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RRS Tripod advise


ELAN

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The only sensible advice so far has been to use a Manfrotto head and a simple QR RC2 plate, the plates are cheap enough to have one in every camera bag, they work, and as a photographer who uses a tripod nearly all the time I can't find an engineering reason to make attaching a small camera onto the top of three legs any more complicated than this.

 

 

Uhhhh, no.  Or perhaps better is not necessarily.   I don't have the RRS baseplate, but I may, someday.  The issue with the Manfroto QR RC2 is that to get at your memory card or battery you have to first remove the QR plate and then remove the Leica baseplate.   Yeah, that is not much of an issue but it is still two steps where if you had the RRS baseplate you'd only have one step.  Half the work.  Half the parts to put down and keep track of.

 

I switched from RC2 style QR plates to Arca Swiss style plates a while back for various reasons.  Right now I screw an Arca Swiss style plate into the tripod mount of my M if I am going to use a tripod.  It's not a big deal, but every time I attach the plate and then later detach it so I can remove the baseplate to get at the memory card I wonder about getting the RRS baseplate.   Maybe.   But not yet.

 

That doesn't mean I don't see the value for those who do go with the RRS solution.

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Which Arca Swiss plate do you use with your M? Is it a good fit? Thanks.

 

Here are a couple plates to look into besides the RSS Plate which I think would be a good choice.

1) http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/Quick-Release/Camera-Plates-L-Plates/Plates-for-Leica

2) https://www.peakdesign.com/proplate

3) http://www.acratech.net/categories/quick-release-plates/leica.html

 

 

This ball head may be a little more versatile than the RRS head. It has a gamble head built into it. So if you plan on stitching together photos this one may be a better choice. It weights about the same as the RSS head your looking into.

http://www.acratech.net/ballheads/gp/gp

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The only sensible advice so far has been to use a Manfrotto head and a simple QR RC2 plate, the plates are cheap enough to have one in every camera bag, they work

IMO, to start today with any tripod head which is not Arca compatible will prove to be a waste of money.

 

It is the only standard on the market and the only system which can offer a solution to any problem and that inside a very wide range of prices.

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I think it is worth pointing our that RRS clamps are not actually Arca Swiss compatible.  The clamps, whether quick release lever or screw, stop about 1mm short of gripping an Arca Swiss plate.  This means that my Acratech and Novoflex clamps (which ARE Arca Swiss compatible) can grip each others plates and RRS plates, but my RRS ball heads and clamps must be used ONLY with RRS plates.  Something to keep in mind when considering a camera plate.

 

Personally, I find that the RRS combo plate/grips have grip sections that will only be comfortable if you have hands that take XL gloves or bigger.  My hands are quite large, but I still find some of the RRS grips uncomfortable.  These days I am gravitating toward using Acratech or Novoflex camera-generic plates and the Acratech or Novoflex ball heads (with RRS or Gitzo tripods), and a Leica small hand grip on my M240 or M246.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Peter.

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Sorry to be  difficult ....but is there anything wrong with using the screw thread that Leica provide for a tripod? I have a simple Gitzo tripod and when I want to use it ....behold there is a thread already on the the bottom of my camera. Its a  very useful feature....and it was free. I guess I missed something about why the easiest solution isn't the best solution?
 

As for getting access to the card and battery generally there is no reason to.....and if there is..... I take the camera off the tripod for a minute and then set it up again.

 

I just wanted to remind everyone that putting your camera on a tripod doesn't have to be  complicated 

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Sorry to be  difficult ....but is there anything wrong with using the screw thread that Leica provide for a tripod? I have a simple Gitzo tripod and when I want to use it ....behold there is a thread already on the the bottom of my camera. Its a  very useful feature....and it was free. I guess I missed something about why the easiest solution isn't the best solution?

 

As for getting access to the card and battery generally there is no reason to.....and if there is..... I take the camera off the tripod for a minute and then set it up again.

 

I just wanted to remind everyone that putting your camera on a tripod doesn't have to be  complicated 

 

Correct. But using a tripod without a head makes it difficult to point the camera in the right direction. Not complicated - but not easy.

