Sirui L10 Monopod Head and RRS clamps

I've been searching up and down for an answer to this but no luck.

I am looking at the Sirui L10 monopod head and would like to remove the Sirui clamp and mount an RRS clamp. I have a B2 AS II clamp and an older version of the B2 LR II (untapped on the underside unlike the current version).

I have contacted Sirui and they are vague on their response. Has anyone successfully mounted an RRS clamp to an L10? Or if someone has removed their L10 clamp, can you describe the mounting plate of the L10 i.e. is it flat or does it have it's own mounting alignments?

Thanks

I'd suggest contacting RRS and asking them. If I were to make an uninformed guess, I'd say that it probably takes an M6 (based on precedent in the A-S world), so that one or the other of your heads should work. There's a photo on the Sirui US site that makes it pretty clear that the clamp connects to the head via a screw through the clamp into a threaded socket in the head:

I have the Sirui L10 head.
Why do you want to replace the QR clamp?
If you are willing to spend money and want the best then just buy the RRS.
If you want to save money then use the existing clamp. Mine is the lever type clamp which is not my favourite but it does hold my 600 F4 IS quite securely.
The lever type clamp has a disadvantage in that it is set up for Situi QR plates which are very slightly wider than Arca plates. The lever type clamp can be adjusted to fit - there is an Allen type grub screw in the end of the crossbolt (look at where the lever pivots). Not an issue with the screw type version.
There is also a screw type version which, I think, would be better, as it will fit all Arca type plates.
I find the L10 to be a reasonably good head its not beefy enough for my 600 but is fine with my 300 F2.8 or smaller.
Hope that lot made sense!

Thanks for your replies guys.

Jon - Your pic of the L10 is as close as I can get also re working out how the the L10 plate is mounted. Unfortunately I can't find any images with the plate off to get an idea of whether the platform is flat or has some sort of tapping for a "non-twisting" fitting of Sirui's plates. This is the reply I received from Sirui a few days ago:

So I am still in the dark on the L10 platform. I have multiple screws so experimenting with that shouldn't be a problem.

John - I want to replace the clamp because I use RRS plates on my bodies and lenses and have a couple of RRS lever clamps that are currently unsued. As you point out, my only concern with using the Sirui's clamp is the slight differences in dimensions each manufacturer uses in their adoption of the Arca Swiss standard. So yeah, a screw clamp would be a better option.

Thanks for extra info on the L10 too. Definitely a great bang for the buck head. The RRS would be great but for my needs it's way overkill - I would only use it sparingly and none my setups would be over 5kg. It's the 3x price premium including intl shipping for an unclamped MH-01 versus the L10 that I am baulking at.

Anyway, thanks again.

If anyone is interested, I took the plunge on the Sirui L10. With a bit of patience I was able to get the clamp off the head. Rather than Loctite, it appears they have used some type of epoxy to secure the mounting screw so it requires a little more time and patience with a soldering iron to sufficiently melt the glue to remove the screw. Sirui clearly don't want you removing the clamp. The screw is 5/16".

The mounting plate has a pair of small (3x2mm) anti twist flanges. Sirui's L10 clamp only has a single pair (opposed to cross sectional) of anti twist grooves. What does this mean? You can't reposition the clamp on the head. Accordingly, if you're using a camera body plate, you only get movement from left and right, not vertical up and down. I would imagine vertical movement is the main reason why anyone would buy a monopod head. Along with the epoxying of the screw, this is a design oversight which is also complained about on Amazon reviews. Of course it is less of a problem if you are mounting via a lens collar as the head will function vertically which is it's intended purpose on a monopod.

Anyway, here's a couple of pics with the clamp off:

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^ Thanks mate. I did it as you adviced. Got the clamp out. I have seen a clamp which have cross typy grooves on the bottom.
The one I found is FotoPanda DAC-02 from this store:
http://www.ebay.co.uk …isers&hash=item​3f19d2f94e

Then one more thing, the screw? Does a suitable Reducer Bushing exists?

Hi Clackson

That's similar to my RRS clamp. The anti twist grooves are there but at double the width of the Sirui anti twist flange. The depth of the grooves are just a fraction deeper than the height of the Sirui flange so the clamp will sit flat on the head. Accordingly, there's no problem screwing the clamp onto the Sirui head. You won't get a perfect anti twist fit like you would if you mated products from the same company. This, however, is no big problem as tightening the screw down will hold it in place. I can't comment on the FotoPanda clamp but based on the pictures it looks like it will do the trick.

The screw size on the Sirui is a slight problem though. I said 5/16" in my post above but that's not quite right. I just measured it at 7.9mm, so a little larger than the 1/4" we typically see. Of course you can still use the Sirui screw if it fits through the hole of the FotoPanda clamp. The FotoPanda clamp will also need the appropriate tapering to match teh Sirui screw. Luckily the RRS clamp does have compatible tapering. Otherwise your best bet is to go to your local hardware store to try different screw sizes to determine the exact fit.

Hello Nation
Thanks for your further advice. The RRS clamps are excellent but rare in Europe and ordering from States costs more than the value of the Sirui head.

The play with Sirui seems to be an interesting but finally a costly project to get it as a standard head. If you don't want to use it as it is, it is better to buy a standard tilt head. If I need some, then I'll look one from Hejnar Photo, RRS, Sunwayfoto or etc.
A head in where I can use clamps and plates which has the safety stop screw system. I just don't like the pin safety system.

Yes, it does work out to be quite expensive. Luckily I already have some spare RRS clamps. Having said that, if you are using the Sirui for only lens mounted collars that already have an arca swiss plate then it functions perfectly as a monopod head. It's when you choose to mount the camera body on the Sirui that it becomes a problem. This really is a design oversight and if Sirui is made aware of this then hopefully they will rectify the problem with bi directional anti twist grooves on their clamps and not epoxying their screws. It really would be a simple fix for them. Of course you can have a go at milling another set of anti twist grooves into your Sirui clamp but that may be tough if you don't have the proper equipment.

The screw size of the SiRUI L-10 is M8*15. The Fotopanda DAC-2 clamp mentioned earlier is also known as Desmond DAC-2, found from OEC Camera.