Question about the QR on Vanguard ball heads

jswilson64 · 01-07-2016, 12:25 PM

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It appears that the ball head included in the Alta Pro "kit" tripods is NOT Arca-Swiss compatible - is this correct?

Is it possible to remove the QR clamp part and attach a different, Arca-swiss compatible clamp?

Thanks.

excanonfd · 01-07-2016, 02:21 PM

Hard to say whether an AS plate will fit in place of the Vanguard oem QR plate or not, the clamp portion looks a lot like an AS clamp. Why don't you try mounting an AS plate on the head? If it isn't compatible, you can buy this: Clamp FOR Quick Release Plate Compatible Arca Swiss Tripod Ball Head QR50 | eBay and mount it on the Vanguard QR plate to get AS compatibility.

jswilson64 · 01-07-2016, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by excanonfd

Hard to say whether an AS plate will fit in place of the Vanguard oem QR plate or not, the clamp portion looks a lot like an AS clamp. Why don't you try mounting an AS plate on the head? If it isn't compatible, you can buy this: Clamp FOR Quick Release Plate Compatible Arca Swiss Tripod Ball Head QR50 | eBay and mount it on the Vanguard QR plate to get AS compatibility.

That's what I was trying to ask - Reviews say the plate that comes with the SBH-100 is bigger than an AS plate. I'm assuming the clamp part just unscrews from the ball stem, just trying to confirm that before buying.

Thanks!

**Scorpio71GR** · 01-07-2016, 03:27 PM

Originally posted by jswilson64

It appears that the ball head included in the Alta Pro "kit" tripods is NOT Arca-Swiss compatible - is this correct?

Is it possible to remove the QR clamp part and attach a different, Arca-swiss compatible clamp?

Thanks.

Vanguard tripods are not Acra-Swiss compatible. I have Alta Pro 263AB and it will not take a Acra-Swiss plates. I use this as a lightweight travel tripod so me this is not an issue. In my opinion this is the single biggest downfall of these tripods.

Last edited by Scorpio71GR; 01-08-2016 at 05:40 PM.

bertwert · 01-08-2016, 07:58 AM

Originally posted by Scorpio71GR

Vanguard tripods are Acra-Swiss compatible.

Originally posted by Scorpio71GR

I have Alta Pro 263AB and it will not take a Acra-Swiss plates.

You are contradicting yourself...

**gaweidert** · 01-08-2016, 09:22 AM

Older version of the Vanguard ball heads are not Arca compatible. I believe that the latest versions are. This all seemed to change after right after I got my Vanguard ball heads. The heads themselves are smooth and work well for me

jswilson64 · 01-08-2016, 11:41 AM

I got more info from Vanguard. The SBH heads are NOT arca-compatible. But, the QR plate-clamp-thingy-part that attaches to the ball is removable via an Allen head screw. So you can put on an Arca-compatible plate-clamp-doohickey of your choice.

Or you could do what I think I'm going to do after all this, and buy a Sirui, with (they claim) arca-compatibility out of the box.

01-07-2016, 12:25 PM	#1
jswilson64 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: wilson_j_s@sbcglobal.net Photos: Albums Posts: 118	Question about the QR on Vanguard ball heads Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. It appears that the ball head included in the Alta Pro "kit" tripods is NOT Arca-Swiss compatible - is this correct? Is it possible to remove the QR clamp part and attach a different, Arca-swiss compatible clamp? Thanks.

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01-07-2016, 02:21 PM	#2
excanonfd Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,421	Hard to say whether an AS plate will fit in place of the Vanguard oem QR plate or not, the clamp portion looks a lot like an AS clamp. Why don't you try mounting an AS plate on the head? If it isn't compatible, you can buy this: Clamp FOR Quick Release Plate Compatible Arca Swiss Tripod Ball Head QR50 \| eBay and mount it on the Vanguard QR plate to get AS compatibility.

01-07-2016, 02:26 PM	#3
jswilson64 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: wilson_j_s@sbcglobal.net Photos: Albums Posts: 118 Original Poster	Originally posted by excanonfd Hard to say whether an AS plate will fit in place of the Vanguard oem QR plate or not, the clamp portion looks a lot like an AS clamp. Why don't you try mounting an AS plate on the head? If it isn't compatible, you can buy this: Clamp FOR Quick Release Plate Compatible Arca Swiss Tripod Ball Head QR50 \| eBay and mount it on the Vanguard QR plate to get AS compatibility. That's what I was trying to ask - Reviews say the plate that comes with the SBH-100 is bigger than an AS plate. I'm assuming the clamp part just unscrews from the ball stem, just trying to confirm that before buying. Thanks!

01-07-2016, 03:27 PM	#4
Scorpio71GR Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Michigan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,005	Originally posted by jswilson64 It appears that the ball head included in the Alta Pro "kit" tripods is NOT Arca-Swiss compatible - is this correct? Is it possible to remove the QR clamp part and attach a different, Arca-swiss compatible clamp? Thanks. Vanguard tripods are not Acra-Swiss compatible. I have Alta Pro 263AB and it will not take a Acra-Swiss plates. I use this as a lightweight travel tripod so me this is not an issue. In my opinion this is the single biggest downfall of these tripods. Last edited by Scorpio71GR; 01-08-2016 at 05:40 PM.

01-08-2016, 07:58 AM	#5
bertwert Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Golden, BC Posts: 15,173	Originally posted by Scorpio71GR Vanguard tripods are Acra-Swiss compatible. Originally posted by Scorpio71GR I have Alta Pro 263AB and it will not take a Acra-Swiss plates. You are contradicting yourself...

01-08-2016, 09:22 AM	#6
gaweidert Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Rochester, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,325	Older version of the Vanguard ball heads are not Arca compatible. I believe that the latest versions are. This all seemed to change after right after I got my Vanguard ball heads. The heads themselves are smooth and work well for me

01-08-2016, 11:41 AM	#7
jswilson64 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: wilson_j_s@sbcglobal.net Photos: Albums Posts: 118 Original Poster	I got more info from Vanguard. The SBH heads are NOT arca-compatible. But, the QR plate-clamp-thingy-part that attaches to the ball is removable via an Allen head screw. So you can put on an Arca-compatible plate-clamp-doohickey of your choice. Or you could do what I think I'm going to do after all this, and buy a Sirui, with (they claim) arca-compatibility out of the box.