Stability on tripod head

[JW Dewdney]

Not if the camera is angled over - and the quick release lever catches on your sleeve...

Go back and read what Gordon wrote about the plates with the little screws. Your camera will not come loose. Even a huge Calumet C1 8x10 can be adequately subdued by one of these.

[Henry Ambrose]

ooooooohhhhhhh.....

JW you made me gringe!

I'll amend what I wrote -
In addition to buying the QR plates with the little screws, also get the head with the good QR - the one where you have to push a little lever with your finger and then the large lever with your thumb to remove the camera.

Or wear short sleeve shirts.

[C. D. Keth]

If your camera is really big you could use a quick release system made for movie cameras. There are quick releases made that can hold a 50+lb camera in any position.

[Ron Marshall]

Not if the camera is angled over - and the quick release lever catches on your sleeve...

Mine tightens with a screw.

[C. D. Keth]

Mine tightens with a screw.

Most quick releases have some sort of safety device so you have to intentionally release it.

[squiress]

Bogen does make a large, square camera plate that goes in the same clamp as the hex plates. My bet is that would let you keep it from shifting.

I use this with my Wehman and 3063 head. No issues at all with revolving around the stud. Camera's light though and YMMV.

Stew

[Kirk Gittings]

I used these hex plates for 25+ years with no problems for everything from 35mm to 8x10 Kodak.

Get the plate with the big screw instead of the thumb screw and tighten the little set screws.

I have never had one come loose even when carrying an 8x10 on the tripod over my shoulder. These work if used properly. I leave them on my cameras at all times and never take them off.

Recently I switched over to heads that use the RC4 qick release plate. I switched because I am going lighter and more compact wherever I can without risking safety and stability. When I switched, I mentioned to my assistant that these were more secure to which he laughed saying in the ten years he worked for me he had never seen one come loose or have a camera fall off. He finds my rationalizations for buying new equipment rather humorous and phony sometimes.

[C. D. Keth]

...if used properly.

That's simply asking too much.

[Robert Opheim]

My only experiance with a quick release plate wasn't a good one. I had a bogan tripod with a 6 sided plate quick release. It didn't secure well enough nor was the head on the tripod designed heavy enough for my 4x5 use at the time. I went to a manual screw system and a #5 gitzo low profile head. There are no accidental fall offs and there is no camera movement.

[squiress]

Try the plate shown in the lower right of this website. 030L. I use it with a Wehman, and it is absolutely stable. You don't have to tighten the corner screws unless needed to really lock it to the camera.

http://www.wildpicture.com/images/Ph...ottoplates.jpg

Stew