New Arca-Swiss Panorama Head

[JoeKitchen]

I got to hand it to Arca-Swiss, they make superb products.  I dont know if this was officially announced yet by them (I know I was the very first person to buy one about three weeks ago), but I just got a hold of their new Cube with a built in click-pan top.  (See pic below.)  You can pan freely or incrementally in degrees of 6, 7.5, 10, 12, 15, 20, 24, 30, and 40.  As expected, no play what so ever in the click stops.

The price was decent too, around $1800, although with how the value of Euro and dollar is changing, it could be different. 

I reached out to Rod in April looking for a better solution to the NovoFlex adapter and was told to wait on getting anything.  He reached out to me the day they arrived in the country.  There is also version for the D4 head too, which I assume is priced lower. 

[BernardLanguillier]

According to the french site it may be possible to upgrade a C1 to the GP for 450/550 Euro.

https://www.arca-swiss-magasin.com/contents/fr/d35_cube-arca-swiss.html

Cheers,
Bernard

[Harold Clark]

I have to agree, Arca Swiss gear is superb. I got the Leveller 75 head last year and it is a joy to use, I prefer geared pan but there are no plans for that apparently, I find that with the silky smoothness of the pan I can manage without it. Tilt range is only 15 degrees, but my Gitzo levelling base provides another 15 degrees which is enough for most things. I also carry a Markins M10 ball head which I can quickly substitute if a steeper angle is required.

Mine suddenly developed extreme stiffness in one of the gear movements to the point of not being usable, no idea what caused it. I had purchased from B3K in Toronto, so took it in and they shipped it back under warranty to Arca Swiss. It was returned in no time. B3K has always provided excellent service, but it was encouraging to see that Arca Swiss turned the repair around quickly should I ( hopefully never ) require repairs in future.

[Gigi]

Same with an L60. Developed stiffness - sent it to Precision Camera (Bob), fixed easily and operates fine. I think these are sensitive to impacts on the protruding adjustment knobs - so some protection is needed.

[JoeKitchen]

FYI, it is not possible, due to internal design, to modify an existing head to have the click pan device added. 

I reached out to Arca Swiss about this and heard back from them recently. 

[BernardLanguillier]

FYI, it is not possible, due to internal design, to modify an existing head to have the click pan device added. 

I reached out to Arca Swiss about this and heard back from them recently.

Thanks, so it probably means that the head you are talking about is not the GP version I thought it was.

Cheers,
Bernard

[JoeKitchen]

Thanks, so it probably means that the head you are talking about is not the GP version I thought it was.

Cheers,
Bernard

That is correct.  The GP (I assume geared pan) seems to be a simpler design then the CP (click pan) that has built in click stops for a variety of degree movements.  The top circular portion of the head is physically bigger in the CP version.  I can only assume some of discs that manage the clicks extend into the main cube section, unlike with the other cube designs. 

[BernardLanguillier]

That is correct.  The GP (I assume geared pan) seems to be a simpler design then the CP (click pan) that has built in click stops for a variety of degree movements.  The top circular portion of the head is physically bigger in the CP version.  I can only assume some of discs that manage the clicks extend into the main cube section, unlike with the other cube designs.

Good to know, thanks.

Cheers,
Bernard