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D4 vs Cube

Jeffg53

Member
Steve, at this point, I'd like to hear how happy the Cube knockoff users are after a period of use with their gear. I'm really over Arca's quaint ways.
 

kuau

Workshop Member
Jeff, for a while I did own the Cube "knock off" I thought it worked great, wish I never sold it, to bad when Rod K showed me the D4 head I was really impressed with it, the geared one of course, great size and was very smooth. For those who have actually gotten one, I guess your more lucky then me.
 

Jeffg53

Member
Steve, I'll wait a little longer, I think. Everyone says that the D4 is excellent, and I've paid for it already. I get annoyed when I use the tripod with the old B1 on it and try getting something level.
 

kuau

Workshop Member
Me too, at least i did not pre pay for mine, Rod told me I would be put on a waiting list and he would contact me when the D4 came in.
Still waiting..............................................
 

Jeffg53

Member
You're lucky. I went to Robert White's site, found the D4, everything looked OK, placed my order, paid and then got the email saying that they don't have stock. I've dealt with them many times before so was a little surprised that they did this. I have no doubt that they will deliver but it's not the best customer service experience.
 

RGoldman

Member
Jeff, for a while I did own the Cube "knock off" I thought it worked great, wish I never sold it, to bad when Rod K showed me the D4 head I was really impressed with it, the geared one of course, great size and was very smooth. For those who have actually gotten one, I guess your more lucky then me.
I bought it and am very happy with it! Been using it a lot lately in the sudio shooting images for a couple of new online classes. Works really nice with the RRS macro rail on top of it too.

Ron
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Cubes rule except they are sor of cubic and that may be grating if you are a roundish sort.
-bob
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Also, if you had a Cube then I can attest to the fact that you could have had it damaged by baggage handlers, fixed to better than new condition and returned :)thumbs: Precision Camera Works! Superb work.) before your D4 has even been delivered. :eek: :D
 

rhsu

New member
You're lucky. I went to Robert White's site, found the D4, everything looked OK, placed my order, paid and then got the email saying that they don't have stock. I've dealt with them many times before so was a little surprised that they did this. I have no doubt that they will deliver but it's not the best customer service experience.
Arca Swiss D4, aaah... "where for art thou?" 8-(
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
D4s are a myth intended to increase the desirability of the cube since it has a higher center of gravity.
I really tried to buy one but so far nada.
-bob
 

Tim Ernst

New member
I guess I'm weird. I ordered my D4 back in May from Rod and received it in early November - and returned it the next day. I did not like it vs. the cube head I've been using for a couple of years. The D4 seems counter-intluitive somehow. Also it was just about the same weight as my cube head - I was thinking it was going to be lighter. I'm sure the D4 is built well and will be a fine head for others (if they ever actually produce more than a handful for the world market - perhaps a little less vacation time?), but I much prefer the cube for my landscape work...
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Tim, did you get the geared or manual version of the D4? I was hoping that this would be slightly smaller/lighter for my 3 series tripod vs the Cube but still have the precision for fine composition control.
 

GMB

Active member
Arca Swiss D4, aaah... "where for art thou?" 8-(
Strange. I ordered mine in July from the Arca Swiss shop in Germany and had it shipped within a week. I got the 4Dm, but they had both on stock. So far very happy.
 

Tim Ernst

New member
Mine was the D4 Graham - the geared model. When it was first announced more than a year ago I somehow got it in my head that this was going to be a pound lighter than the cube-style I was using, but it turned out to be within an ounce or two of the same weight. When I looked back at the posted specs it only showed it to be a few ounces lighter so I think I might have been buying into the sales hype about it being so light without ever actually looking at the specs! There did seem to be units available in other countries while nothing was being delivered to the USA - I was told at one point there was a bad part and so Arca delayed delivery - I wonder if units sent to those other countries had the bad part? Like I said in my post, I'm kind of weird, so it may have just been me - after all I'm the one selling my almost brand new IQ280 back for peanuts so it is possible that I may even need to see a doctor, ha, ha!
 

RodK

Active member
The D4 and D4m have seen worldwide demand and pre-orders since it was first introduced as a prototype. This demand naturally created a huge backorder list. Tooling has now been set up for larger quantities to come off the line and a few manufacturing issues have now been ironed out. Instead of 2 or 3 being shipped at a time to the USA, we are now receiving larger quantities, so that is an improvement.

As with most European manufacturers, Arca-Swiss will be on holiday until January 6th. Our next batch won't be expected until after they return and the next shipment clears customs. Deliveries should improve by February/March.

Kuau, when you saw us at the PDN Outdoor Photography show in August, please understand that we had just received our first demo D4. I am very sorry If you have been waiting for some time, but there was already an extensive order list ahead of you. I think once you receive your D4 you will feel it has been worth the wait.

I appreciate everyone's patience and many thanks for your continued support of Arca-Swiss products. If you have any questions, as always please get in touch with me at 480-775-2364.
 

LonnaTucker

Member
The Cube seems bigger and heavier to me although the difference on paper doesn't look that great. While it doesn't look much smaller physically, the D4 seems to fit nicely into a lens slot in a pack or shoulder bag. I see the D4 being a great all around tripod head, with the Cube still being king for it's ability to handle heavier leveraged weights with excellent stability.

Here are a few Arca-Swiss specs I compared and a quick side by side photo:

Weight / Weight Load
C1 925 gms (2.04 LB) /150 LB (68kg)
D4 800 gms (1.76 LB) /80 LB (36.36 kg)
P0 280 gms (0.62 LB) /40 LB (18.8 kg)

 

ccroft

New member
Just a couple quick notes from a (cough) long-time D4 user:

• I've had mine for around 8 months and I love using it.
• if there's a defective part in there I certainly can't find it.
• coming from a cube it might take a bit of getting used to, but coming from a typical 3-way or Manfro gear head (as I did) it makes perfect sense.
• never having handled the Cube I can't compare precision, but D4 is much better than the Manfro 410 it replaced.
• it has almost ball-like speed for gross movements.
• at the time I bought the D4 it was about $600 less than cube.
• seems to me that as soon as you go past 30° on the cube you instantly lose the vaunted center of gravity advantage. Strangely, I do point my camera at extreme angles from time to time.

I shoot DSLR on Gitzo 2 series for the most part, so I'm not sure I belong in this MFDB heavy-weight forum. I'd say the head is a perfect match for my equipment and makes an extremely capable, compact and portable platform. If, one day, I should come in to vast amounts of money I will happily buy a tech cam, MFDB, and a series 5 topped with cube to support it.

I hope those of you waiting get satisfaction soon. I ordered mine in Oct 2010 and had to wait 5 or 6 months, so I feel your pain.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
I'd love to buy the Arca D4, but apparently the slow Arca response isn't making that happen anytime soon. Too bad. So yes, it does make me appreciate my Cube that much more, but for a smaller profile option, I'm going back to a simple low profile set-up for my RRS tripod with a RRS PCL-1 on top of a RRS leveling base.

ken
 
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