Quick Release

C

carbon3c

Active member
I'm looking for a good quick release.

I bought a Manfrotto 323 RC2, but parts of it drop below the bottom surface and it doesn't work on wide surfaces like the Glidecam HD-2000 plate.

I bought a Manfrotto 394 RC4, but it blocks the battery door from fully opening on the GH2.

I'd like to find something that fits all my equipment, not only so I can easily change the battery, but also so I can quickly move between my glidecam, tripod, and slider.

I plan to buy multiple QR bases and put them on all my equipment, but I'm wasting a lot of time and money trying to find the right QR that works on flat surfaces, and narrow enough that it doesn't block the battery door.

Anyone know of one that works?
 
I first started using the Manfrotto 394 because it came with my Zacuto Tactical Shooter. At first, I was annoyed that it prevented the battery door from fully opening. But, in practice, I've found it to be a relatively minor thing. Takes a total of about 40 seconds to remove and replace the plate. And how often do you need to change batteries? The 394 is a great little quick release. I now have 8 of them.
 
I usually have to change the battery several times in a twelve hour shoot.

Why use a quick release if you're going to unscrew it all the time?
 
The Manfrotto 394 would be perfect if it allowed the battery door to open. Something just like it, but slightly narrower....
 
carbon3c said:
I usually have to change the battery several times in a twelve hour shoot.

Why use a quick release if you're going to unscrew it all the time?
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Have never had a 12 hour shoot, thank god. :) I see your point when doing marathon shoots like that.

That Cullmann is sure one tiny plate at 42mm square. How do you find the stability and build quality on that unit, Neil? Do you need to reach in under the GH1 to access the release?
 
If you just drop the camera in the quick release assembly there is some wiggle until you give the latch a squeeze, and it's locked in there. With a follow focus, the quick release doesn't show a bit of movement, and I have no worries holding the camera upside down.

The release/locking latch comes out as far as the LCD. When you swing the LCD screen open the latch can be seen a little more than 1/3 of an inch, and then your thumb would have to reach under the GH1 to fully release.

I only use this quick release on smaller things though: bare camera, sound recorder, ball head to hot shoe, israeli arm, and gorillapod. I use the larger, more common Manfrotto 577 however for rig to tripod, slider to tripod, or rig to Manfrotto tripod head on slider.
 
Neil Camero said:
If you just drop the camera in the quick release assembly there is some wiggle until you give the latch a squeeze, and it's locked in there. With a follow focus, the quick release doesn't show a bit of movement, and I have no worries holding the camera upside down.

The release/locking latch comes out as far as the LCD. When you swing the LCD screen open the latch can be seen a little more than 1/3 of an inch, and then your thumb would have to reach under the GH1 to fully release.

I only use this quick release on smaller things though: bare camera, sound recorder, ball head to hot shoe, israeli arm, and gorillapod. I use the larger, more common Manfrotto 577 however for rig to tripod, slider to tripod, or rig to Manfrotto tripod head on slider.
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Thanks for the detailed info, Neil. That Cullmann looks like it would work well for the types of uses you listed.

However, I was looking for a quick release that would work universally for me no matter what I was mounting the camera on or which camera I was using. Already had both the 501 and 577 plates, but don't really consider them as qualifying as a "quick" releases compared to the 394 since you need to slide them in and out and they frequently bind (at least for me). Whereas the 394 lifts on and off.

I currently use the 394 with a Gorillapod Focus, GlideTrack, Zacuto rig, Manfrotto telephoto lens support, and various Sachtler, Libec and Manfrotto heads. The 394 allows me to quickly and easily mount any camera I have to any of those devices. And that includes GH1, GH2 and AF100s.

I've found the 394 to be a fast and sturdy quick release that provides a reasonably broad and stable surface, and is adaptable to any mounting situation I've come across. All things considered, needing to occasionally remove the plate to change a battery is a relatively minor thing for me since I rarely need to change batteries more than once during a shoot. And, as I mentioned before, removing and replacing the 394 plate only adds about 40 seconds to the whole battery changing process.
 
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Well I dont have a GH2 yet but I was planning on using this Tekkeon Battery with the GH2 DC Coupler for my power needs.
I would velcro it to this Sennheiser Shoe adapter and place it in the GH2's shoe mount.
That way I have 12+ hours of power without any battery changes at all.

