Loose Bogen hex plates

[paulr]

I've ended up with a couple of newer style hex plates for my bogen/manfrotto 3047 heads. The new ones have rubber on top instead of cork, but otherwise look identical. The trouble is, the dimensions seem slightly off. They work with my heads (I have a pair of 3047s, each from a different vintage), but the cam lever now snaps shut all the way to the end of its travel, and doesn't hold the plate tightly. There's no chance of the plate coming off, but there's a bit of play, which is annoying. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this just be bad quality control, or do I have to seek out the old style cork-topped plates?

[Dan Fromm]

Paul, where did you buy them? I ask because I believe that counterfeits -- sorry, knock-offs -- are sold by vendors on eBay and at camera shows.

Some years ago I picked up a couple of flat-bottomed hex plates, blue painted and with rubber tops, at a camera show, later found to my horror that they were loose in my 3047/029 head. They're loose in the 229 the replaced the 3047.

But last year I bought a Manfrotto flat-bottomed hex plate from B&H that came in Manfrotto wrapping. It fits just fine. It has a rubber top, is not painted.

The real ones have recesses in the bottom of the casting, the fakes are flat with no recesses (or webbing, if you will). The fakes can be made barely usable by putting a layer of darkroom tape on all of the surfaces that engage the head. Buy from B&H.

[BrianShaw]

That's intereting Dan... I did not know (but thought it possible) that there were knock-offs on the market. Seems like EVERYTHING is being duplicated in India or China these days.

I have not problem with any of my numerous (official) hex plates, either cork or rubber, in terms of fit on a 3047.

[Chauncey Walden]

I seem to remember having this problem with a newer real Bogen plate and it turned out that it depended on which way you put the plate in the head.

[Chris Strobel]

On my 1998 3047 I have both the cork and newer rubber topped plates. Both are secure and snug.


-C

[BrianShaw]

I seem to remember having this problem with a newer real Bogen plate and it turned out that it depended on which way you put the plate in the head.

I never thought about that. All of my plates have a marking "Lens --->" and that's the only way I've ever used thim. Interesting.

[Dan Fromm]

I seem to remember having this problem with a newer real Bogen plate and it turned out that it depended on which way you put the plate in the head.

Mine, good and bad alike, really are hexagonal. Orientation in the head doesn't matter.

[rdenney]

Mine, good and bad alike, really are hexagonal. Orientation in the head doesn't matter.

At least they are supposed to be.

To Paul: I've never had a Bogen hex plate demonstrate loosely in a Bogen head designed for such plates, and that includes plates made from the original to just a couple of years ago, and heads ranging from the original 3047 to several newer 3047's to a Manfrotto 229 and to a separate hex-plate clamp.

You might be able to find one of the original 3047 heads that used a thumbscrew-operated clamp instead of the cammed lever with the safety interlock. These might clamp down even on rogue plates.

By the way, the original plates were bright aluminum and had a flat bottom. The more recent models (with "more recent" measured in decades) are painted or anodized and are forged shapes with cavities in the bottoms.

Rick "who has at least a dozen hex plates of all vintages and nearly all styles" Denney

[paulr]

Mine came with a used head. The fit is as loose with the one it came with as with my old head.
Orientation doesn't matter. I've padded the edge with ductape to get a snug fit, but this isn't the happiest solution.

Rick, I believe the only plates I've ever owned were the indented ones with a paint finish, including ones that go back to the 90s.
I suppose I only need one good one (not counting the one that's permanently bolted to the bottom of my field camera). I may just pony up for a new one see how it fits.
Still seems strange. Maybe I got a pair of counterfeit ones?

[Maris Rusis]

I've ended up with a couple of newer style hex plates for my bogen/manfrotto 3047 heads. The new ones have rubber on top instead of cork, but otherwise look identical. The trouble is, the dimensions seem slightly off. They work with my heads (I have a pair of 3047s, each from a different vintage), but the cam lever now snaps shut all the way to the end of its travel, and doesn't hold the plate tightly. There's no chance of the plate coming off, but there's a bit of play, which is annoying. Has anyone else experienced this? Could this just be bad quality control, or do I have to seek out the old style cork-topped plates?

Two of my hex plates were loose when the cam lever was all the way in. The reason was that the hex plates were a fraction too thin. By gluing a layer of 1mm aluminium plate (cut to size and drilled) to the bottom of the hex plate the problem was solved. Both hex plates were Manfrotto originals so why they were too thin remains a mystery.