Overall the B1 is a very satisfying precision instrument to use. Here are some tips for field use.

Mounting and Orienting the Ball Head

You want to be able to orient the ball head quickly to suit your intended shooting needs. Here are my quick actions in the field:

• Set up the tripod and screw on the ball head.
• If you want to shoot with the camera body mounted to the ball head:
  • First, loosen the Housing Rotation Knob and rotate the housing until the Main Control Knob is pointing forward, then tighten the Housing Rotation Knob.
  • Next, loosen the Main Control Knob, move the ball around until the Clamp Knob is pointing forward and the platform is horizontal, then tighten the Main Control Knob.
  • Last, mount the camera body to the platform and tighten the Clamp Knob.
• If you want to shoot with a lens collar ring mounted to the ball head:
  • First, loosen the Housing Rotation Knob and rotate the housing until the Main Control Knob is pointing to the left, then tighten the Housing Rotation Knob.
  • Next, loosen the Main Control Knob, move the ball around until the Clamp Knob is pointing to the right and the platform is horizontal, then tighten the Main Control Knob.
  • Last, mount the lens collar ring to the platform and tighten the Clamp Knob.

Clamping

Be sure that the mounting plate that is on the camera body or lens is properly seated in the clamp and that the clamp is tight. This might seem obvious, but it is definitely a potential source of serious problem, especially if you are in a hurry and not paying close attention to details.

I have been advised that after considerable use the Clamp Knob might become unscrewed from its stem; this creates a difficult field situation where you cannot change the device that is mounted to the ball head without a pair of pliers or some other gripping tool.

Main Control Knob Tension

You need to maintain appropriate tension on the Main Control Knob to allow certain movements, and then when you are ready to lock it you should not over-tighten it; this comes with practice. If the Main Control Knob is over-tightened it will freeze; there is a procedure in the manual to unfreeze it using the minimum tension dial. I have been careful not to freeze the knob, so I cannot comment on that procedure.

	Figure 6. Folded B1

Transporting the Ball Head

Should the B1 be left on the tripod or packed up into your backpack when moving from site to site? Given that the B1 is an expensive, precision instrument that I don't want to get dinged or covered with dust, I sometimes pack it up each time I move unless I'm only moving within a small area. This practice also removes weight from the tripod, which is already heavy and awkward to carry, and shifts the weight into the backpack which is well-designed for weight transfer to your hips instead of shoulders. I fold up the B1 as shown in Figure 6 before putting it in the backpack. On the other hand, it wastes time to have to screw it onto the tripod base during setup, and backpack space is often at a premium. When I leave the B1 on the tripod I loosen the Main Control and Housing Rotation Knobs so the clamp and platform can move around if it is bumped to absorb some of the shock.

Accessories for the B1

There are two very useful accessories for working with the B1: an L-bracket for the camera body, and a lever-release replacement clamp for the B1.

L-Bracket

The purpose of an L-bracket is to provide a mounting plate on both the bottom of the camera and on its left side, so the camera can be mounted to the B1 either horizontally or vertically. This L-shaped bracket runs along the bottom and up the left side of the camera body. It attaches to the body via the tripod screw at the bottom of the camera body. The bottom and left side of the bracket have built-in mounting plates for the B1. As a result, the camera can be switched between horizontal and vertical on the B1 clamp without loosening the Main Control Knob, tilting the clamp’s post into the slot, or re-orienting the controls. It thus eliminates the need for the awkward Orientation #2 (see Part 2 of this article). Another advantage is that the camera height is essentially unchanged between horizontal and vertical shots, where switching to vertical in Orientation # 2 drops the camera down several inches and can lead to tripod adjustments.

This great accessory is highly recommended, but it will set you back close to $200 and add some weight to your camera. Really Right Stuff and Kirk Enterprises make high-quality L-brackets for various pro camera bodies.

Lever-release Clamp

Really Right Stuff makes a nifty lever-release clamp for Arca Swiss ballheads that replaces the stock knob/screw-operated clamp. With the clamp all the way open the camera’s (or L-bracket’s) mounting plate slips easily into place into the clamp. With the lever half closed, the camera’s position in the clamp can be fine-tuned back and forth to center it on the clamp platform. When the lever is closed all the way, the clamp applies just the right pressure to the mounting plate and reliably secures the camera to the B1. As a result, mounting the camera on the ballhead is much faster and less prone to accidental misalignment. Dismounting is instantaneous.