bud 77 Loc: Long Beach, WA

Several years I purchased an OSN ball head camera mount and they worked well. I recently needed another mounting plate and find that the OSN brand ball head is no longer available and the mounting plate is not a standard size. If any one on the hog has an idea how to find a mounting plate for the OSN please contact me. I have been looking at the Neewer ball head but need to be sure that it is a standard size. If money didn't matter their are lots of choices.
bud77

jcboy3

I see several models on Amazon. They have different style QR plates. The ball heads are very cheap; you could buy an entire ball head just to get a plate.

You could also look on eBay. Nearly everything can be found there.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

If you want to switch to another quick release clamp, keep in mind how you will remove the current plate from the ball head. Many ball head clamps are held in place with Blue Locktite. This means you will need to use heat (a lot of it ) to loosen the original plate . This means judiciously using a soldering torch. I have an Acratech ball head and I sent the ball head to Acratech to have them remove the original plate. They did this for free. I used my Siri ball head when the Acratech wasn't available.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Acratech ball heads are awesome...I love my GP-S

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

Outstanding for macro photography. Mike Moats convinced me to get one.

jcboy3

I have an Acratech. No problem removing the clamp. Also no problem removing clamps from Vanguard and Manfrotto. None of them used loktite.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Yes, most styles of QR's can be adapted to each other -IF- you can find what you need - I am most successful looking on ebay. If that is your preference, no real reason NOT to ! Your preference may or may not be the "best" solution from a practical standpoint tho.

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bud 77 Loc: Long Beach, WA

Thanks jcboy3,
Went on ebay and found one from a company in SC. I don't want to get to excited until I have it in my hand.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

EDIT: When I received my Quick Release clamp (some erroneously call it a plate) from Acratech, they said they use Blue Loctite and included a website with instructions on how to to use a propane torch to release the Loctite. This was confirmed when I called them. Acratech also said to install the new quick release clamp with Blue Loctite.
I'm very glad you were able to change the ball head clamp without using heat. You were fortunate. Loctite says the most successful way to loosen threads treated with Blue Loctite is to use heat. That has been my experience. I am not a fan of Red Loctite. In working on a boat trailer, I swore I would never use it again. I will use Blue Loctite when installing my quick release clamp.

I wish I had your fortune in getting the clamp off. I thought of a pipe wrench but knew it would destroy the ball head.

I have a Vanguard tripod with ball head. After reading Gene51's advice I got a Feisol CT 3472 and haven't used the Vanguard and probably never will. I have no knowledge about whether they do or do not use Loctite.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

How much did you use? Really Right Stuff uses 1 drop on the mounting plate to ballhead connection, and with a little bit of twist, it unscrews quite easily.

latebloomer Loc: Topeka, KS

I haven't installed it, but will do so this week. I have to look at the directions. I seem to remember their saying to use one drop of Blue Loctite and use a gloved finger to spread it among the threads.

I apologize in that I stated I did not want to use Blue loctite when I meant Red. I will try to correct my previous post.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

That's exactly the clamp you want to get an Arca Swiss pattern clamp on a Manfrotto ball. I bought the same clamp last week and am heading to a friend's machine shop tomorrow to make a plate that will put the clamp on a Tiltall tripod (not a ball head.) It's a decent quality clamp - not up to the level of a Really Right Stuff clamp in terms of slickness of finish, but it works smoothly and seems to have plenty of clamping power. It's about a quarter the price of the RRS product but way more than a quarter the quality. All of my cameras and my long telephoto zoom have appropriate attachment plates on 'em, so I'm looking forward to using them on the Tiltall, once I get the clamp mounted.

photosfromtexas

I agree that an Arca-Swiss connection is great. I bought a Manfroto tripod and head, but I ordered the Manfroto Arca-Swiss connector on the Manfroto head. The Manfroto Arca-Swisss plate that came with the system works great. But some of my other Arca-Swiss plates are not easily released form the Manfroto head (they stay stuck when you press the spring release). The Manfroto tripod rep tells me that not all Arca-Swiss plates are the same. I see almost a mm difference in those that I have. And some have the angle of the ridge at more obtuse angles than others. MORAL TO THE STORY: take your plates with you and make sure they connect and release easily form the Arca-Swiss connector on the ball head you are considering buying.....or be sure you can return it if not happy with it.

AK Grandpa Loc: Anchorage, AK

I changed mine to Arca-Swiss and on everything bought since (tripods, monopod, sand bag, etc.) have the arca-Swiss also. It is the most universal mounting system out there. I have 3 Sirui ball heads (arca swiss) very well made and reasonably priced . . .

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I think the MeFoto tripod head uses an Arca-Swiss style quick release. That's my far the most common and universal used type. Many manufacturers use the design for their QR platforms and plates, and a wide range of accessories are designed and made to work with them

Manfrotto (and Bogen before them) has long used a couple different proprietary QR designs of their own. They're okay, but not nearly as universal. In fact, Manfrotto has added a third type just recently and is using it on some of their heads... that's Arca-Swiss compatible. (So has Gitzo, which is the same parent company as Manfrotto along with Sachtler and some other tripod brands).

It IS possible to modify SOME Manfrotto heads. I've got one of their ballheads that it was simply a matter of unscrewing the existing platform and replacing it with one I bought from Kirk or Wimberley. (Today there are even more manufacturers... Really Right Stuff/RRS and Hejnar Photo in the U.S, for example.... and literally dozens of Chinese manufacturers.) EDIT: I used Red Locktite on the threads while installing the replacement platform on the head. That's Locktite's stronger stuff (you have to heat it up to release it... should not use it on a lot of things, where Blue and other types of Locktite are more appropriate). This was intended to be a permanent installation and I didn't want things unscrewing at the worst possible time. It worked and has never come loose in some 15 years or more of use and has held up to use with lenses are large as an 8 lb. 500mm (which the ballhead is technically not rated for).

Not all heads are that easily modified, though. Some Manfrotto heads (especially some of the larger Pan-Tilt type) would require machine shop work and custom attachment of an Arca-Swiss platform.... and unless you have the tools, knowledge and skills to do it yourself, it probably would be cheaper to just purchase a new head.

Another method is an adapter.... One side fits the Manfrotto proprietary QR platform, while the other side provides a new Arca-Swiss type QR platform (some have been mentioned in previous responses). To me this seems a bit less secure than a more permanent type of modification. But it might be okay, depending upon which type of Manfrotto QR you have. The large hexagonal plate type would probably convert pretty well with an adapter... but the smaller, rectangular type wouldn't, I imagine. I've seen them, but haven't used either of these types of adapter personally. Might be able to drill a couple holes and tap them, put in some screws to better secure that type of adapter, but once again that's getting into more permanent types of modification and would require some tools.