Manfrotto to Arca-Swiss adaptor

[Paul Sumi]

Hi Pom,

I'll be interested if there is an off-the-shelf solution, but I suspect you may have to get a custom Arca-to-Manfrotto adaptor made.

Also, off-topic but am curious.  I assume you're using the 1Ds' center focusing spot?  Why not compose the frame and manually select the focusing spot for the area you want in focus rather than focus and recompose?

I'm guessing the latter method works faster for you in a wedding situation and is also more fool-proof (one doesn't have to remember to reset the default focusing spot).

Kind regards,

Paul

[Ben Rubinstein]

That was my point, the focusing points on the 1Ds cover less than the center 50% of the frame, the doesn't help for portraiture, especially of more than one person.

[deBult]

Kirk QR4 will do nicely: Kirk

[Ben Rubinstein]

I'm really missing my Manfrotto joystick head for my wedding work, on the other hand I'm not willing to give up the excellent RRS 'L' plate. I've heard about some kind of adaptor that sits in the manfrotto head like a plate. The Joystick head won't accept other quick release systems otherwise I would have used the RRS one from my other manfrotto ball head.

If you focus recompose then a joystick head is sent from heaven, with the rediculously tight positioning of the focus points on the 1Ds, portrait shooting where you focus on the eye, can be really slow and painful.

[boku]

It seems to me you could take a standard Manfrotto camera plate with a 3/8-16 screw and mate it into the bottom of a RRS clamp. If you like it, use a bit of Locktite ™ and you have a solution.

Screw this...

To the underside of this...

[Ben Rubinstein]

Ah, my RRS QR clamp isn't threaded, this could get complicated, I'll let you know if I get sucessful...

[Ben Rubinstein]

After fiddling about with an old manfrotto plate whose screw had fallen out, and trying to find a large enough flat head screw that would go through the RRS clamp, to the manfrotto plate, to the manfrotto clamp and then into the head.......and failing miserably......

If anyone is interested, firstly use your hands and eyes instead of trying to be clever. There is a large lip which protudes from the manfrotto joystick head which means that the RRS clamp can not be lain on top, the head isn't flat........unless of course you mount it sideways in which case it slots in perfectly!!

I hadn't tried that of course, far too easy. It means having to use the joystick head with the trigger facing the palm of your hand (270 degrees instead of 360) but it's a minor inconvenience, i got used to it within 20 seconds and it's a real pleasure to use a good joystick head mated to the truly excellent RRS lever clamp and L plate. Heaven sent for social photography where you need to focus recompose and shoot fast and intuitively.

It's also a lot cheaper than having to buy the overpriced Kirk adaptor, thanks for the suggestion though.