The Arca-Swiss B1 Monoball head
by Ed Alban

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ADJUSTABLE TENSION CONTROL

Arca Swiss was the first company to offer an adjustable tension control on ballheads for minimum friction.  The success of this design has stimulated competition and emulation.  The first that comes to mind is Kirk’s BH-1, which is made in the USA.  The most recent (and very popular with Nikonians) is Markins, made in South Korea.

Arca-Swiss B1 Monoball head

I believe these competitors have studied the Arca Swiss B1 design well enough that they have produced similar outstanding ballheads of their own, often at lower prices than the B1 (albeit still expensive than your run-of-the-mill tripod head).  One cannot go wrong with any one of these ballheads.

“Minimum tension” provides the photographer the ability to move the camera smoothly in addition to being able to let go of the camera without fear of losing his equipment to the ground below.  The idea behind the adjustable tension control is for the photographer to find the minimum tension the ballhead movement can be set at for each type of equipment he has. 

Obviously, a FM2 with a 28mm f/2.8 AI-S prime lens calls for a different minimum tension than an F5 with an 80-200mm f/2.8 AF zoom lens.  Arca Swiss recommends setting the minimum to the lightest equipment that would be used on the B1.  When the heavier equipment is mounted, the locking knob can be turned to the pre-set index for this equipment.  

HOW TO SET UP THE MINIMUM TENSION

The B1’s main locking knob has indexes from 0 through 12, with 0 having no friction and 12 being fully locked. Turning the knob and going from 0 to 12 increases the tension and here is the best part:  the change in tightening is a smooth linear progression.  I have read that other heads lock and unlock with a knob that feels almost like an on/off switch. Mount the lightest camera and lens that is to be used.  Turn the main locking knob to a setting that allows smooth movement of the camera + head, but does not flop over when let go.  Without moving the main knob, turn the small serrated screw located in front of the main locking knob.  Once the thumbscrew is locked down, the main knob cannot be turned past this point, i.e. it is now the minimum friction setting.  For example, with my F4 and 28mm f/2.8 AI-S, my minimum setting ends up just below index 3.

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Now mount the next heavier piece of equipment.  Since the heavier weight would make the ballhead easier to flop, the minimum friction setting would need to be higher.  For example, with my F4 and 105mm f/2.8 AF-micro, my setting ends up just past index 4.  If you locked the thumbscrew down, this would become your new minimum setting and would override the setting you had set earlier for the lighter equipment.  But the point is, do not lock in this new minimum setting.  Instead commit this to memory (or note it down).  Whenever I mount my F4/105 combo, I just turn the main knob to index 4.  Whenever I mount my F4/28, I turn the main knob to its minimum.  Other combinations might call for a different index.

There is one nitpick about this feature.  Locking the index does not necessarily give you that minimum setting.  Usually it is off by half the index.  Say I position the main locking knob to 4 and lock the thumbscrew.  The minimum setting ends up at 3.5.  One minor thing I have to keep in mind when using the indexes.  The good thing is that you only need to set this once (maybe to last forever), unless you get new cameras and lenses with different weights.

I had a hard time turning the serrated screw at first since it is placed flushed against the surface of the main locking knob.  Some people refer to it as thumbscrew.  It feels more like a nailscrew to me because it seems only my fingernail is the only part of my hand that can grab a hold of it and make it turn.

To unlock the minimum friction setting, turn the main locking knob clockwise about ¼ of an inch, i.e. towards the higher indexes.  This would release the serrated screw and make it easier to turn in the counter-clockwise direction.  Once fully released, the main locking knob can be reset to 0.  A lot of reports on the Internet recommend this setting when traveling long distances with the B1.  Arca Swiss simply recommends turning the main locking knob to its minimum, not necessarily to zero, before transporting.  It is a simple procedure and worth the price to pay for this magnificent ballhead.