And most heads these days come with a QR clamp of some variety.

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Correct. But using a tripod without a head makes it difficult to point the camera in the right direction. Not complicated - but not easy.

And most heads these days come with a QR clamp of some variety.

 

Seriously ...I'm not hat old, tripod heads don't come with screws any more?

It has been a while I bought my last Gitzo 10 12 years ago......and there was a 1/4 screw all ready for  the female end supplied by Leica.

 

They don't come that way anymore? ....I have to research that

 

 

By George I see you are correct .......did a little research

Still if I were shopping for a new head. I'd get one with the 1/4" screw......a lot less fuss than all those parts and pieces...I never saw the point of QR always seemed klunkey to me.

Edited by ECohen
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Still if I were shopping for a new head. I'd get one with the 1/4" screw......a lot less fuss than all those parts and pieces...I never saw the point of QR always seemed klunkey to me.

 

What 'parts and pieces'?  The RRS base plate replaces the stock plate, and can be used permanently with no extra parts required thereafter.  The grooves on the bottom slide solidly into the bullhead plate.....no extra parts, no screw-in needed, and no unscrewing of an extra plate required for access to card and battery.

 

More expensive, and maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but not more parts and pieces.  In fact, less fuss.....and much more elegant, reliable and robust.  I've used both.

 

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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I have a couple Arca-Swiss heads, and a bunch of plates.  I always bought from Kirk, because their stuff is Arca-compatible, and I liked the attitude of the ownership better than RRS back in the day.  However apparently Kirk doesn't make anything for the M240.  Nonetheless I have a few universal plates which fit and don't rotate on the M240, for those occasions I might want to use it on the Arca head. 

 

That said, I find the Arca head and plates way overkill for the size and weight of the M series, not to mention for the kind of tripod I'm willing to carry these days.  I travel with a 1-series Gitzo CF, yes it needs the center column extended to reach a decent height, but it's all I'm about to lug around.  On it I use an old Leitz medium ballhead which has both 1/4" and 3/8" threads, and does double-duty on my table tripod.  The head simply screws into the camera's threaded socket.  Yes it's slower than an Arca clamp, but not that much, maybe 2 or 3 more turns than the clamp knob. 

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I never saw the point of QR always seemed klunkey to me.

 

Clearly you've never tried Arca style QR systems in cold weather. I've used Arca style QR for a very long time (10~15 years perhaps) and there is no way that I'd go back to the 1/4" Whitworth screw way of bolting a camera onto a tripod. What really surprises me is that no camera manufacturer has as yet built in a dovetail to the base of a camera. Why use a poor, archaic system when there is a simpler solution which is so effective?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Using a tripod for any purpose without the benefit of a quick release system sounds crazy to me, especially when talking about using a Leica M240 based body with it's genius bottom plate design.

 

Using Arca Swiss compatible system gear allows not only extremely quick release and clamp down but to actually additionally make use of gadgets as bellows, panorama heads, using several items on one tripod head such as lighting gear, remote triggers, …

 

Also consider an Arca swiss plate just simply because RSS makes the absolutely best Arca swiss compatible clamps there are on the market - smooth, strong, tough clamps.

 

You don't want to screw around with camera in one hand and attached tripod in the other.

 

Use Arca swiss compatible plates that come with quick release screws - I use on all my Arca swiss plate gear on all camera systems Kangrinpoche screws which come with a small fold out grip (very similar to the Leica bottom plate fold out lock).

These can be either used just by hand without any tools or can be operated with an allen key as they also have an integrated standard 4mm allen key head.

 

Take the camera off the tripod by its Arca swiss quick release system, fold out the Arca Swiss plate screw head, unscrew (MUCH easier than fiddling with a screw in tripod head attached to the camera), voila … you have access to battery and SD card.

For handheld operation when not using the tripod attached while walking around, simply leave the Arca swiss plate attached to the camera (I use the very sleek and simply ones that have just a thin lip to align and tighten to the bottom plate, not the full size ones especially designed for specific Leica M models).

