Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/01/22

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Ball heads and Lenses
From: Jeff S <4season@boulder.net>
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2000 12:53:21 -0700

Mitchell Baum wrote:
> 
>         Hi. I'm new to the lug and new to Leica. I'm becoming very fond of my M6.
>         Some questions:  does anyone have experience and opinions about quick
> release plates for the M6, specifically Really Right Stuff versus Kirk
> Enterprises. Also, which ball heads,  and tripods would you recommend if
> light weight as well as quality is a consideration.


Mitchell,

The RRS B30 plate is nicely finished and in it's latest version, should
be lightweight. It seems big, but that's because the Arca QR itself is
kind of big, and this plate is designed to allow you to center the
camera over the tripod. Kirk and RRS both produce good products, with
RRS having a prettier finish and more of a custom fit (both a blessing
and a curse at times, given the prices of the things!)

I own an Arca B-1 ballhead and don't really recommend it for use with a
Leica M, as it's optimized for heavier cameras and you need to take some
care not to bend your Leica's baseplate as you pivot it about under
tension. Otherwise, do as I do and push from the QR clamp, not the
camera body! Were I to buy another ballhead for just the M, it might be
a small Kaiser. The B-1 really shines with the likes of Hasselblads,
Rollei SLRs, big Nikons, etc.

Tripod: I like the carbon fiber Gitzos a lot and feel that they can
handle a bigger load than their aluminum counterparts. The Gitzo leg
pivots are especially stout and easily adjusted for wear. Until someone
grows tubular ash trees, CF is my material of choice for small tripods.
I've also seen some of the pro Slik gear (aluminum) and it struck me as
being very cheap for what it offered.
- -- 

Jeff Segawa
Somewhere in Boulder, Colorado