RRS L-plate for M9 on other heads / clamps?

[AlfSollund]

Hi,

Anyone with experience from using the RRS L-plate for M9 on other heads or clamps than RRS? I am just about to buy a new head (for my wooden Berlebach tripod), and are interested in hearing all sort of experiences, and in particular how interoperable these Arca Swiss type of plates / clamps are.

For those who wonder; why a tripod for a M9? How about living in an area where the sun is below horizon more than one month  ?

Thanks in advance for possible feedback!

[DavidB]

Not the M9 plate no, but I regularly use my SLRs with RRS L-plates on heads/clamps from RRS, Kirk, Wimberley, and Acratech.
It all Just Works.

[david_duffin]

I've been using the RRS L-plate on M9 for several months, and from my experience much prefer it to the Kirk plate.  The only slight annoyance if you use a camera strap is that one end of the strap attaches to the camera and the other end to the plate so the camera and plate are always kinda married.  But it works fine with Arca products including the cube and the P0 and Z1 ballheads; also with RRS monopod head.  It obviously won't work with the optional Leica-supplied M9 handgrip -- no bother to me because I've found a Thumbs-Up is a more secure grip anyway.

Don't buy a Kirk or Arca-Swiss plate that merely screws into the existing M9 bottom plate!!  If you knock the camera accidentally, or even set it down in a hurry while attached to a monopod or tripod the supplied bottom plate is liable to twist off the camera sideways, leaving it inoperable.   I know that from experience ... and I'd recommend the RRS ...

David

[AlfSollund]

Thanks for feedback!

[Scott O.]

RRS does not recommend using other manufacturers brackets with their lever clamp.  They say the manufacturing tolerances are not close enough and the connection will not be reliable.  They don't say anything about using their brackets with other lever clamps. The screw clamps are not an issue either way, as the screw provides clamp adjustability.