p.3 #1 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Reading all of this begs some questions of OP. Since you don't use L-brackets, what do you currently use your rig for? ie what do you usually shoot?
Sports action togs are either handhold or monopod (where I do use a lever). Landscape shooting can be either but I chose against the lever for security reasons. I almost lost a complete rig when on a ledge overlooking the GC. The camera strap had become engaged with the lever and opened it. Thank heavens I was holding the body at the time. Ever since then its screw and I make sure during setup that it is positioned on the opposite side from the view finder.
p.3 #2 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
you had to use a little bit of force there to lift the lever from it locked position? you didn't notice the ~5lbs of force needed to start the cam to roll?
then there's the getting it engaged while either closing it or when its tucked away
under the clamp itself.
p.3 #4 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
...things get a bit more interesting when setting up to shoot in the pre-dawn including not getting the lever set correctly because a strap was in the way... and like a dummy not verifying.
Lesson learned and not repeated since.
p.3 #5 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
I respect someone who admits to a fault in themselves rather then their gear. but I will say that a screw type clamp has its opportunities built in too.
p.3 #6 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Agreed, they do! It's easy to turn the wrong one when you have your eye in the view finder setting up a shot and what you "thought" was the screw to loosen & rotate the rig turns out to be the clamp screw instead
Ergo, why I always position the clamp screw on the opposite side of the view finder, keeping the rotate one on the same side as me.
Never too old to learn "good" setup techniques - hey, it works for me
p.3 #7 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
schlotz wrote:
Agreed, they do! It's easy to turn the wrong one when you have your eye in the view finder setting up a shot and what you "thought" was the screw to loosen & rotate the rig turns out to be the clamp screw instead
glad I am not the only one who has fumbled with this also. As a safeguard, I put the pins in the plate so my gear can't easily come all the way off the clamp, but this also makes it more cumbersome to put plate on and off
was thinking of putting a rubber band around the knob that releases ball so I can 'feel' my way vs having to take my eye off the viewfinder
p.3 #8 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Another aspect of screw clamps is that you can put a plate in tipped up at one end, and tighten the screw clamp down so that only the tips of the clamp dovetail are clamping the tips of the plate dovetail. If you do that, it feels tight ast you tighten, and the camera or lens can even feel firm when you do a "tug test" after clamping. But then when a larger load occurs, the whole camera or lens and camera can aburptly come loose, and safety screws do no good. I have always used lever clamps for field work, but I know of two people that have had damaged equipment because of screw clamp "events", and they no longer use them.
The way the Really Right Stuff lever clamps close with the two stage clamping will not allow you to do a tip to tip improper clamping, because the clamp lever will not close. You also get feedback in the way it feels as you close the clamp that lets you know it is clamped to a plate. When the lever clamp is closed, the tip of the lever is nicely tucked in under things so it is very hard to get it caught on anything. Clamping so that you have a strap under the lever is possible, but it is fairly easy to check for. And if you use safety screws, you would likely not loose your load if a caught in strap pulled the clamp open, because it would very likely only open the clamp to the half open position.
The lever clamp also clearly is differnt than any other screw knobs on a ball head, so you should not get any knob confused with it, and thus should not end up accidently doing the wrong thing. The only potential confusion for lever clamps is if you are using a lever release clamp on your tripod and RRS dovetail plates on your heads to quickly change between a ball head and a gimbal head. You then might potentially go for the wrong lever, but when you intend to release your load off your ball head, you should have the right grip in place to suppor the load, and thus would likely still be able to support the main load plus the ball head if you released the wrong one. You would look pretty stupid, but likely would not drop the whole load.
p.3 #9 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Rob Tomlin wrote:
The question is which version of the BH-40 to go with? I haven't used either kind, so I don't know what I would prefer in terms of a Lever Release vs the Screw Knob release.
Any advantages or disadvantages to one over the other?
RRS states that 80% of the clamps they sell now are lever release.
I have an old one on my Arca Swiss B1 with a knob I can actually disengage so I don't accidentally open the clamp and dump the gear.
The lever is nice in that there is a half way point that will release pressure and allow you to re-position the gear in the clamp without fully disengaging the clamp from the dovetail. That is what the stops are for on plates so they don't shoot through the clamp. I would call or email RRS if you have non RRS plates (Kirk, Arca, Sunwayfoto, etc) to verify the lever would work with what you have or plan to get.
The knob is nice because you can definitely apply more clamping pressure than the lever does and you can usually accommodate most any Arca Swiss plate because you can close the clamp further than the lever does. However, newer lever clamps, at least the panning clamp, says they have made it so it will accommodate most plates.
I plan to purchase the panning clamp soon and will most likely go with the knob just for my piece of mind. I have a Kirk macro focusing rail that I use for that purpose and as a half assed nodal slider. I can just imagine me doing something stupid and accidentally bumping open a lever clamp!
p.3 #11 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
dwswager wrote:
RRS states that 80% of the clamps they sell now are lever release.
