[Leica] A plug for ACRATECH ... tripod ball heads.....

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

A couple of years ago I saved up for and got the Arca-Swiss Monoball p0 Ball 
Head with Classic Quick Release. The ball is underneath so it?s a whole 
different ballgame which I gotta say has "panned out" perfectly. And I 
dreamed about it often for years.
Cost me $348 at B&H. Adorama the same probably I'm starting to like those 
guys more.
It?s more compact than it looks in the pix you see of it and is also quite 
compact. 
I didn?t have a head which was quite right for my only resin tripod which is 
the one I only use now..
My tripod only weights 2.3 pounds it?s a Gitzo G-1157 Mountaineer Sport 6X 
Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs (Rapid Column).
It's perfect for it.  I got it on a close out for in 2007 for $369. They are 
going for twice that now so I lucked out.
Lots of companies now making quite nice resin tripods for less but I'm glad 
I've been able to stick with Gitzo.

Here's a review I found with lots of pix
https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2016/08/arca-swiss-p0-monoball-review.html

I have a Gitzo monopod on my short list.


 
 

-- 

Mark William Rabiner
Photographer

?On 12/17/19, 3:27 PM, "LUG on behalf of Frank Filippone via LUG" 
<lug-bounces+mark=rabinergroup.com at leica-users.org on behalf of lug at 
leica-users.org> wrote:

    I have the delight of living in Southern California.  While on the search
    for a new Ball Head for travel, I considered Markins and ARCA Swiss and
    ACRATECH.
    
    The driving specs were... Light weigh, stability, and cost.
    
     
    
    I have had a ARCA B1 for several years.  It is great, except that it 
weighs
    almost 2 pounds.  ( 800g).  It is rugged, stable, and can be pretty
    infinitely adjusted.  But it is heavy.
    
     
    
    When you consider that my tripod legs weigh 3-3 1/4 pounds, adding 2 
pounds
    was a lot.  ( the fact that I own a travel tripod with a total weight of 
3.2
    pounds with head, makes a 2 pound head seem pretty heavy.)
    
     
    
    Markins have a nice travel head, the Q3.  Unfortunately, I have never 
seen
    one. nor does my local store ( Samys ) have one to examine...
    
    The ARCA P0 is a nice, upside down head.  The panning function is right
    under the camera.  Level the camera then pan to wherever you want, it is
    still level.  You can not do this on a regular B1 or similar ball head,
    unless you level the legs.. Which is an additional and unnecessary step, 
if
    you have the panning just below the camera.  I trust ARCA. They are made 
in
    Switzerland ( or is it France?).
    
    I kept looking towards handling a ACRATECH.  They are pretty esoteric 
,and
    therefore pretty hard to find one, no less trying out all their models to
    find the one I preferred...
    
     
    
    I finally called up ACRATECH, located 20 miles from the house.. I was
    invited over to try them out, side by side...
    
     
    
    Long story short, I was treated as visiting royalty. which is how you are
    supposed to be treated when purchasing anything...   I met the owner, 
Scott
    Dordick, his wife Patty, and several employees.
    
    I spent the better part of an hour with all their heads, asking all 
kinds of
    questions, trying out one then the other... I finally decided that I 
wanted
    one more feature, the ability to turn the head on its side, and use the 
head
    in a gimballed method. I selected the model they call the GPSS.  Weight,
    just under 15oz  ( a bit less than 380g).  35mm Ball diameter.  The top
    quick release comes off, and can be bolted back onto the bottom to give 
you
    an upside down ball head..
    
     
    
    Then they gave me a great tour of their factory.. Ever been in a machine
    shop?  It is a dirty place.  Lots of people. Lots of noise, lots of 
oil...
    Not this place.  A few employees, CNC machines everyplace, and the nicest
    attitude I have seen in a long time.
    
     
    
    Now for the Secrets.. 
    
    They make EVERYTHING in house.  Bushings, aluminum CNC parts, plastic 
coated
    knobs ( both the metal part as well as the plastic overlays)..amazing. 
all
    MADE IN USA.
    
    They have a cabinet full of cosmetic seconds... and they sell them at a 
nice
    discount...  REAL NICE DISCOUNT!
    
     
    
    They look strange, they work pretty normally, with an ease of changing 
the
    tension on the ball that is amazing and sensible.
    
     
    
    They also make ARCA compatible lens and body plates. 
    
     
    
    If you are looking for a ball head, consider ACRATECH..
    
     
    
    Frank Filippone
    
     
    
    Red735i at verizon.net
    
     
    
    
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