Arca Swiss Monoball Z1+ Single Pan Tripod Head with Quick Set FlipLock Device (Plate Not Included)

2014-03-29T21:00:00

I've had 4 heads on my Gitzo 1327 tripod. The Gitzo is about as stable as one can get when the wind picks up, though it might need a sandbag on a pier with waves or on a bridge with traffic flowing under it. New York is a most unsteady platform when taking long exposures! My Manfrotto head was good in three axis, but was tedious in trying to get the right setting and as time went on it started to get loose in every axis. An Enduro three axis was very good but was too heavy to cart around and the handles were not good on buses on in cabs. A cheaper ball head leaked fluid. Then I got wise and put my money into this very reasonable Arca Swiss. WOW! Photos that would blur with the other heads suddenly were sharp as a tack, this at 300-450mm used for timed night shots. I believe it will hold 133 lbs. The Nikon D800E with heavy lenses tend to be a piece of cake for this sturdy head. I've begun to mount it sideways so the head openings are at 90 degrees to the shot. So far I've been able to pan, move in all directions by barely loosening the dial. One thing, on mine the area between "4 and 5" on the dial is where the head goes from being firmly clamped to coming pretty loose. I've gotten used to this and I'm still steady with the tripod. I would prefer the nob for the lock, but wanted to save some money and went with the flip lock. It looks cheap, but it is solid as a rock. There's absolutely no slippage with a very long heavy lens and the camera body comes off and on very rapidly once you've practiced for a few moments. One thing - when you loosen the head be SURE you are holding the camera with one hand. Otherwise it could drop off. To be expected when you want rapid release and attachment.

dawnshooter

2014-01-06T19:00:00

I mounted this on an Induro CT313 tripod and it is solid, smooth and easy to use. With the new D800 you really need to be steady. I was surprised that it was actually cheaper than the RRS bh-55 and the Markins Q20i. I gave it a 4 because the first copy had some marks on the quick release plate but adorama replaced it with no hassle . By the way the quick release plate is a superior design. It takes two actions to release the lens plate so I never worry about it but it is very easy to use. My only complaint is that I did not buy one years ago. I decided I never wanted to have to upgrade my ball head again and this is truly the best I have seen. ( I should note that I never give a 5 but if there had been a possible score of 100 I would have given a 99). My experience with Adorama customer service was top rate so I use them for all my purchases.

GLENN R.

2013-12-30T19:00:00

I use with an Induro ct313

GLENN R.

2013-06-21T21:00:00

Fantastic ball head. Smooth movement. Nice finish. But there are few cons: 1. Arca-Swiss Quick Set Flip-Lock clamp is poorly designed when compared to competition. Geared wheel for width adjustment left my clamp in pieces in a few minutes of trying to adjust it to the clamps I use. Had to spent next 30 minutes (lot of patience) to put it back together. Save your money and buy 3rd party clamp (Wimberley or RRS will do better job). 2. Major marking points on the panning base are 15 degree (means 24 major markers for a 360 deg scale). Small markers are 5 deg which is OK. Again, this are minor cons but I'm taking one star.

Olgierd S.

2013-02-07T19:00:00

I liked that the Monoball was easily stable and it was very sturdy.

PHUONG H.

2012-07-01T21:00:00

I use this tripod for architectural photography and some landscape and night shots. I also use this head to hold a super telephoto (400 2.8) using a Whimberly Sidekick. I switched to this head from a Really Right Stuff BH-55 and it is better in some ways but lacks some of the 55s features that I liked. My primary reason to switch is the Arca's unique ability to increase ball friction as it goes off axis. This allows a level of friction to be maintained as the camera is tipped up or down. With a conventional ball head you would need to have a high level of friction set or risk the camera "flopping" over as the centre of gravity moves away from the top of the head. I'm currently using this head with pro sized DSLRs (D800/grip and D4) and it works as advertised. Another improvement is the double locking clamp. I often worried about walking through the bush using the BH-55 as there was no lock on the clamp and a simple tug from a bush could send a camera crashing to the ground. This ball head is extremely smooth. It is by far smoother than any ball head I have ever tried. It is so smooth I use it successfully for some panning video with pretty good results. I really miss the double drop slots from the BH-55. With the Arca, if you are not using an L-bracket, you need to re-orient the camera if you go from a portrait orientation to then shooting at a large vertical angle. The pan lock on the Arca is a funny teardrop shape and I find it interferes with my levelling plate as it extends below the base of the head when loose. This means it bumps into my ball level unless I consciously keep it oriented up.

Greg

2011-02-03T19:00:00

Moving from pan and tilt, this is my first ballhead and loving it. This is an excellent product, solid and smooth for my camera lens support.

Hanuman

2010-02-20T19:00:00

I moved from an old Bogen head to this one. The difference is night and day! The farther you move past vertical, the more the resistance increases. This makes it much easier to control larger lenses (my biggest is a 70-200 2.8). I was debating between this one and a RRS BH40 and have no regrets. Of course, I haven't used the RRS and hear it is a great ball head so my opinion doesn't mean that much. I am using RRS plates and they work great!

Al

2010-02-15T19:00:00

See my review also for Gitzo 2531 legs. Used a Manfrotto Ball head then switched to a Giottos pan head as i got frustrated at thelack of fine control of the ball head. However the pan head Giottos fixed the fine tuning but frustrated me with its slow set up and slightly squishy frictions. After reading a few reviews it became obvious that Arca Swiss was the best high quality ball head so i purchased one. The difference between a quality ball head and standard ball head is night and day. I will never go back to a pan tilt nor will i ever settle for anything less than Arca Swiss. Pure Joy...just DO IT, buy one, you will not be disappointed!

Nicksouth

2010-01-10T19:00:00

I use this ball head coupled with a Lindhof tripod to support my Nikon D3 and 200-400mm, both heavy duty armour and it is as solid as a rock. It is as solid as the Lindhof ball head too.

fatlarry

2008-12-28T19:00:00

due to its base configuration, it's better to use a L-shape quick-release bracket on your camera to get a large posing range of the camera. the connection with tripod through the screwer should paid attention to since it can be loosen if you rotate your camera hard when all parts locked firmly.

Weixin L.

2007-09-25T21:00:00

Excellent product - the best I've seen.

rbt

2007-09-25T21:00:00

It is the best ballhead I'v ever used. It is very stable, and easy to use.

Lei

2007-04-26T21:00:00

This Arca Swiss Monoball Z1 SP w/Fip-Lock is simply the best tripod head that I've ever used. Having tried so many different heads for the past 20 years, I must say that this ballhead is the answer to all my previous problems! The ballhead is very light-weight, strong, extremely silky smooth, and holds super heavy equipment without any problem. I can turn the knob with very little force, and everything is held tightly, rock-solid!! When I figure out the "sweetspots" for different lenses, picture composition can't be easier. Just move the camera wherever you want under the sweetspot setting of the tension control, and then turn the scale slight more my 1/2 or one scale mark, the head is locked ... absolutely firmly without the slightest movement of any kind. Should be ideal for macro photography as well thought I still haven't got time trying this out yet. My only negative feeling about this ballhead is more on the cosmetics side. The rubber ring on the knob doesn't look professional and the build should have room for improvement. But this doesn't cause any impact on the stability and easy of control whatsoever of the knob. Certainly it would be nice if the ring looks even better! :-) If you're looking for a real high-quality ballhead, this is the one. Don't waste time trying out others like what I had been doing.

Wai C.