Quick release Arca Swiss recommendation

Choderboy wrote in post #19088366
That looks horrible.
Just buy a knob only (screw) clamp.
Sunwayfoto, Leofoto, Desmond, Sirui are all cheap and worth buying. I'm sure some others are good too.

I like a long knob (oh no, hope title fairy does not see that) as sometimes short ones leave no room to get a grip with some equipment.

Thanks and lol - I will do as you suggest and replace this crap immediately. Thanks for the recommendations. I have a Sirui monopod that I am really happy with.

PSteven wrote in post #19086922
I know Arca Swiss is very popular so I am assuming it is just the hardware I have bought at fault. Can anyone recommend a quick release arca swiss clamp I can add to my ball heads (Manfrotto 496RC2)?

You're correct about the Andoer clamp you bought, I had one and it's rubbish. HejnarPhoto has a line of products that convert Manfrotto heads to interface with cameras equipped with Arca Swiss rails. Chris Hejnar doesn't advertise and depends on word of mouth about the quality of his work, which is excellent. His products are not cheap as you might expect; I bought the first clamp he designed and sold and it's still going strong. The following link contains the plate and clamp that should solve your problem: HejnarPhoto: Manfrotto Adapters 494/496/498.

peter_n wrote in post #19090353
You're correct about the Andoer clamp you bought, I had one and it's rubbish. HejnarPhoto has a line of products that convert Manfrotto heads to interface with cameras equipped with Arca Swiss rails. Chris Hejnar doesn't advertise and depends on word of mouth about the quality of his work, which is excellent. His products are not cheap as you might expect; I bought the first clamp he designed and sold and it's still going strong. The following link contains the plate and clamp that should solve your problem: HejnarPhoto: Manfrotto Adapters 494/496/498.

Thank you - I am glad it wasn't just me. I will check out that link.

After buying clamps and plates for 10 years, I would say if you have a little bit of beer money saved up, just spend it on Really Right Stuff. I'm pretty much over leofoto and the other higher quality rip offs. The single block milled aluminum and finish, and tight tolerances are just worth the peace of mind when mounting 20-50K in equipment to a tripod sometimes.

The multiposition (slide vs full release) locking lever on Really Right Stuff's clamps are 1) patented and 2) to die for.

I too can vouch for Hejnar Photo. Bought a lot of pieces from them including adapting my Manfrotto ballhead to arca swiss plate. Is very solid, clamps tightly. I use some on my old Canon FD 800mm lens which weighs somewhere around 10 lbs and no issues.

RRS is very nice though I only use them for L-plates.

A-S plates don’t wear out. They get scratched and marred but that has no effect on clamping ability. I have a couple of plates that look like tanks ran over them, and then we’re we’re used as chew toys by polar bears. They still work fine.

Used plates can be a real bargain. LensAuthority and KEH have lots of arca-Swiss type placed available at very low prices. Both offer guarantees too.

Even so, there far less expensive plates to be had from eBay sellers.

My experience has shown such to also be of very good quality, typically
machined on CNC equipment and of excellent fit.

I've a couple of sets of plates I purchased after I got my Sirui ballheads,
from different vendors which display differences, but they are all
overall of more-than-good quality, with a more-than-solid fit
into the Arca-type clamps on my heads.

While I've not compared Sirui against ARCA-Swiss products,
it seems the A-S standard has been widely adopted.
As such, the cheap plates I've purchased are of a solid fit
without any doubts on my part.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions in this thread. I picked up one on Ebay which is working really well for me and holds my camera rock solid. It even works with my Arca Swiss L-Bracket on my Canon 5D Mark IV

I can't find the link to where I bought this from but it was less than £20