Changing over to Arca Swiss HELP!!!

[Andy_Hodapp]

I've been using a Dolica ZX600B300 tripod for the last year and have gotten into doing a lot of panoramas. While the ball head and legs are great for panos when shooting the camera horizontally, having the camera vertical with my 200mm 2.8 makes it feel like it could tip over. I would like to change over and get an L bracket for my Canon 5d Mkii. I've been trying to find out weather my clamp could take arca plates and it sounds like it can not and sense all L brackets are for arca plates, this causes a problem.

I'm looking for a new clamp to put on top of my ball head and I'm wondering what ones will fit and work best. I'm also wondering what would be a good L bracket for a non gripped 5d mkii. The RRS ones look great but there prices are a bit high, I found this one on ebay from china that looks like it would do a good job, it can still use the cable release when shot in portrait. http://www.ebay.com/itm/L-shaped-Vertical-Quick-Release-Plate-Camera-Holder-for-Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-/281230948986?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item417aabba7a

 

[sagittariansrock]

The RRS and Kirk plates are the best for all-purpose use, but if you only plan to use them while doing panos, cheaper ones like Sunwayfoto (even the one you mentioned) should be fine. The important point of differentiation is you don't want a cheap one if you hang your camera off it or you need precision.
I have no experience with the Dolica you mentioned, but your tripod should still feel pretty sturdy even when the camera is tilted 90 degrees. If that is not the case, even with a 5DII and 200mm, then maybe you should consider a sturdier tripod first?

 

[Zv]

Look around for a used RRS L plate. I got mines about half price. The thing is solid so lightly used makes no difference.

 

[Andy_Hodapp]

The RRS and Kirk plates are the best for all-purpose use, but if you only plan to use them while doing panos, cheaper ones like Sunwayfoto (even the one you mentioned) should be fine. The important point of differentiation is you don't want a cheap one if you hang your camera off it or you need precision.
I have no experience with the Dolica you mentioned, but your tripod should still feel pretty sturdy even when the camera is tilted 90 degrees. If that is not the case, even with a 5DII and 200mm, then maybe you should consider a sturdier tripod first?

The tripod its still sturdy, its just on uneven terrain and stuff. My real question is what clamp should I get to replace my Dolica one to fit acra type stuff? Would this one be a good choice? http://www.amazon.com/SUNWAYFOTO-DDC-60-Compatible-inches-Sunway/dp/B004ED815A/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391376207&sr=1-10&keywords=arca+clamp

 

[sagittariansrock]

The RRS and Kirk plates are the best for all-purpose use, but if you only plan to use them while doing panos, cheaper ones like Sunwayfoto (even the one you mentioned) should be fine. The important point of differentiation is you don't want a cheap one if you hang your camera off it or you need precision.
I have no experience with the Dolica you mentioned, but your tripod should still feel pretty sturdy even when the camera is tilted 90 degrees. If that is not the case, even with a 5DII and 200mm, then maybe you should consider a sturdier tripod first?

The tripod its still sturdy, its just on uneven terrain and stuff. My real question is what clamp should I get to replace my Dolica one to fit acra type stuff? Would this one be a good choice? http://www.amazon.com/SUNWAYFOTO-DDC-60-Compatible-inches-Sunway/dp/B004ED815A/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391376207&sr=1-10&keywords=arca+clamp

While I have no problem suggesting a cheap L bracket, I wouldn't advise a cheap clamp. That's the part that will hold the camera equipment securely, and if the mechanism isn't up to par, then your camera might slide and even fall.
Given the ridge on the ball-head post in your picture (its similar to my Z1), the following clamps will at least work:
Wimberley C-12
RRS B2-Pro II
Kirk SQRC-Arca might work if the hole is not threaded

Check a couple of things though- does yours use a Metric 6 screw or a 1/4"-20? Also, is the inside of your Dolica clamp threaded?

 

[Andy_Hodapp]

The RRS and Kirk plates are the best for all-purpose use, but if you only plan to use them while doing panos, cheaper ones like Sunwayfoto (even the one you mentioned) should be fine. The important point of differentiation is you don't want a cheap one if you hang your camera off it or you need precision.
I have no experience with the Dolica you mentioned, but your tripod should still feel pretty sturdy even when the camera is tilted 90 degrees. If that is not the case, even with a 5DII and 200mm, then maybe you should consider a sturdier tripod first?

