Arca Swiss system

I used to sell plates, clamps, and macro stages through the Internet(back in 97-99?). I bought a real Arca Swiss head and made my first plate without ever having seen one in person. I simply made the plates' dovetails wide enough so that they were secured just before the clamp was closed all the way -- that was MY standard I'm sure other manufacturers have done something similar over the years. One thing I can tell you is that due to the fact that the clamps grab the dovetails, a bit of difference across the dovetails becomes causes the knob to have to turn what seems a disproportionate amount. As mentioned before, a much bigger deal on a lever type clamp compared to a knob.

I have a number of older Kirk plates, from before (I believe) RRS started making clamps and heads. Even the plates from the same maker had different widths. I never noticed when I used a screw knob. It is easy to tell the difference with the lever clamp.

The skinnier plate would not lock down tightly in the Markins clamp I tried; I could push it out with my thumb (when adjusted to hold the thicker plates tightly).

That same plate, in my RRS B2-LR-II clamp, is completely secure; I can't budge it. Their self-adjusting feature is the real deal.

I'm really glad Wimberley, Kirk, RRS, and Acratech, and I think Hejnar, all now use the same dimensions.

My inroads into Arca began in the early days, pre lever clamps, and very few good affordable options, There were no Chinese knock offs yet, no Sunways, no Desmond etc, no Sirui, even pre-Feisol.

At the time the only source for "affordable" long lens plates was an ebay seller making them in a shop in the U.S. for much less than Wimberley. (seller was in the middle of the country somewhere, i wonder if he/they became "Hejnar" ? )
I've got quite a few of these old ebay plates, and a mix of a mess of other stuff.

My solution for the compatibility remained up until very recently, simply using screw knob clamps.


About three years ago however I got one of these;

https://www.amazon.co.​uk …C-60-Sunway/dp/B0086VDSQS

https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=jENbecEtKQg

I got into these just before they became very scarce. (like most good Sunwayfoto stuff)

Now I understand the RRS self adjusting clamp works well, but these have some real advantages.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18047800
At the time the only source for "affordable" long lens plates was an ebay seller making them in a shop in the U.S. for much less than Wimberley. (seller was in the middle of the country somewhere, i wonder if he/they became "Hejnar" ? )

Yes, I believe that Hejnar Photo is the same person/company that you are referring to. They are based in the Chicagoland area, and they match the description of producing more affordable Arca-compatible accessories (at least as far as US-made products go). Their eBay username is "krosno65" rather than some variant of Hejnar Photo, but searching for Hejnar Photo works as well.

welshwizard1971 wrote in post #17936368
Just converted my tripods to the Arca swiss system, how did it take me so long to hear about this system, why isn't it an industry standard, why don't people talk about it more? I'#d have changed years ago if I'd known! So much more versatile and logical, and I much prefer the solidity and confidence of tightening everything up myself rather than relying on the Manfrotto quick release clamp, always worried it hasn't worked properly. Very happy I've changed over

I discovered the Arca Swiss system in March 2016. Who knew it was an industry standard for the past 20 years?

In 2003, I purchased a Manfrotto 3021 Pro tripod with a 3030 pan tilt head for shooting static images: mostly night scenes, landscapes and old buildings. This setup has worked great since then.

The search for something different came about last year when working more with the Canon 100-400 mk1 lens. I picked up a Feisol monopod with an Arca Swiss-compatible Sirui L-10 monopod head. It was at that point that I started adding Arca Swiss type plates to my Canon 6D and Tamron macro lens. A Kirk adapter was added for the 3030 head but that's a story for another thread.

The versatility factor of being able to choose plates and types of heads from among various brands makes perfect sense.

Started my "career" with Tripods and Plates and the like about 15 Years ago, with a Manfrotto System I almost immediately began to hate with a vengeance.
5 Years ago i splashed a nice chunk of money and got a Gitzo Legset with a Markins Q20 Head, followed shortly by German Berlebach "Midi" sized legs and an enormous Berlebach 2 way head (Albatros).
Next came a Sirius N2004 Carbon Tripod, with a Markins Q3 Head, for travel.
Over time I acquired about a dozen Plates, and L Brackets, from various producers like RRS, Markins, Berlebach, Wimberley, Desmond and a few more.
I personally fail to see advantages of the more expensive Plates compared to cheaper Chinese Knockoffs, although I am certain that sub par equpment is somewhere on the market, I just have not personally come across it.
I only use screw clamps, and never had experienced any issues. Guess with lever clamps i wouldn't be lucky.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18047051
Yes and No,
There was up until RRS invented the "Arca Compatible" lever release clamp.
Prior to that most "incompatibility" was relegated to a half turn more on the clamp knob.

