RRS Panning head and BH-40 - Any opinions?

dancorder

Hi,

I've been looking at tripods and heads for a while now and I've pretty much settled on getting a Really Right Stuff BH-40 and PCL-1 panning clamp. I like to take panoramic shots and the clamp seems like a quick and good way of doing that( and is smaller and lighter than a leveling base). BTW I will get an L bracket for my camera so vertical panoramas should be covered.

So my question is has anyone used either of these, and if so are they as good as they seem or should I go for something else instead?

My current main uses for tripods are landscapes (including panoramas), and night shots. My current equipment is in my signature and I'm not planning on buying any super long large aperture lenses anytime soon.

Link to panning clamp here for the interested (however you'll need to click the PCL-1 link on the right, there's no way to link directly)

jwear

Really Right Stuff lives up to everything they say

ian408

I am pleased with the RRS build quality, the design of the head and how the two components work together.

David_S85

dan, yes, you can't go wrong. I have that same combo and there's none better. Here's a tutorial (not really a review) but it might provide some insight for you. Consider the RRS L bracket for your camera body too, as it will provide extra flexibility.

dancorder

Thanks for the information everyone, I hadn't seen any reviews of the PCL-1 so I'm glad to have confirmation that it's good from people that own them.

David, I will get an L bracket but the only place that I've found that does them for the D50 is Kirk, they should work together though.

argyle

The RRS website fdes not recommend using plates from several different manufacturers (Kirk being one of them) with their clamps. However, I have a Kirk L-bracket for my 30D, as well as several other Kirk plates (camera body, lens) and they all work fine with my RRS equipment. You shouldn't have any problems. BTW...I just ordered a PCL-1 myself. Its a bit pricier than others, but it looks good and is built to a high quality.

PS I tried to order the PCL-1 through the RRS website, but it seems that they are out of stock. You'll need to call them directly and place the order...I was told that they're expecting to receive about 100 towards the end of the week, and they'll be filling backorders first.

dancorder

Thanks for heads up on the stock.

argyle wrote:

The RRS website fdes not recommend using plates from several different manufacturers (Kirk being one of them) with their clamps.

Unless I misread it they only say to not use other brackets with the RRS quick release lever clamps. The PCL-1 has a screw clamp and should be OK.

Ah, found it:

RRS Website wrote:

NOTE: Choose a Lever Release clamp ONLY if you have quick release plates from Really Right Stuff or Wimberley. Lever Release clamp are not user-adjustable, and different manufacturers may follow different standards when producing Arca-Swiss compatible plates. Specifically, our Lever Release clamps do not work with plates from Markins, AcraTech, Arca-Swiss, and some Kirk plates–the dovetails are too shallow. Choose a screw-knob clamp if you have plates OTHER than those from RRS or Wimberley.

argyle

Another option with the RRS PCL-1 is to order the dovetail plate. This screws to the base of the PCL-1 and will let you mount the PCL-1 to your existing clamp. Once clamped in, simply level the ballhead, then remove the PCL-1 once the level has been set. The use of the dovetail plate means that you won't need to have the PCL-1 attached permanently to your setup...pretty much use it when you need it. The dovetail plate runs about $30, give or take.

Manfr3d

dancorder wrote:

Hi,

I've been looking at tripods and heads for a while now and I've pretty much settled on getting a Really Right Stuff BH-40 and PCL-1 panning clamp. I like to take panoramic shots and the clamp seems like a quick and good way of doing that( and is smaller and lighter than a leveling base). BTW I will get an L bracket for my camera so vertical panoramas should be covered.

So my question is has anyone used either of these, and if so are they as good as they seem or should I go for something else instead?

My current main uses for tripods are landscapes (including panoramas), and night shots. My current equipment is in my signature and I'm not planning on buying any super long large aperture lenses anytime soon.

Link to panning clamp here for the interested (however you'll need to click the PCL-1 link on the right, there's no way to link directly)

Hi there!

I had to make the same kind of decision when I started with panos.
I ended up buying a Acratech Ultimate Ballhead V2 with a standard
clamp and a RRS Pano Elements Package (PCL-1, MPR Nodalslide and
the PCL-DVTL Dovetail).

If you want to make panos you will need at least the MPR with the PCL,
to eleminate the parrallax error (google if you you dont know what that is).

I choose the setup above because the PCL is quite heavy and I knew
that I wouldn't want to carry it everywhere where my tripod goes.
My system is now much more modular. I like the extra flexibility.

Good luck decideing.

dancorder

I've finally ordered this :ivar

In the end I went for the bare minimum number of components as I was pushing my budget and I've been able to work around parallax OK so far and I reckon even if the PCL-1 was detachable I'd just carry it around in my bag instead . So I've ordered just the ball head and clamp (which now come in a kit), a set of Manfrotto Neotec legs and an L bracket. I'll you know how it all turns out.

dancorder

First Impressions
Ok, I've actually used it now . Just on the one trip but I thought I'd add my impressions here as there isn't much info on the legs on this forum.

First the ballhead (RRS BH40) and clamp (RRS PCL1). I don't have much to compare it to as I went straight from a rubbish tripod with a near-useless pan and tilt head. What I can say is the new head is very easy to use and stays where you put it. The PCL1 clamp I only used for one panorama but it made setting up very simple, just level the clamp using the ball head - no need to worry about the leg lengths on the tripod.

Secondly the L bracket (Kirk BL-D50). Whilst expensive it was the only L bracket I could find for the D50. It seems to be very well made though. It is light and fits the camera very well (no chance of twisting). It does require and allen key to put on and take off (not sure if that is usual) which is something to bear in mind if you think you'll want to take it off frequently. Personally I've left it on the camera since I got it and it's been fine apart from slightly obstructing the rubber flap over the usb port. I do use the USB port though so it's not that bad.

Thirdly the legs (Manfrotto Neotec 458B). As I said I've only used the tripod on one trip so far so I can't comment on how well they'll last. What I can say though is that they seem pretty tough and don't seem to have suffered any ill effects from being set up in a few streams. The main advantage of the legs - the ability to set up and adjust quickly - is definitely there. So much so compared to my old tripod that my wife actually found it a bearable wait . Packing it up is even quicker as you can fold the legs in, press all three buttons together, and squat.
For height I'm 5'8" and with the BH40 ball head I only have to stoop very slightly if I don't extend the centre column.
One slight drawback is that the legs are lightly lubricated on the inside and because they telescope the 'wrong' way the top of the extended leg has the lubricant on it which means you either have to be careful where you hold it or get greasy fingers.
The other potential drawback is the weight as it's not carbon fibre, but I found it fine to carry around for a few hours. Especially as the built in handle is fairly comfortable (and can just about be pressed into service as a shoulder strap too).
Like most of the Manfrotto (Bogen in the US?) tripods the centre column splits in two so that you can remove it and replace it horizontally or just get closer to the ground. I haven't tried this in anger but it seems to work fine.

ian408

Thanks for the update.