The tripod its still sturdy, its just on uneven terrain and stuff. My real question is what clamp should I get to replace my Dolica one to fit acra type stuff? Would this one be a good choice? http://www.amazon.com/SUNWAYFOTO-DDC-60-Compatible-inches-Sunway/dp/B004ED815A/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391376207&sr=1-10&keywords=arca+clamp

While I have no problem suggesting a cheap L bracket, I wouldn't advise a cheap clamp. That's the part that will hold the camera equipment securely, and if the mechanism isn't up to par, then your camera might slide and even fall.
Given the ridge on the ball-head post in your picture (its similar to my Z1), the following clamps will at least work:
Wimberley C-12
RRS B2-Pro II
Kirk SQRC-Arca might work if the hole is not threaded

Check a couple of things though- does yours use a Metric 6 screw or a 1/4"-20? Also, is the inside of your Dolica clamp threaded?

The clamp is not threaded, and I think it is M6 because it has many more threads then my tripod screw for my camera

 

[scottburgess]

I'm looking for a new clamp to put on top of my ball head and I'm wondering what ones will fit and work best. I'm also wondering what would be a good L bracket for a non gripped 5d mkii. The RRS ones look great but there prices are a bit high, I found this one on ebay from china that looks like it would do a good job, it can still use the cable release when shot in portrait.

I doubt I would be confident in an off-brand ball head, but if you're looking for a more affordable clamp to attach I suggest you take a look at Hejnar Photo (hejnarphotostore.com). This is a small shop run by one man who produces precision photo gear in his spare time. I switched out my RRS lever clamp for a Hejnar screw clamp on my small tripod after the second RRS lever clamp I bought began acting as badly as the first--I figured it was better to get a screw clamp, and several macro folks had recommended the store. I am pleased with the quality, which is close to Kirk and RRS but at noticeably lower prices. I use several Hejnar plates and rails on a high-magnification macro platform.

For L-brackets, I recommend sticking with RRS.

A side note on lever clamps: they can be finicky with the camera/lens plates used as they have to be built to tight tolerances--usually they only work with the same brand plates +/- one or two other brands. Mixing brands can lead to headaches. Hence you may want to buy a screw clamp.

None of this stuff will be really cheap as it is CNC precision engineered (unless it is cheap crap from China, in which case you may be okay or you may be SOL). It is best to figure the cost of plates into your future lens/body purchases.

Hope this helps a little.

 

[sagittariansrock]

The RRS and Kirk plates are the best for all-purpose use, but if you only plan to use them while doing panos, cheaper ones like Sunwayfoto (even the one you mentioned) should be fine. The important point of differentiation is you don't want a cheap one if you hang your camera off it or you need precision.
I have no experience with the Dolica you mentioned, but your tripod should still feel pretty sturdy even when the camera is tilted 90 degrees. If that is not the case, even with a 5DII and 200mm, then maybe you should consider a sturdier tripod first?

The tripod its still sturdy, its just on uneven terrain and stuff. My real question is what clamp should I get to replace my Dolica one to fit acra type stuff? Would this one be a good choice? http://www.amazon.com/SUNWAYFOTO-DDC-60-Compatible-inches-Sunway/dp/B004ED815A/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1391376207&sr=1-10&keywords=arca+clamp

While I have no problem suggesting a cheap L bracket, I wouldn't advise a cheap clamp. That's the part that will hold the camera equipment securely, and if the mechanism isn't up to par, then your camera might slide and even fall.
Given the ridge on the ball-head post in your picture (its similar to my Z1), the following clamps will at least work:
Wimberley C-12
RRS B2-Pro II
Kirk SQRC-Arca might work if the hole is not threaded

Check a couple of things though- does yours use a Metric 6 screw or a 1/4"-20? Also, is the inside of your Dolica clamp threaded?