 

When it comes to RRS gear, it is the finest there is but I am always thinking heavy duty and indestructible when thinking RRS, not necessarily lightweight, occasional traveller use.

I use a Gitzo carbon fibre traveller with custom Markins ball head.

Its flimsy, especially with full leg extension but with a Leica M it works very well.

 

I use RRS gear for heavier cameras and wouldn't buy any other for that purpose.

 

I am not much for tarting up Leica M bodies with grips and accessories and prefer them naked otherwise.

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  • 1 month later...

I have used an Arca Swiss head (BH1) with various RRS plates for many years on my Canon gear in combination with 2 Gitzo CF tripods. I have tried Manfrotto and others but did not like it. I agree that all 3 brands are expensive, but they last a lifetime.

 

Recently I added the RRS BH-30 (compact screw knob) for my M6/240 and it is a great piece of equipment. The size of the BH30 is well balanced with the Leica and the CF1127, certainly for travel (or CF3551 monopod). The BH1 is much too big and heavy. 

 

I use a B9 plate on both M6 and 240 - it fits like a glove and I can keep my regular Leica grip. The B9 plate has the exact same size as the compact screw knob plate for the BH30.

 

Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that you cannot go wrong with Gitzo CF or RRS. It is expensive but endures for many years under all circumstances

Edited by DickieT
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I use w/my silver M (240) RRS baseplate w/grip and RRS BH-55 (overkill but I used it w/Hasselblads + Nikon D800e). I leave RRS baseplate on all the time, from day one the camera came in. Like O.P. I use M(240) handheld all the time but plate IS fantastically made. For my other Leica V-Lux RRS don't make L-bracket, so I opted for their universal square base mount that allows me to open & close battery door on the bottom effortlessly. I highly recommend RRS product for M(240), u'll forget it once it is on the camera, that's what an accessory is supposed to do.

   Good Luck, happy shooting.

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I have an RRS BH55 tripod head, very big for an M but it covers my other cameras too and is a solid beast.

 

I just use a couple of flat plates, ones a Wimberley. Just generic camera/lens plates that fit everything from M and R bodies to Hasselblad. I don't notice it's there if I leave it on my MP, it's hidden under the original baseplate, and I can vary how I attach to accommodate different tripod mount positions.

 

I had the RRS baseplate (and an M240) once and it seemed overkill for the less than 5% of time the M was on a tripod. If I want the camera vertical, I use the head.

 

The 'need to access the battery' seems a very spurious reasoning to me for using a dedicated L shape baseplate. The plates I use just come off with the original baseplate and this process takes less than 0.01% of the time I use the camera. It's less of a story than changing a filter or attaching a release cable in my view.

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I should add that I love the ballhead, it's a rock and easy to (bubble) level, I also have an RRS macro rail that gives me all kinds of possibilities, including panormamas.

I just use Giotto legs though. I doubt I'd have bothered with this setup exclusively for an M body.

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OP here with an update... so I went all in with the RRS TQC-14 travel tripod with a BH-30 ball head and QR clamp, the 240 baseplate and all the accessories. Lovely product, great customer service. I have used it twice so far, both times spontaneously. It's not quick or easy to set up (take out of tight bag, switch baseplates, extend all nine sections, set up and a level). Once up it's a beautiful thing, but the moon had moved on. I'll probably get faster with practice.

 

At the same time I also bought the TFA-01 table tripod and matching BH-25 ball head, but only with a platform so I can screw it directly into my M. Now that I've used a few times already. Just screw it in and I'm done. Strong and steady and by far the best table tripod I have ever used. So happy I found RRS.

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Hi, 

there might another solution for your plate issue:

IF you willing to use a half-case, then there are at least two makers that have a case with a battery&card access flap - a small magnet is provided, so it retains full functionality, and the case is provided with a tripod screw socket.

Then you can buy a generic L-plate arca-swiss compatible on EBay - the one I got has the right dimensions for the m240, and actually you can either use it with the short plate side on the left or right - the  mounting screw was both a coin-slot and a small collapsible handle.

 

let me know if you need further details and/or would like to see pics of it

Phil

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