Re: [Leica] Arca-Swiss B1 and Really Right Stuff

[Charles Babington <cbabing3@swbell.net>]

Lucien wrote:

> Do you have experience with the Arca-Swiss mono ball B1
> and also with Really Right Stuff ?
> 
I've been using the Arca-Swiss B1 head with RRS plates for most of 1998
and have found this to be one of the best examples of When You Buy The
Best You Only Complain Once (when you pay for it.)  I have RRS plates
for my M6 and Nikon N90, and for the 90mm Summicron (old) and 135/2.8
Elmarit, as well as RRS Arca-style clamps for my monopod, copy stand and
flash bracket.  The quality of both lines is fully up to Leica
standards.

My principal use of a support is in shooting school theater productions,
where the N90 usually goes on the tripod at the back of the room with a
radio release and a lens long enough to cover the central part of the
stage (135/2 or 180/2.8).  I tend to use the B1 more for its attachment
convenience than for its panning action in this application, although
panning that head brings a sensual delight of its own.

The M6 usually goes on the monopod for moving around on the side
aisles.  I attach the M6 to a monopod or tripod using the RRS baseplate
(a beautiful piece of machining, BTW) for 35 and 50mm lenses.  But
mounting the M6 using the baseplate is not the most stable with a heavy
lens (the camera body can rock fore and aft in the camera bottom), so
I'm glad to have the older lenses with their own tripod sockets to which
I can attach a small RRS plate and then mount the lens itself in the
clamp. (Don't know what I'll do when I get that Noctilux I dream about
so often).

Focusing the 90 and 135 lenses while they are mounted in the clamp is
not the most convenient (the clamp tends to be in the way of a
convenient grip on the focusing ring), although probably no worse than
it would be if the lenses were simply screwed down with a traditional
tripod screw.  But I can safely use at least two shutter speeds slower
with the support than without, and I frequently need that lower speed
even with TMZ or Neopan 1600, so I just put up with the slight
inconvenience.

Overall, I have found the convenience and quality of the Arca-Swiss/RRS
equipment to be well worth the cost.  You really appreciate it when
you're trying to mount a different camera or change film in the dark.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Kip Babington