Arca Swiss Plates: I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates...

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Fotomacher wrote:

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

No you don't, but the plates from PMG will last you a life time (trouble free)! Wimberly plates are considerably cheaper, but still a good buy (quality product)!

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

I have bought all of my Arca Swiss from Ebay with great success at a significant price reduction. .. yes made in China or wherever.

Fotomacher wrote:

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

speters wrote:

No you don't, but the plates from PMG will last you a life time (trouble free)! Wimberly plates are considerably cheaper, but still a good buy (quality product)!

Most of the Manfrotto ball heads won't readily convert to Arca-swiss,so make sure your model is supported. There are some adapters available,maybe someone can share some info on that. Also,there is no real dimensional standard for the mounts,plate,etc,so I would check around to make sure that you will have functional interchangeability. RRS and Wimberley supposedly use the same specs. I have both and just converted all of my equipment. Not what I wanted to do,but I didn't want to take any chances with returns from pursuing the cheaper way out.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I have purchased most of my Arca Swiss plates from Amazon. Good quality but not high priced and I have not had a problem with any of them to date. Be for warned many of them are shipped from China so they can take a while to be delivered.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

This guy has some good stuff and is a pleasure to deal with:

http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/default.asp

Photocraig

Don't forget Kirk Industries in Indiana. Mine work great and I've had them for over 20 years. They're also a great source of Ball heads and other accessories.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

I use these plates from Peak Design. They are inexpensive and versatile. They are square so will not do if you want a long plate so you can slide it along your clamp to balance your rig on a wimbel type head. Peak Design also sells a lot of other very useful gear. Browse around their site.
http://www.peakdesign.com/catalog/product/view/id/15/s/standard-plate/category/4/

djlouden Loc: Ocala, Florida

Whatever you buy, once you find a brand you like, stick with them. I've found nuances of size differences from brand to brand which necessitated adjusting my clamp to fit snugly.

Happy shooting

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

Fotomacher wrote:

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

No name base plates found on eBay or Amazon are all the same. I have purchased both plates and mounts from those sources with total satisfaction and a lot more money left in my pocket. One of my tripods is an older Bogen with a 3-axis style head that I converted to the arca style by simply mounting an arca base to a Manfrotto plate. I found that the arca swiss mounting format is far more flexible than what Manfrotto offers and more options (L-brackets, nodal rails, etc.) that are readily available at a lower cost.

Bogen 3-axis head w/arca base added

New mount assembly
New mount assembly...

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Really Right Stuff Plates are expensive but they last and do not twist

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Fotomacher wrote:

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

I use Manfrotto plates on all my cameras and tripods, and they work well for me. If you think it's necessary to switch to Arca, why not get the real thing? Yes, the price is ridiculous. That's why I use Manfrotto.

https://smile.amazon.com/Manfrotto-323-Connect-Adapter-200PL-14/dp/B000JLK5PU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478433875&sr=8-4&keywords=manfrotto+quick+release

mainshipper Loc: Hernando, Florida

jerryc41 wrote:

I use Manfrotto plates on all my cameras and tripods, and they work well for me. If you think it's necessary to switch to Arca, why not get the real thing? Yes, the price is ridiculous. That's why I use Manfrotto.

https://smile.amazon.com/Manfrotto-323-Connect-Adapter-200PL-14/dp/B000JLK5PU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478433875&sr=8-4&keywords=manfrotto+quick+release

Because the real thing is really not that much different from the knock-off. I have a $400 Acratech ball head (real thing) and an $80 Kirk foot (real thing) for a 100-400 Canon lens but I also have a $29 L-bracket for my 5D III that is almost identical to the Kirk. If I could have found the same for the ball head or foot I would have done so. I found the Manfrotto system to be rather clunky and not that positive with it's plate mounting surface (rubber or cork) and not that secure with it's mounts (all quick release which I do not care for).

rcrogers6

Fotomacher wrote:

I am upgrading my Manfrotto ballheads with ProMediaGear Arca Swiss clamps. I will need plates for my camera bodies and long lenses. I have searched and found plates made by a number of manufacturers, but there are also some CNC machined plates from China on eBay. Do I really need to spend $60-$100 per plate? Thanks in advance for advice.

I was no longer in a position to buy RRS or Kirk plates so I bought some Chinese plates on Amazon and an extra clamp for a Leica desktop tripod. The quality is excellent with clever "D" rings to help screw them on tight. They cost around $8.00 each with the clamps with leveling bubbles costing a few dollars more. i have placed them on both bodies and lenses. Why pay more unless you are a pro and can justify the expense of an RRS or Kirk. There are even under $100 Wimberly copies in aluminum and more expensive ones in carbon fiber. All Arca Swiss compatible.

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

Benro has 60mm Arca Swiss type plates for 30.00. I use one on my 70-200 L. I have an L bracket from Sunwayfoto (60.00 Amazon) on the camera and I have a Sunwayfoto clamp (35.00 from B&H) on my monopod. All of this equipment fits very well and is strong enough for heavy equipment like a full frame and up to a 70-200 L with TC. Sunwayfoto also has plates for 20 to 25.00 on Amazon.

I have found that the Sunwayfoto stuff fits well, is strong and well made, and in the case of the L bracket, all of the camera's ports are accessable.

Bill