G1570M pan-tilt head with manfrotto QR

[Cristiano Abreu]

Hi to all,
I've been using a heavy duty Gitzo G1378M head to go along with my 4x5'' field camera, since that's what I have for 35mm and MF. However, I'm not pleased with it's sturdiness for LF work (even with my Mamiya RB67, the ball head starts to show it's limitations). I've to squeeze very hard the tension and locking knobs to avoid motion when inserting the film holder. It doesn't feel sturdy enough. Therefore, I've pin-point the G1570M pan-tilt head with its max. loading capacity of 10 kg and, from what I've read, used by a lot with ULF cameras, like 8x10''.
So my question is: has anyone tried to use the G1570M head with a Manfrotto 394 QR adaptor attached? since the Gitzo head is fixed, I would like to find a compatible heavy duty QR system with this head. The large 410PL flat plate that comes with the 394 QR adaptor seems very adequate for LF and MF (at least that's what they advertise). The problem is that I don't know if the two can be matched, i.e. if it's possible to operate the release lever on the 394 because of the very large cork base present on the 1570M and narrow space to reach it, resulting from the large surface of camera bed and low profile of the 394. Sorry for asking this, but since I don't have around a pro camera shop to test and examine the gear, my only option is to blind order the goods from the web.
Thanks for the help,
Cristiano

[David A. Goldfarb]

I used mine with one of the Really Right Stuff lever lock clamps. Most screw lock clamps won't clear the platform, but the Arca-Swiss Quick-Set clamp probably does. I only realized this when I got an Arca-Swiss B2, but by then I was ready to sell the Gitzo head.