The Arca-Swiss B1 Monoball head
by Ed Alban

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TIGHTEN THAT KNOB, LOOSEN THAT KNOB...

Working with the B1 was like freedom redefined.  No longer was I constrained to changing the camera’s orientation in one axis at a time.  By unlocking a single controlling knob, the camera is let loose.  And so is the photographer.  After recomposing, I turn the same knob in the opposite direction and presto, the camera is rock steady again.  As well, it took no time at all to get familiar with the controls.

Arca Swiss B1 Monoball head

After all those years with the 3047, one really big difference stood out right off the bat.  I am huge on the spot meter.  Using the spot meter on the 3047, if I was lucky, all I had to do was tweak the camera framing in one orientation, leaving the camera on the 3047 to do my spot metering.  But more often than not, it was common for me to remove the camera from the tripod, do my spot metering and then put it back on for the actual shooting.  It was a necessary evil and something I had learned to live with if I wanted to continue using the tripod.

With the B1, all that is needed is to loosen the knob, swing the camera any which way needed to point the spot meter circle, take the meter reading and re-compose, lock the knob and take the picture.  It is convenience at the tip of my fingertips.  It lessened a whole load of frustration.  This practice also allows me to scan the scene for potential other shots through the viewfinder without the camera leaving the tripod.  I never could do that with a 3-way pan head.  So refreshing and so enlightening!

HEAD ACTION

What about the B1’s famous smooth and controlled ball action?  With a real-world load on it, the ballhead behaved more smoothly than without.  Place a camera and lens on the A-S clamp, set the locking knob to minimum friction (more on that later) and camera seems to glide.  No wait, it does glide.  There are no sudden stops; you feel the ball brake with finesse.  You don’t feel any internal friction; there is no jerking or any rubbing or scratching of internal surfaces.  It is like slicing butter.  The Arca-Swiss B1 is a truly a joy to use.

The panning base has the same velvety smooth action.  I have this vision of the insides of the Arca-Swiss just swimming in heavy-gauge oil.  You move it and it gives but it gives with a smooth and even reaction.  That’s how best I can describe it in words.

After three months of use, the movement is even silkier than when it was brand new, if that’s at all possible.  There is one fault I find regarding the action.  One of the patented characteristics of the B1 (due to the aspherical or elliptical shape of the ballhead), is that the stiffness of the ballhead action increases the more the head is tilted to vertical.  There are two advantages to this design:  (1) it makes the B1 able to support more load consistently than other ballheads, (2) it also prevents your expensive camera gear from flopping around unexpectedly.  However, in my so far limited use of the head, it also makes working in vertical orientation harder.  When set to my pre-determined minimum tension, the more I push my camera to vertical, the more the B1 resists.  Fine-tuning compositions vertically can be frustrating due to the tightened condition of the ball.  This could be solved easily by using a lower pre-determined minimum tension setting or by employing an L-bracket.