Thank you so much for this video! I’m definitely in the 1% of the 1% who actually needs a head like this and your detailed overview was exactly what I was looking for before pulling the trigger.

One big plus about the Cube head that's rarely mentioned is that the main panning base is the last in the chain up the head before the camera. That's very important for precise framing because it's often the case that you simply want to rotate the camera just a touch after it's adjusted to be perfectly vertical. That lets you crop out distractions on the left / right side of the frame before shooting. But with a 3-way head where the pan base is at the bottom of the chain, any panning done after the vertical adjustments will throw the vertical alignment out of whack. That requires you to re-adjust all 3 knobs just a bit to get back into vertical alignment before shooting. With the Cube, you level the top plate using the 2 lower sections' knobs, and you're finished. You can then pan rotate the camera freely knowing it will stay vertical in any direction you choose to point. It is surprising in real-world application how useful that one small feature really is, especially when shooting on un-level ground with one tripod leg at a different length than the others. It's a huge time-saver.

Thanks for demo and your take on the Cube! I was so taken with the head that I contacted the US Arca Swiss rep and purchased it and the quick release system! As they say, cry once! Loving it! A wonderful piece of kit!

So... I just looked up the price on B&H. I'm sure my vision will come back later this afternoon....

Nice one...I hadn't seen the "big release" section at the bottom, it's kind of hidden from a casual look, but really extends the flexibility of the head!

like I told Simon Baxter it's like having a fine artillery piece to truly hone in to your subject. It's beautiful and I wouldn't keep it my tripod either if I were ever to have one

Great video and demonstration of the Cube. I think it's genuinely accurate regarding its build quality and performance. Glad to see you on the Arca train, Ben!

Excellent review, thank you. After having used one for several years, I still picked up a couple of nuances from this video. BTW, the ARCA Swiss clamp that the cube comes with is very poorly designed. One day, mine just fell apart, literally into pieces. I was VERY lucky that I did not have a camera drop. I strongly recommend replacing the stock clamp with the infinitely superior B2 PRO II clamp from Really Right Stuff. The knob version works better with the cube, but the knob sticks out a little. The quick release clamp version is more form-fitting, but at times, it crosses path with the upper panning lock lever, which is not a big deal. Either one will do, it's an individual preference. But I highly recommend replacing the stock clamp on the cube before disaster strikes.

I think this new set up is going to be a real bonus for you. Maybe best of all is the fact that you can now set up and then take your camera back to camp not needing to leave it overnight.

Arca actually use this head for their mono-rail LF cameras, also some photographers who use a Phase One XF camera system use this too, and considering the weight and cost of this system ($60,000 AUD) + lens, this SHOULD be more than safe for a field camera. as a side note, CR Kenedy sells the Phase One systems in Melbourne Australia, and they even put one of these XF systems on an arca-swiss P0 (pee- Zero) head- a ball head, quite a lot smaller than the c1-cube, and they say this works fine.

Without doubt the best geared head in the market today. That said $3500 for a cube mounted to a 5 series Gitzo is a big commitment for anyone.

Hi Ben. Wow! NOt only am I impressed with your review of the C1 Cube, but your 8x10 camera is awesome as well! I'm reminded of my old 4x5 Toyo View Camera with Nikon, Rodenstock, Schneider, and Fujinon large format optics back in the day! (I still have the large Gitzo leds and two robust old Gitzo pan and ball heads that I used with that gear)...Now, it's quite "overkill" for my smaller, lighter Fujifilm X-System kit, for which I found an awesome "Travel" tripod in the FLM CP26. This travel tripod is pretty awesome too, and with a load capacity of 26 lbs, would hold those large format cameras quite nicely (especially with FLM's larger ball head, the CB-58 FTR, with a max load capacity of 132 lbs)! Thanks again, sir, and Happy Holidays!

hey ben! was looking for arc swiss cube reviews and came across this! Just bought one yesterday. Nice to see your videos. Hope you are well! Robert Benson....

Thanks for an interesting demo Ben. My Manfrotto Junior Geared Head cannot handle the weight of my pre 1984 Arca Swiss 8x10 model C so I have to screw the rail directly onto the tripod mount which is far from ideal. This looks to be the best solution for a heavy monorail. Maybe I can re-mortgage the house :o)

Fantastic review Ben. I think we will get one for our new Toyo 810 8x10. Our Gitzo head just cannot handle the weight.

I got curious and Googled the price of that head. You weren't kidding on the price! Nice video either way, Ben!

there are some videos on this head, try Robert White - English camera store, and Fred Newman s site "the view camera store" both are great references.

How much thought do you put into leveling your camera? Do you level the tripod before anything else? So you have a flat base to start with? Do you level with the cube? Have you ever considered using a leveling base?

Great review Ben, that does look like an impressive head!

Great video Ben. I've admired your work for a long time. One concern I've heard about those turn style quick releases is they can be mistaken for a head knob. With a geared head with all those knobs, it could be a very expensive mistake. Maybe cover it with something after you set your camera up.

good for macro and studio work. i had it one day for a real estate shoot and sent it back. knobs were too tight and painful to fingers after shooting a home. well made but not for me

Thanks Ben for this and all of your videos! I enjoy them so much! Would it be possible to see how you would pack this set-up for your photo shoots? I'm curious on the logistics how you would get it out into the field. Thanks again for your hard work on your videos. Outstanding production quality!!! Looking forward to purchasing your next portfolio book. I have your last two and I enjoy them very much.

