Changing clamp on a Manfrotto 488 RC2

Hi. Does anybody know if I can change the clamp on my Manfrotto 488? I bought it with the RC2 quick release clamp, but now I want an RRS L-plate and do not want to spend as much money as buying a completely new ballhead, therefore I was wondering if I can attach a Markins (preferably) clamp to the Manfrotto, or a Really Right Stuff (not so preferably, they are very expensive). The thought is that once I can afford a good ballhead, I just buy it without a clamp and attach the one I will put on the Manfrotto on the new one.

Appreciate any help I can get.

Cheers
Håkon

Been there, done that...

I added a Kirk knob clamp to my 488RC2. It took very little effort to unscrew the Manfrotto clamp and screw a compatible Kirk one in its place. All you need to do is get a clamp with a 3/8X16 threaded hole in the center.

Piece of cake. Here's my RRS B2 LRII lever clamp on my 488 (along with Flashpoint F2, Flashpoint F3 and Manfrotto 486 with RC2 clamp):

Lol Jon... You're getting a lot of mileage out of that picture... Or you're rubbing it in that I only have 1 tripod and ball head.

Thanks guys! Exactly what I needed.

Tdragone wrote in post #10404814
Lol Jon... You're getting a lot of mileage out of that picture... Or you're rubbing it in that I only have 1 tripod and ball head.

Drat! He's on to me!

I've gone ahead and ordered this: http://www.warehouseex​press.com …ck-release-clamp/p1011196

Should do nicely. I can't tell; it probably has a 3/8-16 threading and I needed to use a reducing bushing on my RRS clamp to fit the 1/4-20 thread on my 488 head. Photo stores should carry those though.

Hknivers wrote in post #10405963
I've gone ahead and ordered this: http://www.warehouseex​press.com …ck-release-clamp/p1011196

That should work perfectly. Just make sure you hold the shaft between the ball and the clamp when you unscrew the Manfrotto clamp. When I removed mine the shaft unscrewed from the ball and I had to take the time to remove the clamp then screw the shaft back into the ball.

Jon wrote in post #10406646
Should do nicely. I can't tell; it probably has a 3/8-16 threading and I needed to use a reducing bushing on my RRS clamp to fit the 1/4-20 thread on my 488 head. Photo stores should carry those though.

When I replaced the clamp on my Manfrotto 488RC2, the thread on the shaft was 3/8-16, not 1/4-20. I'm surprised you had to use a reducing bushing.

Mine started life as a straight 488; added an RC2 plate to it, then changed to the RRS.

The shaft is different than on mine. The shaft on mine looks more like the one on your 486...

JWright wrote in post #10410235
The shaft is different than on mine. The shaft on mine looks more like the one on your 486...

Yep, mine looks like the image on the topmost picture so I am fairly sure it uses 3/8.

Thanks for the help!!

PS: Did you guys use any tools to unscrew the old clamp?