Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,625
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 3, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Operates like the original Arca Swiss B1. Well made. Locks as good as the B1. | | Cons: | The clamp doesn't slide as smooth as the B1. Preset friction doesn't really work. The screen printing on the panning based dissolved by the grease. | |
I have had the original Arca Swiss B1 monoball for more than a decade and it was THE ball head that everyone else has been copying, even today. The Photoclam PC-36N is of no exception. It is basically a shrink Arca Swiss B1 with some minor differences. The slot for the vertical orientation is on the right hand side instead of the left hand side. The release plate clamp is splitted toward the end which causes the release plate doesn’t slide as smooth (though some people prefer to fully open the clamp instead of sliding it in). The screen printing on the panning base can be dissolved by the panning grease and has been mentioned by some owners in the past. Photoclam was acknowledged of the issue and exchanged mine. The second unit also had grease on the printing so the first thing I did was to remove the panning based and clean off any excessive grease as soon as possible. There is a tension thumbnail on the main knob and works like the B1. The inner mechanism is different but works on the same theory. However, of the two units that I have owned, the preset tension does not seem to work as good as the B1 which was graduated. The ball of the PC-36N seems going from loose to tight instantly. It is not a big deal to me however as I have never used this feature anyway even with the B1. I basically remove the main knob and preset the locking shift till the ball does not wobble as the starting point. Also, I see no value of the security pin on the clamp so it was removed for quicker operation.
But despite the few minor flaws, it is still a good ball head imho. The main and pan knobs lock positively. It is able to lock the FA*200/2.8 in place without sagging at all in any position, a lens without lens collar. But to take full advantage of any AS style ball heads, it is best to use anti-twist release plates from RRS, Kirk or a dozen other manufacturers. I think it is best for Gitzo series 1 or similar size tripods BTW.
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Veteran Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: Lansing, MI Posts: 509
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 18, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $189.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | controls are smooth, head is nicely machined, lightweight | | Cons: | levels not very useful | |
Very smooth functioning head. Clamps tight with minimal effort. Separate locking mechanism on panning base. No droop or drift when using my Kx + DFA100WR macro + AF160 macro ring flash at extreme angles. I'm very happy with this ball head.
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