads in terms of their design. Both aesthetically and functionally. They work but I'm always searching for knobs. So the GV2 drew me in, it looked better but had the same knob issue. Then this P0 got my attention when I saw it at the show.
....

Makes sense to me and you're right about never knowing where the knob will be on plunking down the sticks.

yeah, like I said, it's all about what works for you, and that drove me CRAZY! I like to tinker with things and design things in my head and I was trying to figure out a way to get around that on my own with no luck. When I saw the P0's solution it was right for me. Their clamp SUCKS though (so I have a RRS lever). And I'm not a panning guy, so I'm actually considering putting in a setscrew in that hole and grinding the excess material off. I'd still be able to use it with an allen if I absolutely needed it, but yeah, I've only ever used it when I didn't have an L-bracket for the 5D3 because it was backordered... The pisser is I really wish I could buy one w/o that function for less weight.

yeah, the 50 will fit better, the question is will it fit enough better. it's 5mm thinner on each corner basically, which would help a lot.

Looks like an upside down ball head, like the pistol grip heads....


... which are also "POo"

^ yeah, they are but this isn't. When locked this thing is STRONG...

jnd wrote in post #14474304
Would that fit anyway?

sounds like no. The P0 has a threaded post, it needs a clamp with a threaded center hole.

what kind of adapter?

just read the thread, they say if you have a thin walled 11mm socket you can remove the center threads an then use an M6 bolt to put on whatever you want. One guy said he needed a 35mm long bolt, but YMMV there depending on the clamp you end up using. Nice.

it sounds that way, yeah, but I can't say for sure.

sounds good then. So you'll need the head, the clamps, then the right screw which might require a trip to the hardware store or McMaster Carr, but either way you'll get there. I hope you do it so I can see how it looks.

Hi all, after reading thi thad and a few others I am starting to like the P0 quite a bit already...

I would like to see how the Manfrotto quick release clam looks on this head, if there is anyone that has that setup, could you please post photos. Thx.