[januarys_v]

I offered to myself as Christmas present an Arca Swiss D4 (model 870104) for the same purpose (slower and more precise), but didn't have time to use it seriously yet. It is a nice piece of engineering ! Usually I use Arca Swiss P0 ball head which is incredibly quick and easy to use, and relatively safe too.

Another vote for P0 here. I use it for many years already, first with 1ds and tilt-shift lenses, now with 645D. Very light and compact, but very sturdy at the same time. I am thinking about D4 because of the precision it gives, but it is several times the price of the P0.

[Digitalis]

I say "best head" in context because of course the Cube would be better,

The arca cube has a lot of exposed gearing, which makes me wary of the prospect of using it in inclement weather or in dusty conditions. Which is why I got the Manfrotto 405 - the gearing is all sealed up, and well protected.

[LFLee]

I love the look and feel of that RRS 55 ballhead and was gonna buy it until i read about their hateful political tendencies, and quite frankly, my money can go elsewhere.

thumb up.

[Digitalis]

hateful political tendencies

This is the first I have ever heard of that.. i hope it's not like they are affiliated with the KKK or anything.

[2351HD]

This is the first I have ever heard of that.. i hope it's not like they are affiliated with the KKK or anything.

Yes it sounds interesting, more info would be good.

---------- Post added 02-21-16 at 08:36 PM ----------

The arca cube has a lot of exposed gearing, which makes me wary of the prospect of using it in inclement weather or in dusty conditions. Which is why I got the Manfrotto 405 - the gearing is all sealed up, and well protected.

Not to mention that the cube looks very easy to damage.

[Digitalis]

Not to mention that the cube looks very easy to damage.

It isn't, trust me. In its storage configuration the cube is so solid you could throw it down stairs, batter Mike Tyson with it, subject it to the heat of atmospheric re-entry and it could probably survive descent from orbit in one piece. It is only when you have it set to rather extreme settings that damage could occur with environmental derbis. But the upshot is that if anything does get caught in the gears - it will be easy to remove, you just have to be vigilant.

[The Madshutter]

I had the Cube and it's an incredible piece of engineering; it will hold whatever weight you throw at it, second all Digitalis said re: other uses (batter Mike Tyson and the like), you can set it up extremely precisely and it has no creep whatsoever. However, it is big, heavy, expensive and it's shape is not really the easiest to move around (corners bumping into stuff all the time). I also used the Acratech, and wouldn't recommend it with the 645D / Z. It creeps, it's not really solid and definitely not easy to set up precisely with a camera such as the 645 and lenses. Great head with a D800, though, if you don't go with more than a 70-200. I finally settled for the Arca Z1, wonderful head, stable, holds a lot of weight, precise enough to setup and use, good friction control, lighter, smaller and less expensive than the Cube. No experience with the D4 (yet), but I am looking forward to trying one - it seems a good compromise between the Cube's precision / geared movements and a regular head as far as size, weight and price goes.

[virusn3t]

Regardingthe Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head, I converted the QR plate with HenjarPhoto'sExtended PlateWith F63 Clamp for 410 Gear Head. The clamp is Arca-Swiss compatible andthe clamp center is located on Manfrotto 410 camera/lensmount axis and it is the same as the head panning base. When the head is pannedboth the head and camera/lens rotate around the same axis—convenient andadvantageous. The original Manfrotto 410PL QR plate was proprietary and simply inconvenient.

I love the 410J, but i hate the weird panning movement that it have, that plate could be handy, saving the link, thanks for the url.

[CreationBear]

i hope it's not like they are affiliated with the KKK or anything.

Alright, guys: the background on the Two Minute Hate against RSS is that in 2008 that one of the owners (not the company) exercised his First Amendment rights and donated $16K in support of California's Proposition 8, which sought to codify legally recognized marriage as being between one man and one female. Proposition 8 was supported by the Catholic Church (and more pertinently perhaps to the owner of RSS) the Church of Latter Day Saints; the proposition passed, with 52% of the vote (i.e. over 7 million voters.) While implementation of the proposition was later challenged and delayed on technical grounds (and of course mooted by the recent US Supreme Court ruling) "gay marriage" remains a contentious issue here in the States, and one whose repercussions have yet to be defined.


