Where to buy cheap/chinese/ebay Arca compatible plates with 3/8 (large) screw?

[Uri A]

Hi all,

I have a Really Right Stuff ballhead and bought their "Large Format" plate for it. Well, let's just say that if it comes with a 1/4" thread and requires an adaptor it's not "really right"... not for a Deardorff anyway. They now appear to have a new "Toyo" plate with a 3/8", that wasn't available at the time. Their "Wooden Field Camera" plate (read: Deardorff) still has (not one but two) 1/4" screws... I bought the only flat plate labelled for LF at the time.

Anyhow, I don't really want to drop $70 on an Arca/Kirk plate and have bought plenty of excellent quality plates for my small format cameras off Chinese eBay sellers for around $10. It's a piece of anodized aluminium after all, I don't need it to be Made in Switzerland :)

But I cannot find a flat, large plate with a 3/8" screw at a decent price. Any other cheapskates know where to acquire one?

Thank you and happy shooting.

[polyglot]

A Feisol QP200 looks like it might fit the bill: 1 of 3/8 and 2 of 1/4 screws. I think their system is Arca compatible.

[Otto Seaman]

Are you sure a Deardorff on a ball head is "Really Right"? For the price of the plates you could almost get a solid pan-tilt Ries head that would much better suit your camera.

[Uri A]

polyglot: thanks mate, I'll check those out.

otto: thanks for your feedback and i take your point, but the ball vs pan-tilt vs 3-way debate takes up about half the server space on this forum. let's let it lie. :)

[Ari]

Uri,
There's an eBay seller in Texas who has a lot of Sunwayfoto gear.
It's not bad quality and comes in dozens of configurations and sizes, so you should be able to find the right plate.

[Bob Salomon]

Giotto offers a few with both 1/4 and 3/8" screws + pop-up anti-twist pins.

[vinny]

Many of those chinese plates are cast aluminum fyi.94497 This one is made in my garage in grand rapids michigan and can be had for much less than $75. It's 2& 15/16" long and is tapped for a 3/8" screw.

[cowanw]

Vinney's is nice. I got my Deardorff's 5" plate from
http://www.jobu-design.com/Lensplates_c_13.html
Henry's and B&H carry this manufacturer.
It's worth lookin through their stuff

[Cletus]

Big time second on the Sunwayfoto stuff. Take a look at this: 200641522368

Is this about what you're looking for? SWF might be Chinese, but that seems to carry more weight these days then it used to. Ari's was good advice.