The clamp is not threaded, and I think it is M6 because it has many more threads then my tripod screw for my camera

Okay, then the above 3 options will work.
Also, Wimberley (tripodhead.com) sells scratched but fully functional C-12 clamps at a discount.
I think they are $ 63.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Check out Jobu Design. I have their gimbal and am very pleased with the quality. I bought their foot for my 300 2.8 II and it is first rate and they have been good at answering questions.

Jack

 

[tapanit]

I switched out my RRS lever clamp for a Hejnar screw clamp on my small tripod after the second RRS lever clamp I bought began acting as badly as the first

Would you care to be more specific about how they began acting badly?

A side note on lever clamps: they can be finicky with the camera/lens plates used as they have to be built to tight tolerances--usually they only work with the same brand plates +/- one or two other brands. Mixing brands can lead to headaches. Hence you may want to buy a screw clamp.

Yes, except compatibility isn't guaranteed even with screw-on clamps. :-(

I've got two RRS clamps on two different ballheads, an old one (bought almost as soon as they started to make them) and it still works just fine but (as advertised) only with RRS plates, and a brand new one, which is slightly different and clamps securely with every plate I've tried - including one that most screw-on clamps I tried won't hold (it's too narrow).

A recent dpreview ballhead comparison tested their clamps as well, might be worth a read.

 

[scottburgess]

I switched out my RRS lever clamp for a Hejnar screw clamp on my small tripod after the second RRS lever clamp I bought began acting as badly as the first

Would you care to be more specific about how they began acting badly?

On the first one, the lever moved perpendicular to the normal range of motion and hence would catch on things. It also didn't move cleanly. The second one fails to open and close smoothly and even RRS brand plates seem to be a hair too large for it to close easily--it takes a lot of hand force to close it which is difficult to manage while holding a large lens. I returned the first and got 50% credit toward the second, but was so disappointed with the quality of each that it made no sense to return another for so little credit. After all, I've spend about $200 and have no working clamp to show for it. If their policy was to do a straight exchange for design/manufacturing errors, I might have considered a third. But clearly they didn't work out the bugs before releasing the product and won't stand fully behind it. It's not like I got the only two bad ones right in a row, out of different batches. In fact I checked on that with them before doing the exchange for the first and found they had redesigned the clamp slightly due to similar complaints from others, which is why I tried the second.

Fortunately, Hejnar Photo produces some nice clamps and rails for less. The Hejnar screw clamps, for example, seem to use slightly larger threads on the clamp knob than most brands which means it takes fewer turns to open/close. I prefer that. And Hejnar makes a tremendous variety of clamps and rails, so I was able to find rails that are easily mounted onto a board with multiple attachment points.

A side note on lever clamps: they can be finicky with the camera/lens plates used as they have to be built to tight tolerances--usually they only work with the same brand plates +/- one or two other brands. Mixing brands can lead to headaches. Hence you may want to buy a screw clamp.

Yes, except compatibility isn't guaranteed even with screw-on clamps. :-(

True 'nough. But the screw clamps are more forgiving. Most of the Kirk, Wimberley, Hejnar, and RRS plates and screw clamps play together okay in my experience. But thanks for mentioning this since the original inquirer seems interested in the off-brands. I've heard the Markins stuff doesn't play well with the major brands, for example, and I'm sure other readers can chime in with observed incompatibilities.

 

[jonathan7007]

The OP may not be able to take advantage of this but Hejnar makes two cool products that helped me switch to Arca-Swiss clamping and camera attachment. I had two Manfrotto heads (322RC handle-controlled ball and 410 geared unit) that I liked enough to want to keep. Hejnar makes a kit specific to each of these heads to allow the replacement of the Manfrotto clamping system with a Hejnar Arca-swiss clamp.

Hejnar responds quickly to questions.

His longer rails are thick and stronger than Sunway gear.

I wish he produced a Canon 5DMk3 L-bracket, but I did buy some different rails and "feet" for more generic gear attachment. Worth a look from anyone using Arca-Swiss system parts. I believe I will buy the Kirk 5D3 L-bracket. I use a RSS, bought used, on my 1DsMk3. I love the Arca-Swiss system and the flexibility offered by this first L-bracket in my kit.

jonathan7007

 

[fugu82]

Another vote for Hejnar clamps; very, very nice products. One of their AS clamps rescued me from RC2 hell on a Manfrotto 054 ballhead.