In short, the owner of RSS was acting upon personal convictions shared by the majority of his fellow Californians--and US citizens, for that matter--including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (whose husband of course ushered in DOMA, back in the day.) In other words, it's a dead-lock certainty that if you are an American citizen, you have engaged in some sort of economic transaction with someone who has agreed in principle with the owner of RSS--singling his company out as an entity beyond the Pale is at best infantile virtue signaling, incipient fascism at worst.

[mikeSF]

Alright, guys: the background on the Two Minute Hate against RSS is that in 2008 that one of the owners (not the company) exercised his First Amendment rights and donated $16K in support of California's Proposition 8, which sought to codify legally recognized marriage as being between one man and one female. Proposition 8 was supported by the Catholic Church (and more pertinently perhaps to the owner of RSS) the Church of Latter Day Saints; the proposition passed, with 52% of the vote (i.e. over 7 million voters.) While implementation of the proposition was later challenged and delayed on technical grounds (and of course mooted by the recent US Supreme Court ruling) "gay marriage" remains a contentious issue here in the States, and one whose repercussions have yet to be defined.


In short, the owner of RSS was acting upon personal convictions shared by the majority of his fellow Californians--and US citizens, for that matter--including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (whose husband of course ushered in DOMA, back in the day.) In other words, it's a dead-lock certainty that if you are an American citizen, you have engaged in some sort of economic transaction with someone who has agreed in principle with the owner of RSS--singling his company out as an entity beyond the Pale is at best infantile virtue signaling, incipient fascism at worst.

i wish i could understand what you just said, but that certainly does not change the fact that i will not support RRS with my money. Geez, why so political in here? Can we tone it down a click?

[Digitalis]

Proposition 8 was supported by the Catholic Church (and more pertinently perhaps to the owner of RSS) the Church of Latter Day Saints

I wasn't aware that special interest religious political lobby groups existed, do these "churches" pay any tax at all?

[2351HD]

I wasn't aware that special interest religious political lobby groups existed, do these "churches" pay any tax at all?

Religion is the root of most evils my friend.......and they get away with it.

---------- Post added 02-22-16 at 07:40 PM ----------

Alright, guys: the background on the Two Minute Hate against RSS is that in 2008 that one of the owners (not the company) exercised his First Amendment rights and donated $16K in support of California's Proposition 8, which sought to codify legally recognized marriage as being between one man and one female. Proposition 8 was supported by the Catholic Church (and more pertinently perhaps to the owner of RSS) the Church of Latter Day Saints; the proposition passed, with 52% of the vote (i.e. over 7 million voters.) While implementation of the proposition was later challenged and delayed on technical grounds (and of course mooted by the recent US Supreme Court ruling) "gay marriage" remains a contentious issue here in the States, and one whose repercussions have yet to be defined.


In short, the owner of RSS was acting upon personal convictions shared by the majority of his fellow Californians--and US citizens, for that matter--including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (whose husband of course ushered in DOMA, back in the day.) In other words, it's a dead-lock certainty that if you are an American citizen, you have engaged in some sort of economic transaction with someone who has agreed in principle with the owner of RSS--singling his company out as an entity beyond the Pale is at best infantile virtue signaling, incipient fascism at worst.

Thats about what I thought it would have been, or something similar. People can have their views, as long as it doesn't involve killing, raping and children then its all fair game. Does not mean I have to agree with them and it may mean that I think they are idiots for it.

[dadipentak]

OK, back to the matter at hand, is the Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head sufficiently sturdy?

[CreationBear]

Geez, why so political in here?

That's my point, exactly: it was you and others on this thread that brought up the politics you associate with the owner of RSS. A boycott is an explicitly political act; so is propaganda. You are certainly free to vote (or spend) your conscience (however inconsistently) but don't libel one of my countrymen as an extremist when he is clearly within the mainstream of political and cultural thought here in the States.

[Digitalis]

is the Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head sufficiently sturdy?

Not really, I did check out the 410 when I was looking around for geared tripod heads in 2010...it will be fine for 35mm DSLRs with lenses under 200mm, but for medium format: it didn't make the grade.