Tripod head recommendation

[vikasmg]

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18 minutes ago, Anbaric said:

If you buy a P0 you also have to think about the clamp. That 'MonoballFix' isn't a standard Arca clamp, it's designed for smaller plates that nobody else makes. They also have versions with double-decker clamps that take either standard Arca plates or the small ones, closed by 'Fliplock' levers or 'Classic' screws (the latter might be better if you have several third party plates with slightly different widths). Unfortunately they don't make one with a straightforward single decker standard Arca clamp, but you can buy the P0 with just a threaded disc for attaching your own clamp. Note that the clamps on the versions that come with them aren't designed to be removed.

However, if you're going to stick with a ball and socket head (and the P0 is basically an inverted version of this) you might want to look again at your Gitzo head, which is specifically designed to fit neatly between the folded back legs and keep the whole package compact when collapsed (the small Markin head may do this too, but most of the others like the P0 won't). It must be something simple. Is the 'safety pin' loose or damaged? You can remove it if necessary:

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Thanks, that’s such useful advise.  I have been checking my Gitzo head again.  I took that pin out with an Allen key and it worked fine that way except that I loose the protection the pin offers, which isn’t a major problem.  Interestingly though when I put the pin back in it now seems to _just_ allow the plate to fit and it’s now holding my camera securely even though the plate is not well seated.  I’ll try messing with it some more.

The Arca head still looks interesting though, specially the hybrid one with the small adjustments.  But for compactness you are right - the Gitzo head is great.  I’ve also decided it’s not worth my while going for a three way head - the good ones seem heavier and larger.

Edited November 30, 2020 by vikasmg

[hofo100]

Before I got the P0 I used a Gitzo ball head - and I found a (for me) significant difference between the 2 - maybe due to the different concept - I just do have more torque when fixing the monoball and there is no observable movement with longer and heavier lenses, whereas most of the times with the Gitzo head there was a little change when I thought the ball being fixed enough. 

Agree on the clamp question - I am happy with the Fix version, since it is most lightweight. I am not into a larger collection of tripods and heads so the more versatile and flexible Arca Swiss was not tempting to me.

 

[Anbaric]

2 hours ago, hofo100 said:

Before I got the P0 I used a Gitzo ball head - and I found a (for me) significant difference between the 2 - maybe due to the different concept - I just do have more torque when fixing the monoball and there is no observable movement with longer and heavier lenses, whereas most of the times with the Gitzo head there was a little change when I thought the ball being fixed enough.

Was that the current style of Gitzo head (as in the photo above) or one of the older ones? I seem to remember the previous designs was less solid. The current TQD (the smallest Traveler head) seems fine, but I haven't tried it with a really big lens.

I like the idea of the P0. Does it have reasonable control over friction? Unlike the larger Gitzo heads, the TQD doesn't have an independent friction control, though you can slow it down by not fully tightening the main knob. It's not like the old Leitz heads, where there's no middle ground between solidly locked and completely free.

12 hours ago, vikasmg said:

The Arca head still looks interesting though, specially the hybrid one with the small adjustments.  But for compactness you are right - the Gitzo head is great.  I’ve also decided it’s not worth my while going for a three way head - the good ones seem heavier and larger.

One other thing that occurs to me about the 'double decker' clamp versions of the P0 is that you might have the opposite problem with the safety pin - some standard Arca-style plates apparently don't engage with the P0's pin because they are raised too high (the standard clamp is above the small clamp). But with the 'clampless' threaded disc version, you could mount a third party standard Arca-style clamp like this Novoflex, which I've seen elsewhere has been used successfully with the P0:

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/quick-release-units/qsystem-quick-release-units/novoflex-qmount-3120.html

There are also much cheaper generic clamps from China that are sold under various brands. I have an Andoer DM-55 for my Leitz table top tripod that is very nicely made:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andoer®-Release-Gradienter-Camera-Wimberley/dp/B00N5HHRO2

For the P0 it may be best to pick one with a long stalk on the clamping knob to make sure it has plenty of clearance.

[LocalHero1953]

I have had some problems with a RRS clamp not being compatible with the Arca-Swiss pattern, or not being sufficiently tolerant. I think it was a simple RRS clamp I had once that wouldn't hold a non-RRS plate tightly. The same plate was fine with other clamps (Smallrig, Manfrotto, Markin, Acratech). I no longer have that clamp. I've seen this reported elsewhere, so some members may be able to confirm, though it was a while ago for me.

[Anbaric]

36 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I have had some problems with a RRS clamp not being compatible with the Arca-Swiss pattern, or not being sufficiently tolerant. I think it was a simple RRS clamp I had once that wouldn't hold a non-RRS plate tightly. The same plate was fine with other clamps (Smallrig, Manfrotto, Markin, Acratech). I no longer have that clamp. I've seen this reported elsewhere, so some members may be able to confirm, though it was a while ago for me.

I've heard that about lever clamps, because there's no formal specification for Arca-style plates and the widths can vary a bit. You'd think a screw clamp would always be OK, unless the profile of the dovetail is somehow different? Some lever clamps can be adjusted to handle a slightly different width, but that's probably more fiddly than just tightening a screw clamp if you're dealing with varying plates.

[wellfleet]

Vieri Bottazzini, a member here and former SL user, wrote the following review of the P0 head back in 2016.

https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/08/arca-swiss-p0-monoball-review.html

 

 

[Vieri]

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On 12/1/2020 at 1:26 PM, Anbaric said:

I've heard that about lever clamps, because there's no formal specification for Arca-style plates and the widths can vary a bit. You'd think a screw clamp would always be OK, unless the profile of the dovetail is somehow different? Some lever clamps can be adjusted to handle a slightly different width, but that's probably more fiddly than just tightening a screw clamp if you're dealing with varying plates.

Indeed, this is why I much prefer the "Classic" version of the P0, the one with the screw and not the lever. Works flawlessly out of the box

On 12/1/2020 at 4:11 PM, wellfleet said:

Vieri Bottazzini, a member here and former SL user, wrote the following review of the P0 head back in 2016.

https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/08/arca-swiss-p0-monoball-review.html

 

 

Thank you for reviving that old review, glad you found it useful!

Best regards,

Vieri

[vikasmg]

On 12/1/2020 at 10:11 AM, wellfleet said:

Vieri Bottazzini, a member here and former SL user, wrote the following review of the P0 head back in 2016.

https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/08/arca-swiss-p0-monoball-review.html

 

 

Hi wellfleet, I want to thank you for that suggestion.

Also, just to update all the helpful people on this thread, since I got the Gitzo head to work for me again the urgency is reduced but I think I will by buying the Arca-Swiss head as well.

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by vikasmg