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View Full Version : Arca Swiss 8x10 F-line on Manfrotto 410 Geared Head



biedron
13-Jun-2013, 14:08
I've scoured the archives, and it looks like there is a divide on whether the Manfrotto 410 the 405 is better for 8x10. Some swear the 410 is actually sturdier that the 405, others the opposite (this is the internet right? :)).

So let me ask specifically with regard to an Arca Swiss 8x10 F-line. Anyone have experience with this particular combination? Is the 410 sufficient?

Thanks.

Bob

vinny
13-Jun-2013, 15:36
NO. NO. NO. Mine wasn't sufficient with long lenses on my wooden 4x5. Others say it is. Either way it's not rated for it nor will it last.

JW Dewdney
13-Jun-2013, 19:04
i've always thought the Big M makes terrific tripods for small cameras - but the problem is that they use small camera tripod parts to make their big tripods - which are kind of rickety in my opinion... archimedes principle and all that... get a second hand gitzo 508 or something close...

jeroldharter
13-Jun-2013, 19:54
If you are buying an Arca 8x10, you might as well just buy Manfrotto and use them all. Or at least buy both of those heads and return one.

Seriously, I would get a Cube or a big Gitzo 1500 series pan-tilt head or a Ries head depending on your preferences.

I use the Gitzo head on a big Feisol tripod for my Wehman 8x10.

Daniel Stone
13-Jun-2013, 20:06
I used the Arca F-line(when I had it) on a Manfrotto 405.
While it "worked", I did not find it ideal for what I hoped it would work like.

I transitioned back to using my #5 Gitzo pan/tilt head, and life was much better after that :)

-Dan

Otto Seaman
13-Jun-2013, 20:44
Why wouldn't you get an Arca Swiss head to go with an Arca Swiss camera? If you have any money left I mean....

biedron
13-Jun-2013, 21:41
Why wouldn't you get an Arca Swiss head to go with an Arca Swiss camera? If you have any money left I mean....

Well, that's certainly a factor. I got a really good deal on the 8x10, but I also just pulled the trigger on a Gitzo 5 series tripod to take advantage of the current rebates, so the cash reserves are currently low :(

I do have an AS B1 that I use for my 4x5, but I'm not sure it is up to the task of 8x10, though I suppose it will do in a pinch. An AS cube just seems over the top. Been looking for a used B2 or Z2, but haven't seen anything recently, but I'm not in a real hurry, so maybe something will turn up. Searching the archives I saw a lot of positive comments about the Manfrotto geared heads, hence the question.

Bob

James Morris
14-Jun-2013, 05:32
I have the Z1 and it works fine with an 8x10 Arca Swiss. I think that has similar specs to the B1, right?

biedron
14-Jun-2013, 05:49
I have the Z1 and it works fine with an 8x10 Arca Swiss. I think that has similar specs to the B1, right?


Yes, I think the specs are basically the same between the Z1 and the B1. That's good to know that the 8x10 AS is OK on that head.

Otto Seaman
14-Jun-2013, 06:41
I used an older 8x10 Arca on a B1 and it held fine but I probably wouldn't aim it down at a 60 degree angle and not expect it to creep. But with the light tripods that people tend to use that's a challenge for anything.

Brian Ellis
14-Jun-2013, 07:11
I've used the Arca Swiss B1 you mention, also the 410 on many 4x5 cameras. I'm a proponent of the "as long as the tripod doesn't collapse with the camera on it, it's fine" school. So I tend to keep weight of the legs and head very low. But even I never tried my 8x10 Deardorff on either of those two heads. They just seemed too small for a camera that size. I mostly used the Bogen/Manfrotto Heavy Duty head (3057). I don't know if they're still made but they have a 4" square plate and worked well with both the Deardorff and the 8x110 Kodak 2Ds I owned.

Rod Klukas
14-Jun-2013, 10:50
The B1 or the current Z1 are more than adequate for the 8x10. The capacity of a B1 was over 100 and the Z1 is 122lbs leverage weight.
So no worries. I even know people who have the Deardorf, much heavier, on the Z1 with no problems.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.
Rod

numnutz
14-Jun-2013, 11:57
I use a Manfrotto 400 geared head it works fine with my 10 x 8 Deardorf and also with my various 5 x 4 cameras on top of a Bearlebach 3042 tripod. the 400 is a rather weighty object and probably weighs almost as much as the tripod. But the gears are metal and work smoothly. - Unfortunately the 400 is not made now but regularly comes up on the auction site.

nn :)

foster_jb
14-Jun-2013, 12:11
Hi,

You really should take another look at the Cube (and forget the price tag). You can get a used one on auction sites for $1200. I have used the 410, 405, and 400 from Manfrotto. Of those 3, I only liked the 400. But, it is definitely a studio head (very heavy and large). You won't want to take it outside. Both the 405 and 410 always had a bit of slop & play in their gears, and the gears are plastic and will wear out. They are also very large compared to the Cube.

As for ballheads, well, I find them cumbersome as well. They are always just a little bit "off," and when you try to re-adjust, you end up putting one axis right and another one "off."

I look at it this way: the amount of time "fiddling" around in the field trying to dial in my camera has been reduced to nearly nothing by the Cube. I use it EVERY time I use my camera, unlike some of my lenses. It will last FOREVER. You won't ever want a different tripod head. Ever.

Given the amount of time and money I spent trying to work with the 405, then the 410 and ballheads, I would have saved a lot of time and money just going directly to the Cube.

Honestly, you will thank me for it. See what others have to say:

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/medium-format-systems-digital-backs/46401-arca-swiss-cube-omg.html

Best,

John

vinny
14-Jun-2013, 12:18
John, the gears weren't plastic on my 410.

Also, keep in mind the the new arca heads (mine) are reversed compared to the b1 in other words the knobs are on the opposite side which is fine if your shooting with an slr and lock down the camera with your left hand. I found this out the hard way and am stuck with doing the opposite of what i did for several years with a b1

biedron
14-Jun-2013, 12:36
Thanks for all the replies. So perhaps I will stick with my B2 for now, and save my pennies (or start buying lottery tickets) for a Cube :)

Bob

Otto Seaman
14-Jun-2013, 13:53
If you get a Cube then you'll have to make really boring pictures with really expensive cameras like those wankers over on GetDpi....

foster_jb
14-Jun-2013, 14:03
Yes, Otto is right. You should just stick with your inexpensive Arca Swiss 8x10...

Noah A
14-Jun-2013, 16:10
If you're saving for the cube you might also check out the Linhof 3d Micro geared head. It's now available in a version with an Arca clamp. It's rock-solid and very precise. I wish I had bought it earlier. The 405 and 410 are nice but there's no way I would use either with 8x10. I use the 410 with my Technikardan 45S and that's about its limit I think--but the 3d Micro is much more solid (as it should be considering the cost). Still, LF film is expensive and your time is worth something as well.

Otto Seaman
14-Jun-2013, 17:06
What about these finely geared heads getting gritted up and/or banged around? I guess an 8x10 Arca with Orbix has plenty of nooks and crannies to keep clean when you're out at the beach in 40mph gusts... but at least with those old obsolete heads (and cameras lol) you didn't have to worry about one grain of sand grinding away thousands of dollars of precision machined Aluminum....