Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Thinking of getting a tripod system and was wondering how the arca plates work. Are they designed to be on the camera permanently and screwed on with an allen key? Not a fan of having stuff stuck to the bottom of my camera.

you dont have to permanently fix the plate on, but then you risk losing the shot while screwing it in... the whole point is to have am extremely strong and stable mounting platform to quickly fix to your body (esp. heavier bodies mounted with long, heavy lens... the main advantage is the minute tension control and lack of creep with the high end systems...

also no point in getting into an Arca Swiss system unless you need it and are prepared to invest in the highest quality legs.. your platform is only as good as its weakest link...

Good legs are the foundation of any tripod system. The arca Swiss plates and L-brackets are a tool to assist with rapid mounting of the camera.

I recently started getting arc a Swiss gear for my system, when I picked up a gimbal head back in the spring. The gimbal head only mounted using arc a Swiss style plates... So I needed to get plates for my two long lenses. For the rest of my gear, I am currently using the manfrotto hexagon plate system. But I am going to slowly make the switch to arca Swiss for everything. The first move will be to get proper L-Brackets for my camera's, then a new tripod head with an arc a Swiss plate. Jobu in Mississauga manufactures arca Swiss style plates. And RRS (Really Right Stuff) makes L-Brackets for most camera's.

David

Arca Swiss now makes an L bracket that is not body type specific. Expensive but cheaper in the long run if you plan to upgrade your camera bodies with any regularity.

Do they include anti-twist measures with the generic plate? That's the biggest problems with generic plates and brackets.

I picked up the Jobu designs Gimbal for my long lenses and of course had to make the switch to Arc.
I've bought plates for each of my long lenses which are permanently attached now, usually with multiple screws where available. All my long lenses have lens collars which allows me to turn the lens through any 360 degree angle. When I mount my camera on the Gimbal mount though, I loose this ability and can only go horizontal, or Horizontal and vertical with an L bracket.

As such, I bought an extra ArcaSwiss plat which I mounted my Manfrotto Ball head on, so I can actually just 'convert' my gimbal to a std ball head without making any changes to my rig by just clamping the Ball head onto the ArcaSwiss plate on my gimbal. Best of both worlds as this then gives me all the movement that I need for my camera body tripod mount, plus the long support I need for my big lenses.


The Jobu factory is actually located down in Mississauga near Dundas and the 427. Their plates are: http://www.jobu-design.com/page/page/2590277.htm and you can pick them up in person and typically negotiate a 'cash' discount price

In the case of each of my three cameras (A900, A700, Maxxum 9), I have custom bottom plates attached with an screw and Allan key. When I get a new body, I just need to get a new bottom plate.

My L-bracket (the acratech extended L-bracket), features an arca swiss clamp that I attach to the camera plate, so I can remove it in an instant, and am prepared for future bodies.

so back on topic. arca plate = screw on camera forever (ideally).

yes, that is how it was designed to be used... however you don't have to leave it on if you prefer not to

i'd rather stick to the oldschool screw system instead of pulling out tools to attach the plate then mount to tripod.

I picked up the Jobu designs Gimbal for my long lenses and of course had to make the switch to Arc.
I've bought plates for each of my long lenses which are permanently attached now, usually with multiple screws where available. All my long lenses have lens collars which allows me to turn the lens through any 360 degree angle. When I mount my camera on the Gimbal mount though, I loose this ability and can only go horizontal, or Horizontal and vertical with an L bracket.

As such, I bought an extra ArcaSwiss plat which I mounted my Manfrotto Ball head on, so I can actually just 'convert' my gimbal to a std ball head without making any changes to my rig by just clamping the Ball head onto the ArcaSwiss plate on my gimbal. Best of both worlds as this then gives me all the movement that I need for my camera body tripod mount, plus the long support I need for my big lenses.

Silly question but why would you need to remove it until the time you need to tripod mount it? Ergonomics?

Most folks leave the plates on the camera, as the camera specific plates are designed to be low profile and left attached.

the slot is already used for another attachment, otherwise I would consider it :p

Why did you even consider an Arca plate then?

because I wasn't sure how the attachment system worked. I've seen plates with a little lever that helps you twist them off the screw without tools.

But you really don't need a tool, just a coin to tighten and loosen. It's not that inconvenient and it's reliable. I agree having a built in lever/handle to tighten the screw is a better design but I suppose it would add significantly to the cost.

Hmm .. I wonder if the Benro and Benro knock-off plates are compatible with arca swiss. They look very similar. Will have to try it out some day with someone.

Krik plates have a threaded plate that can accept accessories such as a Black Rapid strap etc.

damn....... why did you have to tell me that carlton.. lol

I am looking at the RRS bracket for the D300 ... and it also has an extra threaded hole on the bottom so that you can attach something like the Rapid strap...

Really, get a plate, leave it on all the time, because its a pain to have to keep removing it all the time. These things are meant to be attached and not removed. And the arca swiss style system is gorgeous to use.

If you use the camera with an R-strap now, the suggestion I will give is simple: get another arca swiss clamp with the correct tripod threading to accommodate your FastenR. This is how my system is set up right now.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/4934016730/" title="DSC04958 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4934016730_0343622e7e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC04958 (Large)"></a>

I have Wimberely arca swiss plates (Vistek) and they have a 1/4' screw mount hole for accessories. You have to check the different plate manufacturers products to see if they have that hole. Markins plates also have this accessory hole - you can see it on their plates on their website.

I use RRS L-plates,
they all have the accessory screw thread

Me too - fantastic system.

I also picked up a generic Wimberly plate from B+H this past fall and it has a nice gummy rubber surface for anti-torque.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/2 ... lease.html

I have not met anyone who was disappointed with the arca-swiss style plates. The only complaint I ever hear is cost.

I am considering trying a R-Strap and although it can screw into the bottom of the plates, I doubt I would use it in that fashion. It would likely be the R-Strap or the plate. If the R-Strap is attached to the underside of the plate then you cannot slide it into the ballhead clamp.

I just glanced up and saw Hotwires clamp attached to the R-Strap - that looks like a really cool method to marry the two systems.

I have a kirk head but I believe the system is the same. It's a real PITA to have separate plates, or when you need to swap them but once they are on it's great. carry an allen key if you need to swap. I was considering selling my tripod head but decided to keep it and get a few more plates instead so I don't have to keep swapping them..

The only thing that scares me about that rig is the chance that (god forbid) the knob for the clamp works loose. The entire body would just slip right out of the clamp if that happens. The less chances of something to fail the better IMHO. I can still clamp 1.5" of the plate (Kirk) onto my ballhead's clamp which is still pretty solid.

For my R-strap I've been using Jobu Arca Swiss Clamps, and the screw is rediculously rigid. From firsthand experience I can say they are tighter than both Acratech and "Arca Swiss". You're welcome to take a gander at your earlier opportunity.

Chris, Your method to attach the two systems looks rock solid. Here is my zero cost solution to the same problem (This assumes you are using the RRS L-Bracket):

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesycheem/5506308711/" title="BlackRapid_RRS-4313 by ~Jamesy~, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5138/5506308711_ff6fa2a8e1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="BlackRapid_RRS-4313"></a>

Keep in mind that the Ty-Rap I am using is very heavy duty and has a metal retaining lock rather than conventional all plastic Ty-Raps.