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

Ah, you are showing your age.

I say that in jest - you only have a couple of years on me.

RRS, SunwayFoto, Benro, LeoFoto and others have panning bases that use Arca-Swiss clamps, and there is nothing preventing the attaching of a suitable plate to the bottom of a tripod or monopod head. My post has a few examples.

I used the SunwayFoto rotator bases to build a no-parallax pano head. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and value.

(Download)


(Download)

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I am an old man with a gray beard! I am still thinking in terms of my old 8x10 portrait rig. It was on a large wooden camera stand with an iron wheel to control the elevation mechanism!

Image is ME with more hair, back in the day!

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

I use this set-up to swap between a ball head and a gimbal head on my main tripod. And yes, I got the idea from Steve Perry.

For lever clamps, you will need RRS. Keep your eyes on Ebay, and eventually you will be able to pick up a few without paying full retail.

For the heads that you will be changing, you will need arca-compatible dovetails. You could use RRS, but I have found the Hejnar products to be very suitable.

Honestly, this set-up is overkill for most of us non-professionals. But, except for the added weight, why not?

Good shooting!

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

I want yo thank all of you for the choices and experience. I want to thank you specifically for the pic of yourself back in the day. Neat pic. What year was yhat if you care to say? Either way thank you

Canisdirus

Buy a good fluid head, and you won't need to swap anything.
They do it all.

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

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I use the Manfrotto quick release system. I can attach the base to any tripod head and then put the standard plate on my cameras. No matter what camera or tripod I use, they snap together quickly and easily. There are less expensive generic imitations.

https://smile.amazon.com/Manfrotto-323-Connect-Adapter-200PL-14/dp/B000JLK5PU/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=manfrotto+qr&qid=1610459174&sr=8-3

george19

I started using the Manfrotto 625 adapter and hex plate. I mount an adapter on each tripod and a plate on each head.

When you get established with this, you will likely want to get more 3/8 plates, so be careful when you choose.

Also, the issued tripod bag may have problems storing with the adapter installed.

Either way, very happy with this.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Gene, your first link bounced me back to the original post of this thread. Was that your intent?

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

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

Sorry, I meant to post this link:

https://www.kirkphoto.com/kirk-mpa-2-monopod-head.html

This is one of the few that, like the other monopod head can be used with camera mounted on an L bracket and a long lens with a tripod collar. You'd have to add a dovetail plate to the bottom and have a quick release clamp screwed to the top of the monopod/tripod.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

This is a very simple task to accomplish. You buy 3 arca swiss clamps (brand x - you don't need RRS). Two of the clamps fit on top of the tripod and monopod and the third goes on the top of your ballhead (?). Fit a plate to the bottom of the ballhead and one to your camera. By using generic clamps and plates the cost is minimal. So you have arca swiss fittings at BOTH ends of the ballhead. Then you can swap the head between tripod and monopod.
There is only one thing to watch (lever type clamps since they get out of adjustment very easily) and try and get fittings that use the 3/8" screws on the top of the tripods.
I have now used this system for years to swap between 3 cameras, about 5-6 heads and several tripods. Once setup you will wonder why you didn't do this a long time ago.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Just to clarify, there are specialized heads with quick release attachment to the tripod, so that you can swap different types of heads on one tripod or share the same head on different tripods. RRS is one manufacturer of those. There aren't a lot of others that I'm aware of, though you might be able to rig something using "standard" quick releases and platforms. I'd have some concerns about the security of a homemade rig, though.

But it appears this IS NOT what you're seeking.

It sounds as if you want to convert an existing tripod head to have quick release. There are lots of those available from many manufacturers.

By far the most common and widely available type of quick release system is "Arca-Swiss". There are platforms, plates and a variety of accessories that use this system, offered by dozens of different manufacturers. RRS is one, but there are a great many who offer less expensive. You can get adapters for heads you already have that don't have a quick release (with a 1/4" threaded bolt instead) or converters to change another type of quick release to be compatible with Arca-Swiss. There are platforms designed to replace existing ones on some heads.

Some camera and lens manufacturers are even incorporating Arca-Swiss dovetails into their products, so you don't need to buy an additional plate to mount them. Fujifilm has designed some battery grips for their cameras with a built-in A-S dovetail. Most recent Tamron lenses with a tripod mounting ring also have built-in A-S dovetail. In both cases, they can still be used with the screw-in type of mounting or can have other types of quick release plates installed (such as Manfrotto or Gitzo's own proprietary designs, for example).

The Arca-Swiss quick release system uses plates with a dovetail design that's clamped into a platform with similar design to hold them tight. It's a simple and effective method that allows for some "adjustability". Many manufacturers also install "safety stops" to prevent a loosened platform from allowing the camera or lens and it's plate from sliding out accidentally.

Something to always look for is an "anti-twist" feature on any plate you attach to camera or lens. This might be a plate that's been precisely machined to fit onto the bottom of the camera or just tabs or a second "locking" screw on a generic lens plate. This is important because without something to prevent it, it's possible for the screw mounting the A-S plate to loosen, potentially letting a camera and lens fall!The anti-twist camera plates usually are camera-specific... only fitting a particular model unless multiple cameras have identically shaped bases. If you have a battery grip on a camera it will usually require a different anti-twist plate than a camera without one, too.

