More Tripod questions! (sorry)

[mrladewig]

A comment, no... make that more of a question about the Acratech ballhead mentioned by several:

I had read quite a few reports a couple of years ago about this ballhead having one problem... albeit a relatively small one for most usages. And that problem was, when firmly tightening up the ballhead, the position will drift off whilst being tightened. I therefore bought Arca-Swiss B1 and B2 ballheads, which doesn't have this drift.

As I recall from research done at the time I decided to go with Arca-Swiss heads, this drift from preset is common with most other brands (I had this same drifting when trying out Manfrotto ballheads... but don't have it using their panheads).

I have not experienced any drift with my Acratech. I have heard of drift on all the major brands though including RRS, manfrotto, Markins, Kirk. It seems to be another of the drawbacks of ballheads versus panning heads.

The Acratech applies tension in a different way than most ballheads. With the Acratech its is like a vise tightening all around the ball. Most of the traditional shaped ballheads use a cup affected by the tension screw that presses the ballhead against a wall or socket to lock.

One real disadvantage to the Acratech design is that the weird 45 degree configuration sometimes gets in the way when you are panning down. If this is a concern, the Acratech V2 or the Markins Q3 are traditional ballheads of similar strength, weight and price.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I recently picked up an Acratech, because it seems to have the most strength for its weight, and I've been pleased with it. I prefer my B2, but when traveling light is more important, I can deal with the single-ball head.

[Really Big Cameras]

Thanks all for your advice. I've taken the plunge and ordered a Feisol 3371 with CB50 ball head and centre column. Much cheaper than Gitzo and hopefully similar quality.
If I start posting loads of blurry photos, you'll know I got it wrong!

Dave,

Congrats on your purchase. I'm an authorized Feisol dealer. If I can answer any specific questions about their products, just let me know. I assume you ordered directly from the manufacturer. They are good people to work with and will treat you right. I hope you enjoy your new Feisol tripod and ball head.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras
http://reallybigcameras.com

[Really Big Cameras]

Dave, i was looking at that model to, is that in stock?
Should ad that it is the 3371/3471 and not so much the ball head.

Thanks.

Jan,

The CT-3371 and CT-3471 were temporarily out of stock at the manufacturer as they were focusing their production efforts on meeting demand for their new, improved CT-3301, CT-3401 and CT-3402 Standard Class models. As of today, the CT-3371 and CT-3471 are now again in stock at the factory.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras
http://reallybigcameras.com

[Bob Salomon]

The Acratech applies tension in a different way than most ballheads. With the Acratech its is like a vise tightening all around the ball.

Not really. All Novoflex ballheads tighten the ball and apply tension by moving the entire housing down over the ball.

This is true for all models in the series from their very tiny Neiger series through the new Ball 30 and 40 series to the Magic Ball series and their top of the line Classicball series.

By applying the lock and the tension this way there is no shift of the camera position as the lock or the tension is applied.

[Anupam]

Does anyone know if the Feisol tripod legs can be locked independently at any angle or only at 3 or 4 prefixed angles. I am looking to buy one that I'll use for 4x5 but also for 35mm macro photography of insects and accurate adjustability at lower heights is important, especially since I am not planning on the center column. They say lowest height is about 7 inches, but can it be easily adjusted uniformly from there upwards, or only in steps?

Also does anyone know the practical differences between the standard 3301 and the "tournament class" 3342 (hate the name, though). Is it worth the $100 difference.

Another unrelated gripe, why doesn't anyone make 3-way heads that can take arca style plates?

Thanks,
-Anupam

[Greg Lockrey]

Does anyone know if the Feisol tripod legs can be locked independently at any angle or only at 3 or 4 prefixed angles. I am looking to buy one that I'll use for 4x5 but also for 35mm macro photography of insects and accurate adjustability at lower heights is important, especially since I am not planning on the center column. They say lowest height is about 7 inches, but can it be easily adjusted uniformly from there upwards, or only in steps?

Also does anyone know the practical differences between the standard 3301 and the "tournament class" 3342 (hate the name, though). Is it worth the $100 difference.

Another unrelated gripe, why doesn't anyone make 3-way heads that can take arca style plates?

Thanks,
-Anupam

Independent and at any angle. I have the 3471 but I will say that you will get what you pay for in difference in price.

[Anupam]

Independent and at any angle.

Thanks. Do you find that a hindrance for 4x5 use or are there prefixed angle stops for "normal" usage. My Gitzo explorer didn't have stops and I found it slowed down things just a bit.

