I have just had a look at a picture of the Befree. If it was mine I would have a look at either of two things.

1. Remove the plate and see how the top of the ball head is attached to the socket. I would hope that it might be Manfottos usual with a hex screw down through the clamp into the top shaft of the ball head. If so then unscrew it (and knowing Manfrotto it will be tight). In its place screw a Swiss Arca clamp with matching SA plate on the camera and problem solved.
2. Check how the ball head is attached to the top of the tripod shaft. I cannot help you here since I don't have one in front of me but it will almost certainly be removable somehow. Replace it with a decent ballhead/Swiss Arca fitting.

I have had a few challenges with Manfrotto heads but have managed to sort them all even though some required a little engineering.

Hi all,

I'd like your thoughts on this please.

I've been struggling to attach my P1000 to my tripod.

I have the small plate from the tripods head, fitted to the bottom of the camera.

As this camera is so large & heavy, I'm finding it hard (and very fiddley) to attach the camera.

Last night, I was packing up and picked up the tripod with camera still attached to remove it, when the camera fell to the floor from about 3ft onto carpet.

It seems like 90% of the time, the mount is not seated properly on the head, even though it looks like it is.

It felt secure enough as I used it, till I picked it up to pack things away.

The camera seems fine, but somehow the memory card popped out (with the door still closed). I opened the door and pushed the memory card home.

I can't see any visible damage to camera body, functionality or to the lens.

Do you chaps think it will be ok ?

I'm paranoid about it. I think I'll look for a better tripod head that's easier to use too.

Cheers

Paul. :)

I have these Manfrotto pairs on all cameras and tripods, and I leave them on. If you want to spend more money, you can buy the Arca brand. The Manfrotto snaps into the mounting plate, and there is an additional lock you can move into position. You have make super sure that the camera is securely attached to the tripod plate, the tripod legs are locked and secure, and the head is locked in position. There are a lot of points of potential failure in a camera-on-tripod situation. I never leave the strap on the camera when it's on a tripod. It would be too easy for something or someone to catch the strap and knock the tripod over. About forty years ago, I lost a good Miranda Sensorex when tripod leg collapsed and dropped the camera to the floor.

https://smile.amazon.com/Manfrotto-323-Connect-Adapter-200PL-14/dp/B000JLK5PU/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=manfrotto+plate&qid=1554377276&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I have just had a look at a picture of the Befree. If it was mine I would have a look at either of two things.

1. Remove the plate and see how the top of the ball head is attached to the socket. I would hope that it might be Manfottos usual with a hex screw down through the clamp into the top shaft of the ball head. If so then unscrew it (and knowing Manfrotto it will be tight). In its place screw a Swiss Arca clamp with matching SA plate on the camera and problem solved.
2. Check how the ball head is attached to the top of the tripod shaft. I cannot help you here since I don't have one in front of me but it will almost certainly be removable somehow. Replace it with a decent ballhead/Swiss Arca fitting.

I have had a few challenges with Manfrotto heads but have managed to sort them all even though some required a little engineering.

It's always frustrating when brand new, name-brand gear let's one down.

Unfortunately, I'm not a Manfrotto user, so I can't suggest a fix or workaround.
At least you now know to pay extra care.

Many (most?) of the quck release systems on the market aren't really positive
action--at least not to the extent of, say, a climbers screwgate locking carabiner,
a turn-bolt action rifle, or even a refrigerator door latch.

Not many kids today want to be mechanical engineers. As electronics has grown
in prestige and prominence, mechanical design has suffered. Even fewer kids
want to be machinists. And programs to train both have suffered cutbacks or
been eliiminated.

Moreover, cost-cutting means that things that used to be made of metal are now
made of injection-molded plastic. Molding in a single piece puts severe limits
on the kind of shapes hat are impossible to make.

But even metal parts tend to be stamped or folded rather than machined or
forged. "Designing for manufacturability" everything possible is done to
reduce the amount of labor per unit. Priority #1 is to avoid machining
(turning, drilling, milling, etc.). Even computer-controlled machining is too
expensive unless millions of units are to be made and the selling price is high.

The root cause of all this isn't new technology: It's a stock market full of investors
who only look at short-term returns, and who expect every industry to be as
profitable as a hotel-casino. Profits are supposed to go up every quarter,
and public companies that fall short are punished by investors. And executive
compensation is now tied to stock price.

What feels like a hundred years ago, I was taught that every type of business has
a typical rate of return---higher for a casino than a grocery store or a farmer. The
only way a business could improve on that was by "eating the seed corn" so to speak.
If you cut costs beyond a certain point, say the baker starts using sawdust in his bread--
you'd lose customers and hollow-out the business. And it's still true.


This can't explain why closely-held corporations turn out so much junk--but
they too are mostly run by MBAs, who are taught to "manage by the bottom line".
According to business schools., you don't know to know anythig about
photography or the camera industry to run a camera manufacturing firm.

But we must also blame ourselves. Many consumers go looking for
a carbon fiber tripod, but few ask if the quick-release system is
positive action. Many buy based on a long list of "brochure features",
but few ask if the basic features work reliably.

As long as businesses love profit above all else, and consumers love
technology above all else, we will live in a world filled with expensive
gadgets that don't work and can't be fixed. And even those that do work
(most of the time) don't interoperate because they have proprietary
interfaces (quick release plates, lens mounts, hotshoe pins, etc.).