Ebony SV45U Base Plate - Poor Design?

[Rakesh Malik]

I used the same plate (RRS MPR-1b) as Steve Penland when I was shooting an SV45TE. Absolutely rock solid support.....I recently switched to an Arca Swiss and so am no longer using the plate. It is for sale if anyone is interested.

I bought one of thosefor my SV45U after my recent purchase of an RRS BH-55, and it's been a rock solid support. Not very heavy though... so it doesn't keep the whole apparatus from being literally picked up by a strong enough gust of wind.

[Dan V]

My first 4x5, a Tachihara, spoiled me with its two tripod sockets. Silly me assumed this configuration was standard (it just made too much sense not to be - like cars having four wheels). I didn't think much of it when I first got the Ebony with its single socket. I was too dazzled by the black beauty to pay much attention to this seemingly small issue - which I now find very significant because, for my purposes anyway, it's impossible to overdo camera stability, accurate focus or great detail in a shot.

So while a single socket is better than none, having two does make a big difference regarding stability - particularly when the single socket is so eccentrically placed as it is on my camera. Apparently Ebony's finally gotten the message as illustrated by the e-mail response I received from them, which in part reads:

"While it's true that Ebony now include two tripod sockets with their newer cameras for the convenience of customers who would like to use a quick-release plate, customers were generally content with the original off-center tripod socket. Hiromi believes that with a single socket this is the optimum position for overall stability (customers use all kinds of lenses and all kinds of backs with these cameras.)"

I'm not an engineer or fine 4x5 camera maker, but given the eccentric location of this socket, the only time its placement would seem to help balance the camera is if there was a two pound back mounted on it. Any extension of the bellows further aggravates the camera's "tuning fork" properties with my QR setup.

I think it's time to put this baby up for sale. Rats, I recently had a Maxwell screen made for it too. End of rant.

Thanks to all for your opinions, suggestions and comments.

[Randy Redford]

Dan,

Have you considered taking it to a machine shop and having a second hole tapped in the metal base plate?

[Steve Hamley]

Why not just get the two-hole plate from Ebony if it means that much to you?

Randy, the bottom plate is a piece of titanium sheet metal, and the tripod sockets are built into a cylindrical "fixture". So you can't just drill and tap a second hole.

Steve

[Randy Redford]

Steve,

Good to know. Every Ebony that I have ever had had the 2 tripod mount holes.

[Dan V]

Why not just get the two-hole plate from Ebony if it means that much to you?

Randy, the bottom plate is a piece of titanium sheet metal, and the tripod sockets are built into a cylindrical "fixture". So you can't just drill and tap a second hole.

Steve

The Ebony rep that replied to my e-mail wrote that adding a second socket would be relatively inexpensive, but that I'd have to ship the camera back to Japan.