Arca-Swiss/RRS

[olrac]

So I have your basic manfrotto QR plates and tripod head.
I am reasonably happy with this solution but I am thinking of getting a new tripod.

What benifit is there to the Arca-Swiss system?
What brands are out there that make this stuff?
Is Really Right Stuff the only manufaturer?

Given that a ballhead L plate and 70 - 200 lens foot will set me back 700 at the very least, I am interested in doing a mini Cost Benifit analysis.

[photohiker]

Hi.

Well, I'm a convert to the system, but I have no Arca-Swiss

I've used Manfrotto QR plates for a long time, but a couple of years ago, I bought a Markins Q3 balhead and plate, mostly because I wanted something light and compact for hiking that would still hold whatever I might need. That was where the rot set in.

Even the smallest Manfrotto QR plate, the RC2 is bulky by comparison to the Markins plate. You can leave it on the camera, but it's a lot more obvious and catches on the camera bag etc when stowing the camera. Functionally, when stressing the camera-plate connection, I noticed that there is movement there because of the rubber mount and small contact area of the RC2. I tried the RC0, and it is a lot better in this regard even though it also has a rubberised contact surface - there is just more of it. (RC0 is the hexagonal shaped plate) Unfortunately, the RC0 is even more bulky than the RC2, but in use I still preferred it over the RC2 - it was easier and more positive to engage and make firm.

The Arca Swiss plate system by contrast, is very positive to engage, very firm on the camera, and low profile, so I basically never take it off. I don't have an L-Plate, thankfully for my wallet, I've never seen the need. In the end, I sold all my Manfrotto tripod heads to buy another Markins (M20 this time) and I couldn't be happier.

There are several brands supporting the Arca-Swiss mount, Markins, RRS and Benro are the ones I know about, and there are probably others. I'd hazard a guess that there is a license or something back to Arca but there is nothing to that effect on any of the compatible stuff or instructions for the gear I have. The biggest downside is that as far as I can tell, you have to import your own as none of the normal camera shops sell any Arca-Swiss compatible gear, although there is a shop in Sydney that sells Benro now.

Hope that helps,

Michael

[losfp]

There are quite a few companies making AS compatible gear... As well as the ones mentioned, there's Kirk, Wimberley and arca swiss themselves.

compared to other QR systems I've used, the AS stuff seems more low profile (as mentioned, means you can just leave it on the camera). With the lens feet or plates, it also allows you to adjust the fore and aft movement of the lens easily.

[AndyL]

Acratech is another.

Also, is Benro actually AS or something that is so similar that it fits?

[photohiker]

Also, is Benro actually AS or something that is so similar that it fits?

Hard to say, but the QR-1 Benro plate fits like it was meant to. It's higher profile than the markins plates, but still acceptable IMO.

Michael

[Bugeyes]

Don't know about benro tripods, but there ball heads might be something to avoid...

http://www.tomwebsterphoto.com/Essays/B ... nroks2.htm

[radar]

The benro ballheads are actually not too bad. The article linked to by Bugeyes is now over 12 months old and the newer Benro ballheads have changed since. The benro ballhead that I use is a small one, the KB-1. I have it on my hiking tripod so there really isn't usually much weight on it. A question to ask the author of the article is why trust your gear worth over $10k-$15k to an unproven company (at the time), just to save about $200-$300 dollars?

As for the RRS gear, I have also a RRS ballhead, Kirk L-plate and Kirk 70-200 replacement foot. These are not cheap but they are great. I use the ballhead on my larger tripod and you certainly get what you pay for. Highly recommend if you can spend the money.

Eventually, I'll be replacing the Benro ballhead with an Acratech ballhead. That will give me a smoother ballhead weighing a lot less, which is important to me when hiking. For now, I'm still happy to carry the Benro ballhead.

Cheers,

André

[losfp]

To be honest, I think the writer of that review got a lemon.

Like Andre, I too have a KB-1 that I have been using for a year or two. As a test after reading that KS-2 review, I stuck my D20 w/grip, and a 70-200VR and 1.7x teleconverter onto the ballhead via the camera's L-Plate (why the hell he would do this, who knows... the lens tripod mount is there for a reason). No matter what angle I stuck it on, I was always able to lock it down with a firm twist of the locking knob.

The quality isn't as good as the RRS or Markins ballheads obviously, but the Benro heads are pretty decent value. If I had my time again, I probably would have just saved up a few more weeks and bought a RRS head, but the Benro has served me pretty well in the meantime.