There are also "L-brackets", which allow camera to be mounted both horizontally (landscape orientation) and vertically (portrait orientation). Shaped like a large "L" (obviously ), L-brackets have A-S dovetails on both of their arms, are heavier and bulkier, tend to be more expensive and also are often camera-specific. Some L-brackets are modular, in that you can remove the side arm until it's actually needed, using only the plate on the bottom of the camera. Besides anti-twist features, the camera-specific type also may be necessary to allow access to camera battery compartments, memory card slots, and various connectivity such as remote release release, USB or HDMI sockets. A more "generic" L-bracket might have to be removed every time you need to change batteries or swap memory cards. If it blocks the various connectivity sockets, while you use them you may need to remove the L-bracket completely.

Below are some examples of Arca-Swiss quick release system items I use. In addition to what's show here, I have A-S mounting plates on other cameras, on a number of other telephotos and macro lenses that have a tripod mounting ring, as well as other accessories such as flash brackets designed to use with that QR system. I've bought these from a number of different manufacturers and they all work together without any problem. (Please don't judge the quality of the images They were shot quickly in dim fluorescent lighting.)

The point of all this is to show some of the versatility and options using the Arca-Swiss system. Prior to switching to Arca-Swiss, I used two different Manfrotto (Bogen) proprietary quick release systems. They are nowhere near as versatile and are only made by Manfrotto themselves and a couple others. Heck, Manfrotto has 3 or 4 different QR systems that aren't even cross compatible with each other! After some initial setup where you might need to buy several different A-S things like platforms and plates, you can just add an item here or there, as needed. And there are dozens, maybe even hundreds of different sources for them. I hope this helps answer your questions.

Regarding the photos below:

#1 image shows an inexpensive ($16) Arca-Swiss adapter on an old Bogen head and tripod. I think this is probably what you're looking for, at least initially. I picked up this tripod at a local secondhand store for all of $10, cleaned it up a little, tightened a few things, but still needed to set it up to work with Arca-Swiss. Virtually all tripods that don't have quick release use a standard 1/4" screw that fits the base of cameras and lenses. The A-S platform attaches the same way. There are a variety of places to buy these platforms and they can cost as much as $100 or more. I just got one off eBay, from China, that looked to be a pretty good match for the size and shape of the original platform on the tripod head. That cost $16 including shipping (which took 4 or 5 days, though that's not always the case). I still need to get a set screw or two just to keep the platform from loosening accidentally.

#2 image shows one of my cameras mounted onto the same tripod, using that platform.

#3 image shows the L-bracket I'm using on this particular camera. Normally I'm not a fan of L-brackets... too big, too bulky, often uncomfortable when hand holding a camera, and usually way too expensive. However this is a small mirrorless "fun" camera that feels rather small to me anyway, so I don't mind this particular L-bracket. It's also a modular type, so I can easily remove the part on closest end, if I don't need it. You also can see how it's "notched" to allow access to the various sockets on the left side of the camera, as well as underneath so that the battery and memory card can be changed. It also doesn't prevent the rear LCD from tilting outward on this camera. I had been shopping for an A-S compatible plate for this particular camera and only found small plates costing $40... until I found this L-bracket made in China for all of $19. It is custom fitted for this particular camera (and I think maybe one other model).

#4 shows one of my DSLRs with battery grip on the same A-S platform, head and tripod. This camera also is fitted with a custom fitted A-S plate. In this case it is from either Kirk Photo or Hejnar Photo, both of whom make a lot of those plates. It probably cost $40 to $50.

#5 image shows a 70-200mm f/4 lens with a tripod collar that has a generic A-S plate for mounting.

#6 shows a larger 100-400mm lens where a replacement tripod foot with A-S dovetail was used. This is lens-specific, not generic like the plate above. Kirk Photo, Hejnar Photo, RRS and a few others offer these for select lenses. This also shows the camera in portrait orientation, which is easy when using a lens with a tripod collar such as this.

#7, #8, #9 all show an A-S compatible accessory gimbal adapter (Wimberley Sidekick). A gimbal allows very large, heavy telephoto lenses to be used with relative ease. There are several types of gimbal heads for photographers. Most replace the entire head of the tripod and make it "large telephoto only". The adapter shown here works in conjunction with a heavy duty ballhead (Kirk BH-1, in this case) on a sturdy tripod (Gitzo G1325 Mk II, in this case). I've been using this particular setup for close to 20 years. It's an arrangement that can quickly and easily switched back and forth from large lens/gimbal to standard mounting of a camera or lens, without the gimbal.

#1


#2


#3

(Download)

#4


#5

(Download)

#6

(Download)

#7


#8

(Download)

#9

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

This is such a simple solution and has been discussed many times on here. If you drive a Rolls Royce then feel free to try/use/recommend RRS otherwise there is a ton of generic stuff out there.
I have attached two photos. One shows the clamp connections to the tripod tops using both a 1/4" and a 3/8" screw. Always use the larger size if possible. And depending on the size of the tripod head use a 50-60mm clamp size as it will add stability and allow heavier weights.
The second photo shows a tripod and a monopod with a head that allows quick connection to either.
None of this stuff is rocket science in spite of some efforts to move it into that area.
I apologise for the slightly out of focus 2nd shot.
3 clamps, if you go for swiss arca on the head, and 2 plates (one for the head and another for the camera) maybe 40-50 USD ?
As you can see this system can be expanded heaps - multiple tripods, multiple heads, multiple cameras plus heaps of other possibilities.

SteveHmeyer Loc: Cincinnati OH USA

I like and use Acratech heads, leveling bases, clamps etc. - clamps are Swiss-Arca.

Available at B&H and directly from

www.Acratech.net.

I have converted my Manfrotto QR to Swiss- Arca with products from Hejnar Photo

https://www.hejnarphotostore.com/mobile/default.aspx