Arca Swiss Monoball tripod heads

Is anyone using this tripod head and if so is it worth the money? The pan and QR attachments really kick the cost of the head way up. Any comments pro or con would be appreciated. Thanks!

Changeling1 said:

Is anyone using this tripod head and if so is it worth the money? The pan and QR attachments really kick the cost of the head way up. Any comments pro or con would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Yes, I believe it is worth the money. I've been using an Arca-Swiss B1 Ball Head for several years and I love it! It will support small 35mm cameras, 8x10 view cameras and even my 16mm Bolex with Norris Animation Motor (at least twice the weight of my 8x10) without a whimper.

The pan feature on my Arca-Swiss B1 Ballhead is built in - not an attachment.

Compatible QR plates are available from multiple sources, including Arca-Swiss, Really Right Stuff, Kirk and others.

I used the B1 for large format, and then for medium format a bit when I backed out of large format. I didn't use it enough to justify keeping it (I shouldn't say I'm a poor college student because I bought an Arca-Swiss B1 and use a Hasselblad, but honestly I am on the poor side!). If I had plenty of extra money, or used a tripod anymore, the B1 would be my first choice hands down; if you plan to use it quite a bit, I'd say it's definetely worth it.