The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Cube test versus Manfrotto geared 410

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Exactly. Some people love the AS clamp; others say it's no good. You're going to have to try one for yourself.
I'd agree with Stephen on this one. See what you prefer.

The Arca clasp is small and just a little bit flexible but can be adjusted so long as you are careful not to let it run off the adjuster thread and self destruct. :thumbdown:

The RRS lever clamp works well with RRS/Arca/Wimberley/Acratech plates but you need to be aware of compatibility with some others because they may not grab adequately on them (I have some Kirk plates like that). The clamp can pinch your fingers if you aren't careful. Also it is possible to mess up the RRS clamp if you apply too much pressure to clamp it shut - e.g. I have a Kirk plate on my Gigapan that doesn't quite hold tightly so I used a lens cloth around it to get a firmer clamp which it did but at the expense of compressing something in the RRS clamp so it wouldn't hold a RRS plate any more. Dumb user error. :angry: Luckily I had a spare.

The RRS screw clamp is probably second to none. In future this is what I'd personally stick with.

However, it's choices choices so what might work for you might be different than works for others. IMHO I was very disappointed with the Arca QR clamps which is quite ironic because just about everything else Arca produces, such as my three tripod heads, are simply superbly made and rock solid engineering.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I agree with the comments of trying the Cub as is and see if it works for you. I brought an A/S plate the same time I ordered the Cube and use that on the WRS without any hitch. I also used it on the Phase AFD that had a Kirk L bracket. The thing I didn't like was having to adjust the fit between the A/S plate on the WRS and the Kirk. I ended up adding a Novaflex to aid in focusing and ended up not having a problem with the fit any longer.

I ended up selling the AFD and have kept the Cube as is and continue to use the Novaflex. It took me awhile and after I got it set right I can't see the need of replacing it. Take your time and see for your self if you like the clamp.

Just my 2¢ worth.

Don
 

Terry

New member
I also subscribed to the self destruct learning methodology and almost freaked out the first night. No instructions on correctly using the quick release on the cube. Once I went back and reread Jack's email to me (this time with the cube in hand) where he told me about the second stage unlock I was all set. I've kept the AS plate on mine and I'm happy with it. This week I am going to be using it with a RRS Pano rail (not because I'm unhappy but because I will be doing some panos) and will report back in if my thinking changes.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
As you can see in my earlier frame of the camera, I have an RRS rail plate on the Cube with a regular RRS *screw* tighten clamp on that rail. I like the RRS screw clamps because it has a big knob and I can work it with gloves on and confirm whatever I have in the clamp is held TIGHT. Also note that RRS makes a rail clamp with the clamp machined in, but my problem with that one is the knob on the clamp is pretty small and the clamp itself is pretty narrow being only as wide as the rail.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
As you can see in my earlier frame of the camera, I have an RRS rail plate on the Cube with a regular RRS *screw* tighten clamp on that rail. I like the RRS screw clamps because it has a big knob and I can work it with gloves on and confirm whatever I have in the clamp is held TIGHT. Also note that RRS makes a rail clamp with the clamp machined in, but my problem with that one is the knob on the clamp is pretty small and the clamp itself is pretty narrow being only as wide as the rail.
Jack - just curious but did you leave the A/S clamp on and add the RSS rail or did you switch the A/S plate out as well.

I think your RRS rail plate is performing the same duties as my Novaflex only much cheaper!

While it's hard to believe at 108 degree weather, I also can see the need for a larger knob for gloves.

Thanks

Don
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
Are you guys saying that the lever clamp on the $2400 cube is crap, really? I've heard at least three folks say it is and they replaced it with a RRS including digilloyd in his review. I have four of the RRS clamps and love them, but would hate to have to buy another one - you don't normally have to run out and buy tires when you bring home a new Rolls Royce. Or is this just a matter of some folks not liking the design of the AS clamp while others love it?
Not crap but the lever is small and you have to slide a safety button on it as you pull it out - it's easy enough to work when there's not a camera on it but the button can be hard to reach when a large camera is on the clamp.

I've replaced mine with an RRS quick release clamp and I'm happy as a clam.
 

Woody Campbell

Workshop Member
Has anyone had the experience of dropping the head in the sand yet? This is bound to happen to me at some point so for now I'm traveling with a back-up ball head.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I actually like the arca clamp, except when I am wearing gloves. The two stage release once you get the hang of it is easy to use and secure as long as you are using plates of the same manufacturer as there seem to be size variations that require clamp adjustment.
I have replaced mine too with the RRS screw clamp, but remind myself to be careful when tightening it to be sure that the dovetail is well seated.
-bob
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I dropped mine in sand once, shook it off, blew it out, and all was well.
Also dropped it in sea water, then washed it off under the tap after the shoot.
The only damage done was when I smashed it into the front doors of MIT which are made of bronze. Just nicked a bit of one of the corners resulting in purely minor cosmetic damage. The door suffered more for the experience.
-bob
 

