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RRS 55 Ball Heads not available !

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Jim101232

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I placed an order for a RRS Ball Head 4 weeks ago for my new D2X and was promised imediate shipment. A week later after calling them I was promised shipment in 2 days. A week later I was promised shipment in 4 days. I now am told that shipment date can not be determined due to organization problems. As you may have sensed, these people are really starting to upset me with their unfulfilled promises to fill my one item order.

I know RRS makes an excellent ball head but I need a head for a trip 3 weeks from now and can't wait much longer. Like to get used to new equipment a week or so prior to travling. Would appreciate recommendations based on experiance you have had with top of the line heads.

Am seriously considering canceling my RRS order and buying a Kirk, Markin, B1 or other head.
Comments please.
 
the only way to make your point with a company is with money. as a consumer you only have one piece of leverage; the all mighty dollar. yes RRS makes good equipment, but as you already mentioned so do other reputable companies. my recommendation to you would be demonstrate your frustration by calling up cancelling your order and then following up with an email/letter stating your displeasure and the reason you canceled you order.
 
Sorry to hear about your problem getting your order filled. What you've experienced is certianly not typical of this manufacturer. I've ordered a number of products from them and their deliveries have always been as promised and their customer service has been outstanding in the past. I wonder what's going on...?

I have an Arca Swiss B1 which seems to work fine although it occasionally gets a little "sticky" for no apparent reason. It's big and heavy though. You didn't say what you're heaviest camera/lens combo will be. That will probably determine what your choices are.

One thing I recommend with any ball head that you purchase is the RRS B2 LLR II. Of course, that means depending on RRS to fill another order.... It's a dream for attaching your camera to your ball head (assuming, of course that you have an Arca Swiss style dovetail plate or L-bracket on your camera.) RRS makes nice ones of thest too.
--
DPR supporter
 
I've been trying to order a flash bracket from them for two months now. Continually OOS.
--
-Kent

Life is too short for slow glass.
http://www.pbase.com/kjoosten
 
I HIGHLY recommend the Markins Q series. The bang for the buck and just the sheer quality cannot be beat. I've been very happy with my Q-M10. (Although if you wanted a RRS 55, you may want the Q-M20.) Order turnaround was less than a week for me, and I had my tracking number emailed to me after my order shipped, which is something I love.

http://www.markinsamerica.com/MA5/index.php
--
Braaak
 
I have had good luck with them in the past. Have you called them directly? If not do so and tell them you have a trip deadline and need to honestly know if they can provide you with the head in time.

Good luck. Its a great head.

--
Just my nickels worth.
Happy Snappin'!



Ron
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/recalcitrantron
FCAS Member No. 68
pbase supporter
D Seventy
 
I have spoken with 3 people at various times during the past month all of whom have been very courteous and made promises to ship within 1/2 to 4 days after my trying to impressing the urgency of getting it before my last shoot a week ago. Thet have not delivered on their promise.

I too have bought an L plate for my D2X and several other camera and lens plates from them in the past with prompt delivery as promised and their product are excellent.

The largest lens I currently use is a 70-200 but want a head which will handle somewhat heavier.

My heavy shooting schedule starts in last week of september and extends into december and my question really is, is the RRS head really good enough to continue to use my AcraTech(Sp?) head with my D2X or simply buy another head that is equal in quality if such exists.

One thing that is rather bothersome is that in the last conversation with Charles at RRS, I was informed that there was a delay in getting the heads due to a quality issue with the screw clamp portion of the head. I was also told that they were relocating their facilities and there was some disruption. I am not into this smoke and mirrors kind of talk and indicated to Charles my displeasure with unfulfilled promises bordering on lies. Had they told me initially that the head would not be available for 2 months I would have likley been able to live with that and borrowed or rented a head in the meantime. I have already talked with a supervisor, Carla Guyer, who is the daughter of the previous owner and very knowledgable and helpful in selection. She also made one of the unfulfilled promises and offered free shipping which is somewhat of a joke as they may never ship at this rate. My next step is to talk with the owner Joanne Johnson which I have hesitated doing.
 
Like I said in an earlier post, I would strongly recommend going with a Markins head. They are much cheaper then the RRS heads, (The M20 is 389$ with a quick-release clamp-90lb load capacity) and they are (in my opinion) higher quality from what I've seen. Granted, I haven't used a RRS ballhead for any significant amount of time, but I couldn't be happier with my M10. The tension adjustment has been mentioned in the past, to be better then the RRS heads as well. Just my 2 cents. :0)
Jim said:
I have spoken with 3 people at various times during the past month
all of whom have been very courteous and made promises to ship
within 1/2 to 4 days after my trying to impressing the urgency of
getting it before my last shoot a week ago. Thet have not delivered
on their promise.

I too have bought an L plate for my D2X and several other camera
and lens plates from them in the past with prompt delivery as
promised and their product are excellent.

The largest lens I currently use is a 70-200 but want a head which
will handle somewhat heavier.

My heavy shooting schedule starts in last week of september and
extends into december and my question really is, is the RRS head
really good enough to continue to use my AcraTech(Sp?) head with my
D2X or simply buy another head that is equal in quality if such
exists.

One thing that is rather bothersome is that in the last
conversation with Charles at RRS, I was informed that there was a
delay in getting the heads due to a quality issue with the screw
clamp portion of the head. I was also told that they were
relocating their facilities and there was some disruption. I am not
into this smoke and mirrors kind of talk and indicated to Charles
my displeasure with unfulfilled promises bordering on lies. Had
they told me initially that the head would not be available for 2
months I would have likley been able to live with that and borrowed
or rented a head in the meantime. I have already talked with a
supervisor, Carla Guyer, who is the daughter of the previous owner
and very knowledgable and helpful in selection. She also made one
of the unfulfilled promises and offered free shipping which is
somewhat of a joke as they may never ship at this rate. My next
step is to talk with the owner Joanne Johnson which I have
hesitated doing.
Click to expand...
--
Braaak
 
Thanks Corvus for your reply.

