Arca Swiss Z1 owners chime in!

jcothron wrote in post #13564717
RRS makes some good stuff, but I think I'll stick with Gitzo/Arca for tripod/ball head... Their ball heads just look too darn big to me, nicely made I'm sure, but big.

Heavy too. They need to go on a diet!

Elill wrote in post #13565375
i concluded that the Arca is simply just better with the eliptical ball.

+1. My reasoning also. That and the fact that the ball is 54mm in diameter.

peter_n wrote in post #13573701
Heavy too. They need to go on a diet!

BH-55 only needs to go to the fat farm, the BH-40 is as light as the comparable size Markin.

I love my RRS setup. It isn't the lightest but that isn't an issue for me unless I'm flying somewhere and have to fit everything into a suitcase. Other than that, carrying it around isn't a problem.

I'm sure the Arca Swiss Z1 is a fine ballhead. I like it's heavier cousin, the BH-55 Pro, just fine.

I ended up with a Z-1 single pan with the screw clamp. I promptly replaced the clamp with a Kirk screw clamp. If I had known how much I was not going to like the Arca clamp, I would have just bought it with the 1/4-20 mount to save a few dollars.
I later got this panning clamp. It is a very smooth, sturdy, well made unit.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …arge_Panning_Cl​amp_W.html

If I were to do it again I would still get the single pan head and a separate panning clamp.

I wound up with the Arca Swiss Z1 with lever clamp. Figuring out the lever will frustrate new users but, it acts like a safety feature before releasing the plate.

S_Egbert wrote in post #16133234
I later got this panning clamp. It is a very smooth, sturdy, well made unit. http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …arge_Panning_Cl​amp_W.html

If I were to do it again I would still get the single pan head and a separate panning clamp.

That panning clamp is a nice solution. Sunwayfoto are beginning to make a bit of a name for themselves. I have one of their plates on a Rolleiflex and it is beautifully made and finished and works really well.

Other than convenience, is there any advantage to a panning clamp over a leveling base and a clamp with a bubble on it as well?

You can tell by the question that I don't have any experience shooting panos. We are headed to Las Vegas next week and I've been thinking that might be worth doing. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My current practice is to set up my tripod, use the leveling base to get the foundation level/plumb and then set up my clamp using either the bubble level or the grid on my focus screen.

Phoenixkh wrote in post #16134550
Other than convenience, is there any advantage to a panning clamp over a leveling base and a clamp with a bubble on it as well?

You can tell by the question that I don't have any experience shooting panos. We are headed to Las Vegas next week and I've been thinking that might be worth doing. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My current practice is to set up my tripod, use the leveling base to get the foundation level/plumb and then set up my clamp using either the bubble level or the grid on my focus screen.

If you already have a levelling base you are good to go, just level the base and the clamp, then rotate the head at it's base.
Overlap your shots quite a bit, at least a quarter or a third. Shoot verticals if you can so you will have a larger file after stitching, thus more detail.

thx Steve.