Arca-Swiss C1 Cube Geared Head w / Arca-Type Flip-Lock Quick Release

Designed for a realm where functionality trumps all concerns, the Arca-Swiss C1 Cube simultaneously achieves mastery of control with an appearance approaching the status of jewelry.  A lofty summit of price & precision, it gives users incredible accuracy in placing their heavy cameras that they never could have known before without enduring much more weight.  There are still plenty of shooters around wishing to actually travel with their best stuff, and no geared head seemed practical to endure on one's person before the C1 arrived.

There are finely calibrated panoramic adjustments under and above the x-y geared axes that have a range of ± 28°, and can be adjusted in their gearing speed to accommodate differing rigs.  Why two panoramic axes?  So that you can first center the controls to your position with the bottom axis, then readjust the camera to point dead ahead with the upper.  The gearing knobs have a little scrap of rubber running around them, to give you pinpoint control while wearing gloves without being so broad as to obstruct the head's movements.  And on the bottom of it all, there's a third (ungeared) hinge which can tilt forward by 62° so that any camera can reach the 90° vertical position.

On top you'll find two sensitive bubble levels, as well as Arca-Swiss' speedy flip-lock quick release clamp which has its own advantages in compactness and security.  The weight is astonishingly low; just 2.03 lb (925 g) from top to bottom.  It is as light as would be imaginable, and considerably more compact than any other geared head.

The C1's ultimate advantage lies in the world of macro shooting, where its design allows far fewer focusing readjustments while composing an image.  While all geared heads have movement upon a circular axis, other geared heads have the axis of each circular movement centered below the camera, often upon two axes which never intersect.  As you recompose an image in such a scenario, the center of the lens system will be significantly moved, requiring tripod height adjustments and dramatic changes in focus(and tilt or swing, when applicable).  This is not the case on the C1, whose centers of x/y axis movements intersect directly above the center of the head.  This design was chosen to minimize the movement of the lens system's entrance pupil during composition, making for speedier fieldwork free of perpetual height and focus adjustments.

Note! Requires Arca-Swiss type quick release plate.