I have a number of plates bought over the years and question if all are made to the same width tolerance. Do you think the lever clamp would work as well as the screw clamp?
 
As far as I know, these heads are all usually made with the 'Arca-Swiss Style' plate system in mind. I don't really have enough experience with the lever clamp to give you information, but my personal taste is to feel more comfortable with a screw that I know is working properly when fully tightened. That's just me though, I'm sure a lot of people swear by the lever, but I'd rather spend an extra 3-4 seconds and just unscrew. :0)
Jim said:
Thanks Corvus for your reply.
I have a number of plates bought over the years and question if all
are made to the same width tolerance. Do you think the lever clamp
would work as well as the screw clamp?
Click to expand...
--
Braaak
 
Jim,

I use the lever clamp with my RRS 55. In my opinion it is a definite improvement over the screw clamp. It seats nice and tight and has not failed me once in the field where I sling the 500mm f/4 lens over my shoulder and clomp through the bushes.

It allows you to change lenses much more quickly, too.

Regards,

Paul
--
The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do,
something to love and something to hope for. - Joseph Addison
 
Dear Jim,

I had similar problems with RRS.
Unfortunately, they promise dates they do not hold.

I agree that the quality of the products is very good, and i like my BH-55 a lot. But regarding delivery dates, they are not very reliable.

I hope you'll get your stuff before you leave for your trip.

Best regards,

Paul
 
I just got off the phone with someone there and they said they have the RRS-55 wit the release lever, ready to ship on Wednesday. He said it's the Pro model with the regular screw clamp is back-0rdered.

Which one did you order?
 
SysConsultant said:
Sorry to hear about your problem getting your order filled. What
you've experienced is certianly not typical of this manufacturer.
I've ordered a number of products from them and their deliveries
have always been as promised and their customer service has been
outstanding in the past. I wonder what's going on...?
Click to expand...
This reflects my experience with them.
SysConsultant said:
I have an Arca Swiss B1 which seems to work fine although it
occasionally gets a little "sticky" for no apparent reason.
Click to expand...
How old is it? Are you using it in a humid environment? Mine started sticking a couple years ago when it got wet (it is six years old). About six months ago I ordered two BH-55's, which I use now instead of the B1, which is just sitting on a shelf.
SysConsultant said:
It's
big and heavy though.
Click to expand...
But the BH-55 is even heavier, but not as tall.

--
FJP, Software Engineer
 
Jim said:
Thanks Corvus for your reply.
I have a number of plates bought over the years and question if all
are made to the same width tolerance. Do you think the lever clamp
would work as well as the screw clamp?
Click to expand...
I've used both from RRS and have had 3 lever clamps, one old style and two new style. They are a dream come true and I will never go back to the screw clamp.

--
FJP, Software Engineer
 
Paul_R said:
Dear Jim,

I had similar problems with RRS.
Unfortunately, they promise dates they do not hold.

I agree that the quality of the products is very good, and i like
my BH-55 a lot. But regarding delivery dates, they are not very
reliable.
Click to expand...
This is something I have never heard of before. They have always been better than promised with me. But I haven't bought anything from them since my last BH-55, which I got about four months ago.

--
FJP, Software Engineer
 
Dillon James said:
I just got off the phone with someone there and they said they have
the RRS-55 wit the release lever, ready to ship on Wednesday. He
said it's the Pro model with the regular screw clamp is
back-0rdered.

Which one did you order?
Click to expand...
Jim, get the one with the release lever. You'll love it.

--
FJP, Software Engineer
 
Jim said:
Thanks Corvus for your reply.
I have a number of plates bought over the years and question if all
are made to the same width tolerance. Do you think the lever clamp
would work as well as the screw clamp?
Click to expand...
I prefer the lever clamp to the screw types. The lever is secure, much faster, and convenient for my shooting style -- walk around, set up, shoot, move on...

I'm quite familiar with dovetail clamps. I design and sell them for astronomical telescopes.
http://www.robincasady.com/Astro/

I have an Arca-Swiss B1 that I plan to sell (in excellent condition). It is right-handed and I prefer a left-handed ball head. I'm now using a left handed Markins M20 which is a little lighter than the B1 but seems to be just as robust. They are used on a G-1325. I used the RSS lever clamp on all heads.

I also have a Kirk BH-3 on a Gitzo G1228, which is a little light for the D2x.

All three heads are excellent. I think you would do well with Kirk, Markins, or Arca-Swiss. Kirk also does an excellent job with the L-brackets for the D2x and D100.

Robin
http://www.robincasady.com
 
Thanks Dillon for your suggestion regarding the clamp. Think I will call and change my order today to the clamp. I can always return it if I am not satisfied. My only concern is that it will fit all the old plates that I have. I really like the idea of the leaver being different than all the screw knobs. My worst nightmare is accidently unscrewing the plate by and dropping my D2x on the ground.
 
Jim said:
Thanks Dillon for your suggestion regarding the clamp. Think I will
call and change my order today to the clamp. I can always return it
if I am not satisfied. My only concern is that it will fit all the
old plates that I have. I really like the idea of the leaver being
different than all the screw knobs. My worst nightmare is
accidently unscrewing the plate by and dropping my D2x on the
ground.
Click to expand...
I think with both the screw and the lever you can hold onto the camera with one hand while you open the clamps with the other. That's the only safe thing to do.

--
FJP, Software Engineer
 
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