peter_n Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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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.
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