RRS L Plate on alternate brand ballhead?

Can you mount an RRS L bracket to any other brand of ballhead? I don't really want to spend 400-500 for a ballhead if I can help it.

Most screw-type Acra-Swiss compatible ballheads can accommodate the RRS plates. Most quick release clamps are hit or miss, aside from RRS or Wimberley.

Theoretically, it will work on any Arca-Swiss style compatible head, e.g. Markins, Kirk, etc.

You can also convert an existing non-Arca-Swiss style head by swapping out the clamp, assuming your existing ball head allows you to do so.

That's what I did with my Manfrotto 488RC2: http://www.ocabj.net/?​p=2348

L brackets mount to a camera body. The L bracket sits in a clamp that is bolted to a bullhead. The clamp has to be ArcaSwiss compatible and be either a lever type or traditional screw type.

Originally the wife and I had Manfrotto RC2 clamps and plates. I got RRS L brackets for our camera bodies and put RRS Quick Release clamps on the Manfrotto ballheads. Later when we replaced the Manfrotto ballheads with RRS 55 ballheads, I moved the QR clamps to the RRS 55 bullheads without problem.

Bottom line, you can migrate from something like a Manfrotto RC2 set of plates, clamps, and bullheads to an ArcaSwiss compatible set (such as RRS) over time. Start with the L bracket and corresponding clamp.

Chris wrote in post #14331732
Can you mount an RRS L bracket to any other brand of ballhead? I don't really want to spend 400-500 for a ballhead if I can help it.

Any screw-type A-S clamp will hold a RRS plate with no problems.

Markins' lever clamp can be adjusted to fit the RRS plate as well.

Most A-S style heads can have the clamp removed and swapped for another clamp of your choice, including to the RRS lever clamps. If they were LocTited with the permanent LocTite, you may need to heat the fastening to break the bond, but they can be removed with a little effort.

And non-A-S heads like Manfrotto's 486/488/496/498 line can have the platform (for the non-QR version) or clamp swapped out for a RRS clamp (or several other brands of A-S compatible, including Markins or Adorama Flashpoint).

Be aware that some of Manfrotto's heads won't have a removable platform/clamp, and this will also be true of several other tripod head manufacturer's offerings. I don't know, for instance, of either a pan-tilt or three-way head that can have an A-S clamp swapped in for the stock platform. These, however, could be used, should you be otherwise fond of the head, by attaching a "free-standing" A-S clamp (of your preferred variety) either directly to the head (for non-QR heads) or to the appropriate QR plate for the head in question. In that case, I'd definitely recommend using LocTite to make the connection between the manufacturer's QR plate and the A-S style clamp, to reduce possibility of twisting problems.

ettsn wrote in post #14331736
Most quick release clamps are hit or miss, aside from RRS or Wimberley.

If you mean lever clamps by this, AFAIK Wimberley don't make them, they only make screw clamps.

As most above have said, you can upgrade slowly by just getting an Arca-Swiss type of clamp. My first Arca-Swiss clamp was a Markins that I put on a Linhof head which came with a round platform that screwed into a 3/8-16" socket in the ball stem, see the attached pic.

After I bought the clamp I got a 3/8" bolt from the local hardware store, cut it to size and sealed it into the clamp with blue Loctite. Then I screwed the assembly into the ball stem.

It's pretty easy to do, just figure out what size screw you have in your ball stem and go from there. Just make sure you get a clamp with the correct size socket for the screw; most are 3/8" or M6.

Yes, RRS plates work on all Arca Swiss compatible heads. My 5D II L plate works great with my Benro B-0 Ballhead.

cdo221 wrote in post #14332981
Yes, RRS plates work on all Arca Swiss compatible heads. My 5D II L plate works great with my Benro B-0 Ballhead.

What do you think of the quality of the Benro? It sure is a lot less expensive than the RRS ballheads.

Chris wrote in post #14334054
What do you think of the quality of the Benro? It sure is a lot less expensive than the RRS ballheads.

In short, it's great for the money. It supported my heaviest setup (5D + 70-200 mk II) with no problems and still works great after a year. Very smooth controls, the quality of the head also feels very nice, but not the best I've seen. I just responded to your PM with more details.

Chris wrote in post #14334054
What do you think of the quality of the Benro? It sure is a lot less expensive than the RRS ballheads.

I have a Benro c-068M8 tripod (b00 Ballhead). I just received my RSS L plate today. No issues with the fit. The L plate fits with the ballhead clamp perfectly.