What's the maximum angle that the legs go out to - they seem to turn right back over the head - i.e. 180 degrees. If so, I can't understand why it doesn't go lower than 7 inches - shouldn't it go flat on the ground with the legs at 90 degrees?

-Anupam

[Really Big Cameras]

Hmmm, I must say that, regardless of the tripod, a ball head may not be the best idea. Although I know of people who use them happily, I know of more who threw them out and got something like the Manfrotto 410 three-way head. You might like to also consider whether you will need to do low-level shots and thus whether the centre column is removable.

Ballhead vs. three-axis head vs. geared head is an endless debate of near religious proportions. Some people swear by ballheads, others swear at them. There is no one "right" answer for all users or all applications.

I personally used a three-axis head exclusively for the first ten years I shot large format. As I hike and backpack, I eventually grew tired (and old) of the weight, and especially the bulk of the big Bogen pan/tilt head I was lugging around everywhere. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I often hike through dense vegetation. In addition to the weight, the Bogen head had three big levers/handles that seemed to constantly get hung up on every bush and tree branch I passed.

So, about 11 years ago I switched to a ballhead - and ARCA-SWISS B1. I admit, after using nothing but a three-axis head, there was a significant learning curve to using a ballhead with a large format camera. It honestly took me a year of very heavy use to get comfortable using a ballhead. But, I'm glad I did. The weight savings was very significant and no more tree branches getting caught on my tripod head while I hiked.

I have since tried several other heads, including other ballheads, the Bogen/Manfrotto 410 mini geared head, a couple Gitzo three-axis heads and and ARCA-SWISS B2. I admit I LOVE the ease of use of the Bogen 410 mini geared head. It is an absolute joy to use. However, it's about twice as heavy and less sturdy than a good medium size ballhead. So, not ideal for hiking/backing.

I have continued to use my ARCA-SWISS B1 as my main head for formats from 4x5 - 7x17. When I first moved up to 7x17, I thought for sure a big old heavy three-axis head would be the only way to go. So, I bought a big 3.5 lb. Gitzo 1570 three-axis head . It's the biggest one they make and often recommended for ULF usage. After trying it out, I was surprised to find the ARCA-SWISS B1 was smoother, sturdier AND easier to use. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but my 7x17 cameras is based on an ARCA-SWISS monorail chassis. So, the big top platform of the Gitzo 1570, which may be a good match for other ULF cameras of flatbed design, it just added unnecessary weight and bulk for my needs. I also found that with the tension preset on the B1 maxed out, it is a perfect match for my 7x17 camera - loose enough to position the camera where I want it, but tight enough to hold it in place when I let go. My camera back has to big metal support bars running up the sides. While it wasn't the intent of the design, these ended up making great handles to grab and simply point the camera where I want it. I can then let go, check focus, composition, etc. and once I'm satisfied, I can lock it in place with a quick turn of the B1 locking knob. I found this faster and easier than loosening and tightening anywhere from one to three levers every time I want to tweak my composition. And the B1 is two pounds lighter and WAY more compact that the 1570 (which has one handle that's almost 11" long).

Just to clarify, I'm not bashing the Gitzo head, just explaining why I like the B1 better for my needs. My 7x17 camera is a unique design (details here - with photos of camera and ARCA-SWISS B1 on page 4). So, while the B1 is an ideal match for my 7x17 camera, I can certainly see why those shooting with more conventional flatbed ULF cameras would prefer the big Gitzo head.

Alas, even the B1 is not perfect for all my needs. For backpacking with 4x5 and 4x10 I use an even lighter ballhead. I've just moved up to 14x17 and am using an ARCA-SWISS B2 for than format. The B2 (which I believe has been discontinued) looks like a big ballhead, but it's actually a three-axis head with independent locking knobs for each axis - sort of a three-axis head in ballhead clothing. It weighs as much as the big Gitzo 1570, but is much more compact (no big handles sticking out all over the place), smoother and more rigid (but also more expensive and hard to find these days).

So, as I said, there's no perfect, one-size-fits-all head for all users or all uses. Heck, I own multiple heads just to meet my own needs. So, while I might make recommendations based on my personal experience, I wouldn't pretend to tell anyone else what head they should get - too many variables and probably the most important one is personal preference.

Concerning the CT-3371 and the center column. The center column is an optional accessory on that model. It is very easy to install or remove the center column. With the center column removed, the minimum height is 17cm (6.7") that should be plenty low for most large format applications.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras
http://reallybigcameras.com

[Jan Pedersen]

Kerry,
Thanks. Will contact you when ready to buy.

jan