Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell

  

Archive 2014 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick

  
 
cambyses
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Ok, buying a ballhead is certainly proving more challenging than the tripod. And the more I read, the more confused I get on pros and cons of the different alternatives.

Here is my objective: Find a heavy-duty ballhead with a proper clamp that can safely work with a Wimberley Sidekick.

I think I have now narrowed down to the following three options:

Option 1) RRS BH-55 w/ Lever Clamps ($455): I think I like the lever clamp much better. But then Wimberley strongly recommends that I also use their AK-100 adapter ($43) for using Sidekick with a lever clamp. So total price: $498+tax

2) Arca-Swiss Z1 SP: This ballhead seems highly rated, and some believe performs even better than BH-55 in some aspects. The issue is that both the screw-type and the lever clamp (aka Flip-Lock) that can come standard with A-S Z1 are both double grooved, and as I understand, Wimberley recommends against using these clamps with Sidekick. So my alternatives with Z1 are:

Option 2-1) A-S Z1 SP with Wimberley Screw-Type Clamp ($455): This is the only ballhead/clamp combo that Wimberley sells on their own website to be used with their Sidekick.

Option 2-2) A-S Z1 SP with RRS Lever Clamp: I would have to buy A-S Z1 with just the platform plate and no clamp ($380) and separately purchase RRS B2-AS-II-M6 clamp ($120). I will also have to get AK-100 raising the total price to $543+tax.

So which one of these three options do you guys think I should go with? I should also mention that I expect to use the ballhead on its own much more often than with Sidekick.

Thanks...




Apr 01, 2014 at 10:22 PM
sjms
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


actually if you want the sidekick to last a very long time the AK-100 with any setup is the best option.
i simply use a BH55/LR as i have since it came out.

http://sjms.smugmug.com/Select-Items/Tools/i-RJq3gzM/O



Apr 01, 2014 at 11:23 PM
Lasse Eriksson
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


This one:

Option 2-1) A-S Z1 SP with Wimberley Screw-Type Clamp ($455): This is the only ballhead/clamp combo that Wimberley sells on their own website to be used with their Sidekick.



Apr 01, 2014 at 11:48 PM
Lars Johnsson
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


I own both the Arca-Swiss Z1 and the BH 55 heads. Can't go wrong with either. But if I had to make a choice it would be the A-S Z1 head. It's smoother to operate. And lock a little bit better. And I would recommend the Option 2-1


Apr 02, 2014 at 02:47 AM
m.sommers00
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Have used the sidekick with my BH-55 and it worked quite well. Went with a Jobo Jr3 Deluxe and sold the sidekick since I prefer mounting the lens from the bottom as opposed from the side.

Does the Arca Swiss use the usual A/S plates like Kirk, RRS etc and not their other skinnier design? Depends on if you have plates or not and what the answer to that is.



Apr 02, 2014 at 03:09 AM
cambyses
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Thanks guys... I guess the only issue I see with Option 2-1 is losing the convenience of a lever clamp. I currently have two small ballheads with screw-type clamps, and out in the field, I do sometime wish for a bit more convenience when taking the camera/lenses in and out of the clamp. Also I feel the lever clamp may be a bit more secure (at least on its own and without Sidekick) given that the clamp won't luck unless the plate is securely placed in the clamp, unlike screw-type clamps where you could tighten the screw even without the plate being fully in its place.


Apr 02, 2014 at 03:13 AM
cambyses
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


m.sommers00 wrote:
Does the Arca Swiss use the usual A/S plates like Kirk, RRS etc and not their other skinnier design? Depends on if you have plates or not and what the answer to that is.


Well, I guess that may be the reason for their current double grooved clamp design so they can fit both their narrower Slidefix plates as well as the more standard plates from RRS, Kirk, etc.

But then again, Wimberley discourages using their Sidekick with A-S double grooved clamps. So I will not use A-S clamps anyway even if I go with A-S Z1.



Apr 02, 2014 at 03:17 AM
peter_n
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Arca-Swiss have taken to locking their double-decker clamp into the Z1 ballhead stem. It's not thread locker but a very strong adhesive. Now if you remove the clamp yourself and damage the ballhead your warranty is invalidated. There are still some brand new Z1 heads in stores that are not locked in this way but they are dwindling rapidly, as A-S has been doing this for over a year now.

