[cyclone3d]

I currently have a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod and head. The head is a 3047 with the hexagonal quick release plate.

Only problem with that plate is that I need more than one plate and they are not cheap. ($15-20 a pop)

I am looking for recommendations for quick release adapters that are well built as well as have release plates that are not expensive.

[jatrax]

I would recommend looking into Arca/Swiss compatible adapters and plates. Unfortunately they are not always cheap, though ebay can be your friend. But they are as close to a standard as we have and there is a wide variety of accessories and many different manufacturers using that standard. They do cost up front, but you never have to change if you get a new tripod.

[cyclone3d]

Thanks!. Looking into them now.

[excanonfd]

I currently have a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod and head. The head is a 3047 with the hexagonal quick release plate.

Only problem with that plate is that I need more than one plate and they are not cheap. ($15-20 a pop)

I am looking for recommendations for quick release adapters that are well built as well as have release plates that are not expensive.

$15-20 is the going rate for any quick release plate whether it's Manfrotto or the generic Arca-Swiss system. With the Arca-Swiss system, there are so much variations between one generic manufacturer to another, that the only safe bet, 100% compatibility exist if you buy the genuine Arca-Swiss brand tripod system. Not so different from the proprietary Manfrotto system, eh? Except that I have never encountered any incompatibility problem with generic RC-2 plates for Manfrotto heads.

[jatrax]

With the Arca-Swiss system, there are so much variations between one generic manufacturer to another, that the only safe bet, 100% compatibility exist if you buy the genuine Arca-Swiss brand tripod system.

Must disagree with this. I have A/S plates and clamps from at least 5 different manufacturers and they all work just fine interchangeably. I have an Acratech ball head, a GH1 Gimbal head, and several generic ebay clamps and plates from Kirk, Acratech, Markins and three different ebay sellers. I assume somewhere there is an incompatible plate but I have not found one yet.

And an added benefit is that some Sigma lenses have an A/S compatible plate built right into the tripod foot.

[cyclone3d]

$15-20 is the going rate for any quick release plate whether it's Manfrotto or the generic Arca-Swiss system. With the Arca-Swiss system, there are so much variations between one generic manufacturer to another, that the only safe bet, 100% compatibility exist if you buy the genuine Arca-Swiss brand tripod system. Not so different from the proprietary Manfrotto system, eh? Except that I have never encountered any incompatibility problem with generic RC-2 plates for Manfrotto heads.

Arca-Swiss compatible plates can be had for as low as $5 shipped on Ebay although the $6.98 ones are more likely what I would buy for general use.

I am working on piecing together a panoramic attachment for my tripod and would rather go with something like Arca-Swiss compatible than trying to hunt down an adapter that can use the hexagonal Bogen plates.

I've only got a single Bogen plate, so switching is not going to put me back anything.

[excanonfd]

Must disagree with this. I have A/S plates and clamps from at least 5 different manufacturers and they all work just fine interchangeably. I have an Acratech ball head, a GH1 Gimbal head, and several generic ebay clamps and plates from Kirk, Acratech, Markins and three different ebay sellers. I assume somewhere there is an incompatible plate but I have not found one yet.

And an added benefit is that some Sigma lenses have an A/S compatible plate built right into the tripod foot.

I have a no-name A/S ball head, I had a Dolica CF tripod with A/S ball head and I have a Nikon Hand Grip with A/S plate. None of these three plates will work on either of the ball heads. Perhaps with the higher end manufacturers there is good chance of compatibility but it isn't quite as universal as you might have thought, certainly not in the budget brands.

Arca-Swiss compatible plates can be had for as low as $5 shipped on Ebay although the $6.98 ones are more likely what I would buy for general use.

I am working on piecing together a panoramic attachment for my tripod and would rather go with something like Arca-Swiss compatible than trying to hunt down an adapter that can use the hexagonal Bogen plates.

I've only got a single Bogen plate, so switching is not going to put me back anything.

