Arca Swiss C1 Cube

[Mark_5974]

It's possibly the most expensive (photographic) tripod head money could buy so I'm wondering what it's like. Has anybody had any first hand experience?

[John Hennessy]

I played with one at the VC magazine hoedown in Monterey a few years ago. It's fine machine work like any Arca Swiss piece but only a rich person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder would buy one at its current price.

VC mag had a one-paragraph product announcement of a simpler version a few years before the cube appeared. It is called the "Levelhead." I called the seller who said AS stole his idea. I ruled it out though because it had no means of rotation other than the primary tripod head it sits on. Which means that the camera no longer be level if panned after leveling. The cube on the other hand is itself a tripod head and has a panning function on top, thereby maintaining levelocity.

Here is the link:

http://www.thelevelhead.com/

[Ralph]

"Only a rich person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder would buy one at its current price."

Jarrod refers to his C1 in the "FCO (Rome) airport" thread a few below this one.

[jarrod connerty]

I'm not rich.   Making a comfortable middle class income, but paying fair market rent in Manhattan as well.   That said, for me the C1 was almost worth the price; I'm quite glad I bought it and it has improved the process of making pictures, but it isn't as if I'll ever be able to forget that I paid so much.  Frankly it cannot ever be worth the price to the cheapskate within me, but I nonetheless stomached the fee and would actually do it again-knowing full well I'm overpaying for greatness.

I used to shoot with a Linhof 003663 + an Arca-type clamp from Wimberley.  That's a costly setup in its own right and worked quite well.  But the C1 is lighter by about 100 grams, which may not seem like much if you own a car but when you troupe the world as a tourist carrying 100% of your gear upon your person it matters quite a bit.  Furthermore, with my 75mm lens I always found it hard to get it exactly level with the Linhof, while with the 300mm lens it was occasionally difficult to place the image.  The Linhof does not migrate; it is simply the fact that placing the image accurately in the first place, as the operator, isn't a piece of cake with an ungeared head.  The Arca renders these issues irrelevant.

I've played with the Levelhead and found it well made as well, but it is slower to get the camera attached/detached and when you add a capacity for panning it is considerably heavier than the C1.  Some might say that large format is so heavy and slow to begin with that what's a few extra grams here or seconds there, but I'll always be looking for ways to push back the tide.  Succumb to enough of these things in the overall picture and the next thing you know you're using those same losses as a rationale not to shoot.  I want the equipment to achieve that effect as rarely as possible.

I shoot large format nearly exclusively now, and that means using your tripod head on a continual basis with every shoot.  Given the Cube's advantages in control, operation speed and low weight...well, I can honestly say that I don't believe any other head competes.  That costs twice as much as the Levelhead plus a good panning base like the Novoflex; only you can say if it is worth your money, but the damn overpriced bastard was worth mine.

[George Stewart]

"Only a rich person with an obsessive-compulsive disorder would buy one at its current price."

That must be me.

If you want your equipment level and to have precise control over the head's movement - the Cube is it. When I went shopping, most Arca-Swiss dealers couldn't get the cube. When I finally got one, I couldn't have been happier, and I still am. It would be like having had a field camera all yur life and finally getting one with geared movements - it's a luxury. In 10-15 years, if I should decide to sell it, I'm sure it will no longer be available and that I'll make a hefty profit.

[evan clarke]

I ditto George, I have messed with so many unsatisfactory heads over the years that I can no longer count them. I have a Bogen universal plate attached to it and snap it on a Gitzo 1325 carbon tripod. I supports my 8x10 and everthing on down with extreme rigidity. It is great for panoramic and if you are trying to stay rectilinear, it has no near competition..EC

[Ralph]

I'm intrigued by the design of the C1 (and of the levelhead), but could someone please explain to me the advantage of putting a geared device on top of a standard tripod head compared to a normal geared tripod head?

I currently use the Bogen 3275 (aka Manfrotto 410) [$185] with Kirk's QR-7 quick-release clamp [$130] designed specifically for the 3275/410. The gearing on both the X and Y axes (as well as for panning) is very precise (some say it's almost micrometer-like, though in light of the C1 I won't go that far!).

So would I realize any advantage in switching to the C1 (which admittedly is extremely stylish) or "the levelhead"? Is it something about centering the image in the axes in a way that a typical geared head (like my 3275/410) cannot do? TIA.

[John Hennessy]

OK I admit if someone gave me one I'd sleep with it under my pillow just because its so fine. But until then I'll just tap my camera mounted on a AS B1 a few times in each axis.

[jarrod connerty]

Ralph

The Cube's much lighter and more compact than any of the Bogen geared heads.  The overall height is lower, conceptually facilitating better rigidity.  The quick release design allows you to adjust the center of gravity of the camera to match the focal length of the lens in use, and the movement of the geared axes comes together in the center of a sphere-as opposed to operating upon the outside of one.  That is not very important outside the macro world, but in the realm of the close-up that's a pretty big deal, as it allows you to spend far less time adjusting the focus of the camera.

[Ed Richards]

Nice piece of machine work, but we are still looking at bubble levels - do they justify that level of precision? (I can understand the weight savings, however.) Is there a better way to level, now that hardware stores are selling laser levels for under $100?