Arca Swiss Monoball Z1 SP Single Pan with 3/8 Screw, Supports 132 lbs

2017-01-13T10:30:00

Please note that many other retailers are in fact selling the Monoball Z1+, *not* the Z1, even though they label it as the Z1. I believe the Z1 is being discontinued and replaced with the Z1+. As of the date of my purchase (late December 2016), Adorama still carries the Z1 as advertised. The Z1 is superior to the Z1+ in many respects that I consider important: smoother and more fluid panning (important if you want to use this with something like a Wimberley Sidekick), and more noticeably better fine-tuning of the ball friction via the multi-function knob. Z1+ looks more "premium" in its finish and feel, and apparently has an improved aspherical ball. I did not perceive any noticeable advantage to the Z1+'s new ball over the Z1's, however. I deducted a star because the Z1 I received has a cosmetic defect in the panning base markings (one of the dots and one of the lines are smeared). While I expected much better from a company like Arca Swiss, especially for this price, that's minor enough of a defect for me to not want to go through the process of exchanging it.

Andy W.

2014-01-22T19:00:00

The Z1 is the best ballhead I've ever used, and that compares to a few other top brands. Everything is easy to grasp and turn. Everything has a quality feel to it. It locks solidly with good feedback in the knob; it is obviously when the ball is locked. That might seem like a strange comment but there are other brands that don't provide tactile feedback. Even under strong tension, the ball motion remains smooth. No slip-stick. There is no obvious shifting during lockdown as I have seen with other ballheads I've owned. The panning lock is solid with no slippage. It just locks tightly as desired, and turns smoothly with a nice damped feeling when it is loose. I wish the panning base was labeled with numbers. It seems very compact and light for the strength and quality. The platform was easy to remove and replace with a good quick release from Really Right Stuff (you also need a screw - M6-1.0x25mm (6mm wide, 1mm thread pitch, 25mm long) ; but I have read that Arca-Swiss will soon be using a very strong thread fastener to prevent removal.

John W.

2013-11-18T19:00:00

The Z1 is a great ballhead. Like the headline says, it is strong, smooth and precise. I had another top brand for 10 years leading up to this purchase, and eventually decided I'd like a nicer tension control. I did a lot of reasearch, checking out at least a dozen brands, and kept coming back to the Z1. It was a combination of rave reviews and ergonomics for me. I can attest to the great build quality, strength and smoothness. If you have not used a top brand, you just have to try it to understand why people spend this much money on them. The Z1 is not night and day better vs other top brands. It is subtly better than others I've used in my opinion. As a strength test, I mounted my 100-400 + camera via the camera mount and put it at an odd angle (this was abusive, perhaps, not something anyone would normally do), and the Z1 handled it easily, without any creep. It is so smooth that even under a good amount of tension where it won't move when you let go, you can still move the camera easily. I learned that Arca-Swiss is beginning to use red loctite on their ballheads to prevent warranty repairs from incorrect 3rd party clamp installations. I bought the non-QR version with the 3/8" stud so I could drop just about any clamp on top, in the event my clamp was locked down. However, the stud was short relative to the depth of my clamp thread and I worried that it would not be as strong as it should be. It is probably best to just get the QR model of your choice.

John W.