The 3047 head has been discontinued for some time, this was my first serious tripod head purchase along with the 028 and 055 legs for large format use, 30 years ago. It still works but it's big and bulky, so it has been paired with the 028 legs which my niece uses for her video shoots. It is rather hard to find the hexagonal plates for the 3047 head and if you think it's a good time to change the head to an Arca Swiss compatible head by all means go ahead, but an A/S head that has same weight capacity as the 3047 is not going to be cheap. And as I've pointed out to jatrax, some of the cheaper A/S plates plates are not always compatible.

Take a look at the prices of the heads offered by the three brands Jatrax has cited, they are not inexpensive. It's ironic that you were unhappy about spending 15-20 bucks for a quick release plate on a discontinued head and here you are ready to spend some serious bucks on a well built but completely different tripod head system - just so that you can get some quick release plates for $6.98?

[jatrax]

I have a no-name A/S ball head, I had a Dolica CF tripod with A/S ball head and I have a Nikon Hand Grip with A/S plate. None of these three plates will work on either of the ball heads. Perhaps with the higher end manufacturers there is good chance of compatibility but it isn't quite as universal as you might have thought, certainly not in the budget brands.

Sorry you have had a bad experience but seriously A/S is the (nearly) universal standard. And the gear I have is mostly cheap ebay stuff plus the name brand ball heads and camera plates. No point in an argument, obviously you like Manfrotto, I do too for legs, I have the 055CXPRO, but for clamps and plates I do not want to be tied to any one manufacturer. Price is really not the issue for me I just do not want to have to start over if I change heads. And with three cameras multiple tripods and mono-pods, flexibility is very important to me. If had only one tripod, it likely would not matter and I would be perfectly happy with a Manfrotto setup. But with A/S my wife and I can swap gear anyway we want and it all works. I actually started with a Manfrotto all in one, my wife mostly uses it now, with an A/S clamp on top of the Manfrotto clamp, looks silly but it works.

[excanonfd]

I agree, that A/S is THE near universal standard. I trust Manfrotto, after all I've used their products for over 30 years. That is not to say that everything they make is good - most of their budget ball heads are junk. They're mid-quality and accordingly priced that suit my middling needs. If I ever invest in a gimbal head, a long A/S plate would be the only way to go. When that happens, I'll get a couple of good quality A/S clamps and permanently mount them on RC-2, and RC-4 plates that I use at the moment. I just haven't felt the need for an A/S system, yet.

[cyclone3d]

I have a no-name A/S ball head, I had a Dolica CF tripod with A/S ball head and I have a Nikon Hand Grip with A/S plate. None of these three plates will work on either of the ball heads. Perhaps with the higher end manufacturers there is good chance of compatibility but it isn't quite as universal as you might have thought, certainly not in the budget brands.



The 3047 head has been discontinued for some time, this was my first serious tripod head purchase along with the 028 and 055 legs for large format use, 30 years ago. It still works but it's big and bulky, so it has been paired with the 028 legs which my niece uses for her video shoots. It is rather hard to find the hexagonal plates for the 3047 head and if you think it's a good time to change the head to an Arca Swiss compatible head by all means go ahead, but an A/S head that has same weight capacity as the 3047 is not going to be cheap. And as I've pointed out to jatrax, some of the cheaper A/S plates plates are not always compatible.

Take a look at the prices of the heads offered by the three brands Jatrax has cited, they are not inexpensive. It's ironic that you were unhappy about spending 15-20 bucks for a quick release plate on a discontinued head and here you are ready to spend some serious bucks on a well built but completely different tripod head system - just so that you can get some quick release plates for $6.98?

I am not planning on replacing the current head. I just wanted to mount an adapter on top of the current quick release plate so I can use easier to get / cheaper plates.

[cpk]

Two things about the Manfrotto RC2 quick release plate is that it is small and BlackRapid has an adapter for it. I leave them on my camera bodies all the time now and use BlackRapid straps for carrying the cameras over my shoulder.