Tim Ernst

New member
I can't stand the screw clamps - they take far too much time (for me) to screw and unscrew (and in my work sometimes a second can mean the difference between getting the shot or not), and then you never really know if the darn thing is tight or loose later on - with the lever clamp it is easy with one glance to know if it is locked - but with a knob you have to handle it to know, and that takes more time. I have a pile of screw clamps in the back of the closet - one for every ballhead I've ever purchased, but I was hoping to avoid that additional expense and pain if I bought one of these uber-expensive ballheads that already had a lever clamp (and some of you say the bubble levels are no good too? Good grief, sounds like an e-bay special instead of the best and most expensive ballhead ever made). I've used Kirk and RRS L brackets and lens plates for eons and have never had an issue with any of them on any of the RRS lever clamps. I've never used gloves that were so large I could not operate the lever clamp, even at 40 below - I have to operate the camera controls with whatever hand protection I wear and those require much more finger control than the lever clamp. Although Don at 108 degrees I may need really thick gloves when touching hot metal

One thing I found surprising about the RRS lever clamp - they can't repair a previous model - told me they don't stock parts for them. But they were nice enough to sell me a new model at a reduced price when one of mine went bad.
 

jlm

Workshop Member
don't expect the cube to be as fast to rough aim compared to a ball head or even a typical x/y pan head. where it shines is not in speed but in accurate fine adjustment, plus the goniometric design keeps the lens more or less centered when adjusting. i use the RRS screw clamp and find it is very secure, offers physical confirmation when tight, fits various bases without fine adjustments, is not fussy and is quick enough for my needs. I can't imagine a circumstance where the time difference between lever and screw (3 seconds?) would matter, but to each his own.

the bubble levels are substandard, but get you close
 

Tim Ernst

New member
I wonder how you can tell if the screw clamp is tight - I'm guessing you have to reach out and twist it to see if it is tight, which takes precious seconds and also takes your attention away from the subject at hand - and then how often would you need to do this? Way too slow for me. And yes, a second or two or THREE can and often does make the difference between getting the shot and not getting the shot (or between a snapshot and a work of art - ever heard of "Moonrise?"), and that certainly matters to me - guess I am weird that way. As noted, I have used different brands of L brackets and lens plates with many different RRS lever clamps and never had an issue with any of them being tight, other than the one I dropped over a cliff one day that got slightly bend out of whack! I'm a lever man and that really isn't my question here since I don't plan to use the slower knob types - it is about the AS lever clamp and now also the bubble levels.

I'm still in a little bit of shock that such an uber-expensive and highly-touted ballhead seems to have a substandard lever clamp and bubble levels that don't work. Isn't the whole point of a bubble level to get the rig LEVEL? "Close" is not really good enough if you need it LEVEL - I can get very close without a bubble just by looking - hence the reason for not one but two built-in bubble levels - so that you can get it actually level. I guess that is asking too much though in today's marketplace - to have the bubble levels actually work (really, they are useless unless they are accurate, right?). I hardly ever use bubble levels anyway so that is not a big deal to me but it just seems odd to pay that much money for such fine workmanship and not have them work. The Korean model is looking better and better all the time I guess...
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
My levels are accurate within the tolerance of my ability to see an off-center bubble.
I set the adjustments so the two bubbles on the head indicated level, then mounten an engineers level on the top and swung it around the top pan. Everything is just fine.
There are an awful lot of "slightly off" levels out there and a lot of folks don't realize that you check them by flipping them end for end and checking that they read the same.
-bob
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I had my Cube fall off the tripod from shoulder height (6') hitting soft sand as I was returning from a beach shot earlier this year. Almost caused a heart attack however all I had to do was blow it clean and wipe it down. The cause was a loose connector on the tripod.


Don
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I've stopped looking at the bubbles on the Cube and use the ones on the WRS 1000 instead. So far I've never had a problem.

If I stop and compare the two sets of levels they really never match so I just concentrate on what the camera says.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Jack - just curious but did you leave the A/S clamp on and add the RSS rail or did you switch the A/S plate out as well.

I think your RRS rail plate is performing the same duties as my Novaflex only much cheaper!

While it's hard to believe at 108 degree weather, I also can see the need for a larger knob for gloves.

Thanks

Don
Don,

Yes, long story, but I had an RRS screw clamp on my Cube -- but a friend had issues with his Arca clamp on a shoot, so I offered to swap it out for him since I always have the RRS rail with screw clamp attached anyway. So now I have the Arca clamp on the Cube, but with the RRS screw clamp on the rail, there is no net difference in use -- and yes, my RRS assembly performs the exact function as your Novaflex rail.

Jack
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Tim -

The tripod can get almost too hot to touch if I'm outside for any length of time! Added a wrap on the legs so I don't burn my hands.

But it's a dry heat!!

Don

It's turning into sweater weather going down to 100 today:ROTFL:
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
Don,

Yes, long story, but I had an RRS screw clamp on my Cube -- but a friend had issues with his Arca clamp on a shoot, so I offered to swap it out for him since I always have the RRS rail with screw clamp attached anyway. So now I have the Arca clamp on the Cube, but with the RRS screw clamp on the rail, there is no net difference in use -- and yes, my RRS assembly performs the exact function as your Novaflex rail.

Jack
Thanks Jack - Wish I had thought of that before! Would have saved me big bucks. Oh well....

Don
 
Top