I have an old one on my Arca Swiss B1 with a knob I can actually disengage so I don't accidentally open the clamp and dump the gear.
The lever is nice in that there is a half way point that will release pressure and allow you to re-position the gear in the clamp without fully disengaging the clamp from the dovetail. That is what the stops are for on plates so they don't shoot through the clamp. I would call or email RRS if you have non RRS plates (Kirk, Arca, Sunwayfoto, etc) to verify the lever would work with what you have or plan to get.
The knob is nice because you can definitely apply more clamping pressure than the lever does and you can usually accommodate most any Arca Swiss plate because you can close the clamp further than the lever does. However, newer lever clamps, at least the panning clamp, says they have made it so it will accommodate most plates.
I plan to purchase the panning clamp soon and will most likely go with the knob just for my piece of mind. I have a Kirk macro focusing rail that I use for that purpose and as a half assed nodal slider. I can just imagine me doing something stupid and accidentally bumping open a lever clamp! ...Show more →
actually a lever clamp can apply more clamping pressure then a rotating knob. the average clamping load from a lever is approx 50lbs of force. it has mechanical advantage provided by the lever/cam assy. the only way you can do that with the knob is by using a vise grip on it and use it as a lever.
as to accidently bumping open a lever lock clamp i can safely say you'd have a pretty good challenge on you hands in the RRS clamp case due to its design.
i've been using the lever lock clamp since it arrived years ago. in most cases it is smarter and safer to to use because you know what state its in per the levers very obvious position
p.3 #12 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
I have both lever and knob and all are RRS. I prefer the lever but with an L-bracket and the lever to the front, in portrait orientation my cable release interfere with the lever operation. The only way around this is to rotate the clamp so the lever is at the back. With the knob on my B2 Pro II the knob always goes to the front, as designed, it also saves on dental bills in that configuration.
Looking forward to my D810 L-plate, just shipped, with the sliding feature so the lever can stay at the front.
p.3 #14 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
rprouty wrote:
My wife and I have two identical set ups. Tripods with quick release clamps and Ballheads and Gimbal Heads with plates so we can switch back and forth in a matter of seconds. They're secure with no movement at all. I personally have no use for screw clamps but to each his own.
p.3 #17 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Because of personal mental deficiencies I find that I need to be very deliberate in my actions when suspending $6,000. in breakables five feet above the pavement so I prefer the feedback from the screw clamp.
p.3 #18 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
"the feedback of a screw clamp". so what your saying is you need none at all since there is no visual or real tactile feed back with a screw. the best you get is that it stops turning and you could still be if its off center possibly giving a false indication. since there is no visible indication of the state of the clamp from screw position visually non existent.
a lever cannot be physically closed if the plate is not in the proper location off angle. if the lever swings easily to close it is also because the plate is not seated at all. since the lever is cam actioned and imparts a considerable force on the plate. the is an increace in resistance until it is fully cammed over. the RRS lever lock has lots of visual and tactile cues to tell you go or no go
p.3 #19 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
I have a BH-40. I used a knob-clamp on it for years. Recently, I sent it in for servicing, and had them replace it with a lever clamp.
I think the speed and convenience of the lever vs. knob clamp is a wash. Oh, the lever is definitely faster, but I don't find myself taking the camera on and off the tripod all *that* often for it to make a difference. Sure, I shave second off with the lever, and I suppose over the next several decades those seconds will add up ... but not enough to obsess over.
I use RRS plates, and cannot see any noticeable or perceptible difference is clamping power. So I think that argument against the lever is largely without too much bite (personally).
BUT I do think think the lever is less safe than the knob in one other respect. Not for lack of clamping power, but because it is so much easier to get the lever caught on something --- a sleeve, a branch, a loose strap --- and have it flip open. Now, the way it is designed, it probably will not flip open all the way accidentally, but it could conceivably get to the halfway position, which means the camera will not drop out, but it can slide out. It would be a nice if there was a lock to keep the lever close, or some sort of button to depress before the lever can be opened. Having said this, I will add that that the camera has not only never dropped out, but never slid out either: while I did manage to accidentally flip open the lever, I never got it to even the half-way point so the grip of the clamp never released, and as I noticed it right away, I just flipped the lever closed without incident.
I also find *both* lever and knobs interfere with the the TS-E 24's knobs when the lever or knob is in front. The lever less so than the knob, of course, but just as annoying.
p.3 #20 · Quick Release Clamp: Lever Release or Screw Knob Release?
Just wanted to add that I switched from a knob-clamp to a lever-clamp not because of any particular issues with a knob-clamp, but because I wanted to try out the lever. For what it's worth, my next ballhead will have a knob-clamp.
RRS are not exactly the most costly heads, but the clunkiness of the 55 does remind one of an old Rolls. Maybe that makes Arca the Merc/BMW?