Perhaps ironically, the one specific "standard" that seems to have evolved is not 100% Arca Swiss, it is Wimberley. Wimberley with it's once unique massive Gimbal head and it's impressive US machine work was making the best most improved Arca plates to use in their heads long before any of the others came on the market. When RRS joined the fray, they adopted the Wimberley standard. As did Kirk soon there after, and so on.

At the time, the Wimberly and Arca's own would work in the same screw clamps, but they were not identical.

This info always confuses my pea brain.
I'm considering getting a Wimberley plate for my Tamzooka 150-600 lens. I wonder if it is compatible for my Sirui K-20X Ball Head. Wimberley site lists a few ballheads that are compatible but not the Sirui which I suspect is an oversight.
https://www.tripodhead​.com …oduct=arca-swiss-geometry

Yes, it is compatible, for a few reasons.

- 1 The SIRUI are not lever release, so if there were any fractional differences, the screw clamp would take up the slack.

- 2 You are buying Wimberly. It was the Wimberly that the first lever release clamps copied. So with a Wimberly plate, you should be compatible either way.

- 3 I have Sirui clamps on three heads and Wimberly plates to verify first hand!

Odd this thread got resurrected today, I fitted an arca swiss plate to a macro rail today

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18345274
Yes, it is compatible, for a few reasons.

- 1 The SIRUI are not lever release, so if there were any fractional differences, the screw clamp would take up the slack.

- 2 You are buying Wimberly. It was the Wimberly that the first lever release clamps copied. So with a Wimberly plate, you should be compatible either way.

- 3 I have Sirui clamps on three heads and Wimberly plates to verify first hand!

THANKS CBS!! Great news.
That will save me money on duct tape!

VanDyck wrote in post #18336227
I discovered the Arca Swiss system in March 2016. Who knew it was an industry standard for the past 20 years?

I have had the opposite experience. Until very recently, all I ever knew existed was the Arca Swiss system (speed plates and the clamps for them).

On Sunday afternoon, a teenager from church asked me if I would take him out with me on a photo outing. So when his mom dropped him off at my place I went to show him the lenses I was going to loan him, when we realized that none of them would mount onto the tripod that he brought.

I had never known that a different system existed, but this tripod he brought had a strange kind of mounting platform on the head. Furthermore, the head was kind of "built into" the tripod. This was problematic because I thought we could just remove his tripod's head and screw my extra Wimberley onto it. But no, the darn tripod had a column, and the head was affixed to the column in a way that did not facilitate removal.

So his tripod head wouldn't come off, and it wouldn't accept a speed plate. I asked, "if it won't take a speed plate then what does it take?" He said that he didn't know, but that the thing was different than a speed plate. The whole thing was a big disappointment and he ended up not being able to use any of my lenses.

So, if any of you know about this alternative mounting system, could you please share your knowledge? Also, is there a way to get speed plates mounted to it? Some kind of adaptor or something? Or should he just buy a 'proper' tripod that allows a Wimberley to be screwed onto it?

.

There are many, maybe dozens.

Too bad you didn't have a spare tripod.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #18351572
Too bad you didn't have a spare tripod.

I will be taking him out again, perhaps often. He's an uncommonly bright kid - it won't surprise me at all if the next time he shows up he has along with him a way to mount my speed plate-equipped lenses to his tripod. He's the type who studies a problem and works it over until he finds a solution.

.

That was almost like reading a horror novel.

I used the Bogen hex plates for years until I finally got a Kirk BH-1. The hex plates worked... but were clunky. The slim A-S plates were a revelation. Now I can't imagine using anything else.

However, using a hex plate, or possibly any decent quick-release system, is a revelation compared to screwing the camera onto the head manually each and every time.

It's funny when I was reading Tom's post, i was picturing the RC0 system by Manfrotto/Bogen (those big ugly hex plates)