I'm looking to upgrade my ballhead to a full-size model. My current Manfrotto 496RC2 takes too much torque to lock down with any heavy lens at an angle, and too much droop that I have to compensate for. I'll be keeping my Manfrotto 055XB legs for now - will upgrade to Feisol/Gitzo/RRS later on - and with the full-size head, will be my big/heavy tripod (obviously).
I've been doing lots and lots of reading the last few weeks, and I've pretty much settled in on the RRS BH-55 ball. However, I'm still figuring out clamp and accessories.
I want to have a nodal slide for stitch panos, and I love the look of the Acratech nodal slide, with the rotatable clamp for fore/aft and left/right plates and the stops for most used positions.
With that said, I'm thinking that I'll be better off with the screw-type RRS clamp rather than the lever-type. Is this true? Looks like the lever-type clamps are great if you'll only be using one brand of arca-style plates and that screw types are best for using all of the arca-style derivatives?
Are the RRS nodal pieces as good or better than the Acra?
Any of your ballhead/clamp/accessories knowledge is fully welcome!