That's the bad news. The good news is that if you buy a Z1 from Precision Camera Works who are the only official US service agency for A-S, they will take off the A-S clamp and install a RRS lever clamp for you, and the work will not invalidate the warranty. I'm not sure about this, but I think they give you some kind of a discount on the work if they get to keep the A-S clamp. Give them a call and see what the deal is.

I use a Z1 and it's the best head I've ever used, I like it so much I might sell it and get the Z1G or whatever, it has a 74mm ball diameter I think. The 54mm ball on the Z1 looks a bit weedy in comparison...



Apr 02, 2014 at 10:55 AM
EB-1
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Having both, I'd say that the base of the BH-55 is a bit more robust for panning, but the A-S has such a smooth ball that it is better for non-Sidekick use.

EBH



Apr 02, 2014 at 09:56 PM
cambyses
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


Ok, after some more reading, I think I have given up on the idea of a lever clamp and I think I will just feel a bit more secure with a knob-type clamp that I am used to, particularly with Sidekick, and I think I have convinced myself not to worry about losing a bit of convenience when compared with lever clamp.

So I am now considering the following two options. Remember that I will be using with Gitzo GT3541L and occasionally with Wimberley Sidekick.

1) A-S Z1 w/ Wimberley Clamp (BH-300): http://www.tripodhead.com/products/product-details2.cfm?product=BH-300
- $445
- Higher max load rating (120lbs vs 50 lbs, though BH-55 may be rated more conservatively, and 50lbs should already be way more than enough anyway).
- Smoother ball movement
- Elliptical ball design leading to a larger sweet spot and supposedly easier small adjustments
- A bit smaller base diameter (which might be a better fit for my GT3541L w/ center column)
- Lighter

2) RRS BH-55 with B2 Pro II clamp: http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/s.nl/it.A/id.4121/.f
- $415
- Overall, nicer looking design with bigger (and perhaps easier to use) knobs
- Smoother panning
- Lower profile perhaps leading to marginally better stability
- Heavier

So I would really appreciate it if someone can please convince me which option I should go with...

Thanks...



Apr 02, 2014 at 10:04 PM
sjms
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


thats the way i've been doing it for 5 years now.







Apr 02, 2014 at 10:52 PM
Sven Jeppesen
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


IMO the Z1 is the best ballhead you can buy. The RRS is also good but the Z1 is better.
It's a lot about personal taste and feeling for the ballhead



Apr 03, 2014 at 06:25 AM
peter_n
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · A-S Z1 vs BH-55 with Sidekick


I use my Arca-Swiss Z1 (base diameter 69mm) on a Gitzo 3541LS and it fits just fine with a mm or two to spare, see pic below. The RRS BH-55 has a base diameter of 73mm and it will fit too. The asymmetric ball to me is more about the slow droop you get if you're off-center and inadvertently loosen the main locking knob. It's happened to me - great feature.

The Z1 ball movement is extremely smooth and requires very little lockdown. The indexed ring on the inside of the main knob is great if you regularly need different ball tension (drag) in the field. All you have to do is set the ring to the number for a particular friction level and the ballhead "remembers" what that setting is. Very handy.

The panning action is smooth enough but it's very heavily damped. I also use Acratech ballheads and the panning action on those is also smooth but not damped at all and since I don't pan hardly at all the way it works on the Z1 is fine with me. I'd like to emphasize that panning isn't rough or difficult with the Z1, it's just got a level of friction that's higher than other ballheads.

I prefer screw knobs to the lever releases but I use both RRS and Acratech LR clamps and can assure you that both these lever clamps connect very securely to a wide range of 3rd party plates. The 60mm RRS clamps have a mechanism that self-adjusts to 3rd party plates, the Acratech clamp doesn't yet is also secure at least with the plates I have.

I don't particularly want to convince you one way or the other; these are two very good ballheads and this was my choice also. I went for the Z1 because of the weight difference, I take my 3541LS on trips and at the time it was an issue. However I've read many endorsements of the durability of the BH-55 and I'm sure that's true.

As Sven says above it's a lot about personal taste, and you might want to take your kit, visit RRS and use the BH-55 and try to handle a Z1 in a store in your area. If not order one from a store with a good return policy. It's important because you interact with the head way more than the tripod and the ergonomics and design of these heads should be a factor in your decision.








Apr 03, 2014 at 08:55 AM





FM Forums | General Gear-talk | Join Upload & Sell

    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.