Yeah, that is indeed one of the most expensive heads that money can buy. It makes a RRS BH-55 look downright cheap! Did you consider the slightly more affordable Arca-Swiss d4 head as well? Having said that, the cube is totally worth it, because of what it offers...

@ 13:42 do not do that, you will damage the gears because simply you slipped a gear with that motion and it could break a tooth in the gear cog, your point of showing it too us is well taken but at the expense of damaging gear…..No doubt your concern about lacking a lock on a position and relying solely on the gears and friction knobs is valid and it is a flaw in the design that should not happen for a $$$$ gear.

Not being able to lock down, or more correct, a friction mechanism which interferes with usage is a design flaw of this head. Notice how the Linhof 3D Micro uses worm gears which essentially are self locking, no friction adjustment of locking mechanism required on that head. I think Arca did notice the shortcomings of this head since their later designs both the D4 and the P0 Hybrid uses worm gears....

Great video. Many thanks for sharing. Very helpful indeed.

Great review Ben! Looking forward to seeing this entire setup in action. (Seems like somewhere, in a dream or over the rainbow, there was something about pushups and a drone. Whatever happened with that?)(Or was it just a dream?)

Thanks so much for posting this review. Just out of curiosity, do you have the model with geared panning option on the top of the head? I didn't know if you thought that option was necessary (it's an extra $300). Also, would you recommend this head for architectural photography with a DSLR, or would it be best to look at one of the other Arca Swiss models? Thanks again.

Nicely done.

I think it is a very nice piece of kit for a tabletop still life studio based photographer, but way over engineered for grunt work outdoors.

Great video, getting one asap

Amazing vdo the best with detail thank you. Do you ever use it for shooting people also ? or something but with some movement that you have to follow sometimes? could use it over the ball head ? or what ball of the arca swiss you would recommend if you would use one, Or this work also . Thank you

Pricey at over $1500, but you get what you pay for and this is an excellent head if you want to fine tune your compositions. Maybe i'll start saving up for one in the future......or maybe not, great vid. ;0)

Hello Ben Thank you for the wonderful explanation about the head, it’s really helpful. I’m considering to buy it long time ago like you did. I have serval Camera and the heaviest one is the XF especially with the 35mm, my mane work is commercial photography and i own already the Z1g+. My question for you is do you think it’s worth to pay the extra 380 USD for gear panning? Or should I stick with the normal one ? Best. David

Excellent video

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE your Videos

Ben that camera looks massive next to you. How much does it weigh? Also you should do a video of how small it breaks down to.

Thank you for this review Ben, I haven't seen anything to better this review of the Cube.👍 It's undoubtedly the best geared head available and whilst it is very expensive it's beautifully made and will last a lifetime. I imagine that it's the perfect partner for the large format set up and looks superb when attached to your new camera! How heavy is the Cube? I'm really looking forward to the review of your new camera, it looks very 21st century, Darth Vaderesq even! If you haven't already christened the new camera I bet you can't wait! Take care mate and stay safe.🍀👌

Dear Mr Thorne, thank you for your review. I just bought one and unfortunately it looks that the SInar + IQ4 is too heavy for the Cube. I couldn't lock it properly in when using the lower tilt and it's really not completely secured at none of the others positions due to the weight of the camera. This surprised me a lot considering it's supposed to handle 100 kg... What do you think ? Thanks a lot !

After seeing the head, I was thinking... so "it's a couple of hundred dollars" :p

Excellent video,thx! Did you try the AS 60 or 75 heads first?

have the 801113 Monoball Z1dp quickset classic. Is this good for architecture photography?

Great!

i think you will do well, whatever you do on camera. you have a magnetic presence. oh and the arca swiss is not for me. thanks.

Hey ben just ordered one of these following your video Review for my Toyo VX125. Thank you - I'm curious which plate you recommend with it as the seller I purchased from does not include one? Thank you

What's your camera again? Nice Video... Thanks!

@ben you reckon this can carry a 14x17 wooden Field camera?

Err... I kind of like that GITZO head!!! Better for me, I think... The Bogan, like the Archa Swiss is pretty expensive, but maybe that Gitzo Geared head would work ON TOP of a video pan tilt, to make those fine adjustments to the "Tilt" axis, that are so hard to make when fully zoomed in at 20X power... The cinematic options are pretty pricy also, but that Gitzo might do the trick!

Hi how did you stop it rotating at the thread on the tripod?

Yay -- I love reviews of good gear. I see a new contender that would be fun to compare -- the Alpa GON www.alpa.ch/en/article/alpa-gon-tripod-head and its associated tripod components.

If you think this is expensive don't even look at the similar offering from Alpa....

$1,572.00! and that is US.

Borg cube? 😂🤣👍

Heavy and expensive... couldn't you just crop that tree in post maybe? i think this is useful for real estate and architecture more. Just cant justify the price :( thank you for the video

Just get a Benbo levelling base and a smallrig arca swiss quick release plate... You'll have 20 degrees of movement, which is plenty for LF work. For less than $200.00 in the head and still be under a pound. Your welcome

Which Gitzo tripod is that with the quick release head?