If I wanted to take it a step further I was gonna put the GH2 on the Kirk Action Grip and use the provided 1/4-20 mount to hold the battery via the Sennheiser adapter and free up the shoe mount for a Mic.
Kirk sellls an add on arm for the action grip as well which means I can mount another 1/4-20 device like a Tascam DR-100.
I'd put the mic on the shoemount plus a lav receiver with this Cool Lux Shoemount.
It'll have onboard sound that with a simple Sescom Cable can feed audio from the Tascam straight into the GH2 (so no syncing in post).

The result of all this is a *planned* handheld rig that is the same weight as the DVX100B with Wide Angle Adapter and Lav Receiver.
Great for Run and Gun or documentary work with a Lumix Lens, even tripod work as the Tascam provides the XLR option for putting the mic on a boompole without having to run double system sound.
It has seperate Line and Headphone outputs so you can monitor audio while feeding the GH2.
This rig also means no battery changes for the day and allows you to use any quick release system you want (I like the Manfrotto 577PL)
I hope to turn the GH2 into something like a handheld DVX with HD, shallow dept of field, onboard audio and no battery changes for the day.
(The Tascam comes with a removable 5 hour lithium battery with ability to add AA batteries)

What do ya'll think?
 
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tflak said:
Thanks for the detailed info, Neil. That Cullmann looks like it would work well for the types of uses you listed.

However, I was looking for a quick release that would work universally for me no matter what I was mounting the camera on or which camera I was using. Already had both the 501 and 577 plates, but don't really consider them as qualifying as a "quick" releases compared to the 394 since you need to slide them in and out and they frequently bind (at least for me). Whereas the 394 lifts on and off.

I currently use the 394 with a Gorillapod Focus, GlideTrack, Zacuto rig, Manfrotto telephoto lens support, and various Sachtler, Libec and Manfrotto heads. The 394 allows me to quickly and easily mount any camera I have to any of those devices. And that includes GH1, GH2 and AF100s.

I've found the 394 to be a fast and sturdy quick release that provides a reasonably broad and stable surface, and is adaptable to any mounting situation I've come across. All things considered, needing to occasionally remove the plate to change a battery is a relatively minor thing for me since I rarely need to change batteries more than once during a shoot. And, as I mentioned before, removing and replacing the 394 plate only adds about 40 seconds to the whole battery changing process.
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tflak, Would you please explain how the 394 attaches do various heads? Will it attach to my 701HDV and Gitzo G2380 heads?

Also, some of the reviews I read complain about it jamming up or being difficult to use. Have you had that problrm?

Thanks for your help.
 
slickh said:
tflak, Would you please explain how the 394 attaches do various heads? Will it attach to my 701HDV and Gitzo G2380 heads?

Also, some of the reviews I read complain about it jamming up or being difficult to use. Have you had that problrm?

Thanks for your help.
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I use it with the 701HDV, but am not familiar with the Gitzo unit so can't comment on that one.

Attaching it to the 701's plate is a simple matter of just screwing it on. I did make one small adaption on the 701 by "drilling a hole" in the 394 base to accommodate the anti-twist pin on the 701. This is actually not a big deal since the hole was basically already there on the 394 -- it was simply a matter of quickly punching it all the way through using a drill. Note that this doesn't need to be done to attach it since the pin retracts if all you want to do is attach the 394 without the anti-twist feature. Haven't run across anything yet that I haven't been able to easily attach the 394 to.

Have never had one jam. However, I can see how it might be described as difficult to use in one way -- when you detach the camera you need to pull the release all the way toward you until it locks in position; ready to be used again. If you fail to "cock" it by doing that, the release will spring to the front of the plate and then it's not possible to re-attach the camera until you've pulled the release back into position. When I first started using the 394 I found that to be a little annoying. But it's really just a simple matter of getting into the habit of fully pulling the release back when taking the camera off. Which doesn't detract at all from the speed of the release process. It's kind of like making sure a gear is fully engaged before releasing a clutch, only simpler. And it's really easy to tell at a glance whether the release is in the right position so you're not left fumbling around wondering why it doesn't seem to be working.

Hope this helps.
 
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