WillWeb wrote:
I'm confused. I thought I remembered reading that one of the advantages of the RRS lever clamp over a screw clamp was that this couldn't happen; either the dovertail is fully engaged in the clamp, or the lever won't close. Did I misunderstand? I've been thinking about getting a lever clamp (currently have a Kirk screw clamp) but this could change things.
Hmmm...I've never heard that myself...all I know is that incident swore me off lever clamps forever. I only use screw style clamps now.
hfillmore wrote:
What happened was this: Instead of the camera plate going into the groove of the Markins screw clamp, it just caught the edge of the clamp. I tightened the clamp and it felt secure, but it wasn't. Happened at least 3 times. This is impossible to happen with the RRS lever clamp, since the tolerance is so tight, the the lever simply will not close if the camera plate is not in the slot of the clamp. The tolerance with the Markins screw clamp is huge - you can open the clamp much wider than the camera plate. When you close it, it's possible to catch the camera plate just on the edge, and tighten it really tight, not realizing that you've only caught it on the edge. Spooky. This always seemed to happen early in the morning, before sunrise, when the light was dim, and I was going by feel.
Is it possible that one side of the plate was entirely out of the lever clamp when you closed it? It seems to me that would be the more likely scenario with a lever clamp, while partial engagement as Harvey describes would be more likely with a screw clamp.
Roland W wrote:
And I can confirm from quite a bit of use that it works great with a remote attached on RSS lever and screw clamps. It is quick and easy to slide the bracket over and secure it in place. The fit is close, and you need to tuck the rubber cover in just right to keep it out of the way. I do remember that there may be an issue with some third party remote connectors fitting and working ok, but the real Canon remotes and the extension cable all work fine. I am on my 5th Canon where I have owned the RSS L bracket for the camera, and I have been extremely happy with every one of them.
You are going to love your 5D mkII for fall color. Have fun. ...Show more →
I have no problem with either my canon remote nor my dinky generic one. You have to tuck that rubber flap just right but it works. I should know, I do a lot of real estate work with vr tours in portrait with that same exact combo.
matanuska wrote:
Hmmm...I've never heard that myself...all I know is that incident swore me off lever clamps forever. I only use screw style clamps now.
I don't know how he managed to do that but it sounds like operator error to me. He probably had it in the halfway closed position not the fully closed position. There's no way that could happen if it was used correctly. My RRS BH-55 ballhead an lever clamp are some of my best investments ever IMO.
TTLKurtis wrote:
I don't know how he managed to do that but it sounds like operator error to me. He probably had it in the halfway closed position not the fully closed position. There's no way that could happen if it was used correctly. My RRS BH-55 ballhead an lever clamp are some of my best investments ever IMO.
No question it was human error in my case...from what I can tell I probably had the plate tipped so one edge of the dovetail wasn't engaged at all. You guys are right that should one get the dovetail somehow cokeyed in a lever clamp, it won't close at all. But in my case, the lever closed all the way with no indication to me that the dovetail wasn't even in the slot. My point is that at least with a screw clamp, I can positively FEEL if I'm actually tightening down on anything, or just screwing the clamp down on empty space. Maybe it's just a psychological thing now, but I never trust levers any more.
OK, from what I'm understanding user error is possible with either style clamp. With a screw clamp, it's possible to engage the lip of the clamp on one side and not know it (Harvey); with the lever it's possible to entirely miss one side and not know it (matanuska). Making the habit of giving the rig a quick jiggle should reveal the latter but may not reveal the former, so the lever would seem safer to me than the screw clamp.
Levers are so much more convenient, but either one requires being mindful. Just latch and tug on it slightly before letting go. It's like that guy who was ballistic about having not noticed a screw had come loose in his Gitzo and called it a critical design flaw.
On a RSS lever clamp, if one side of the plate or bracket is not in the dove tail when you close the lever to the final lock positon, you will feel the difference. The lever will close way too easy, and not require the usual push to get it to go to the locked positon. So you get the same feedback of feel on the lever clamp also.
Pulling on the camera or lens just after clamping for either type of clamp should become habit, and you should get mad at your self if you skip doing that. I was paranoid about lever clamps when I started using them about 4 years ago, and my "lock and pull" habit I started out with has stayed with me. It is kind of like "trust but verify".
If you use a neck strap on your gear, that can also be added to the drill. Start with the neckstrap on your neck. Mount your gear, lock the lever, pull on the gear, and then remove the neck strap from your neck. That helps with if you just plain loose your grip on things before a successful lock. Obviously reverse the process for removing gear from the clamp. And one final note about straps and lever clamps. It is possible to get a strap in the wrong place and have it end up behind the lever clamp lever, where it could end up pulling the clamp open. That is about the only way to have a clamp open by accident, and I have done that on occasion. But the clamp only opens half way, so you do not easily loose your gear. You often feel the strap in the way of the lever when you close it, but you can miss it. So a visual check of the clamp lever once locked is advised, but I often don't do that, even though I should.
I use RSS lever clamps on all my heads, on my monopod, and even have one added to my Wimberley. I have many many successful clamps for L bracket changes, and very many for quick mounting or dismounting of my 300 f2.8 on my Wimberley for catching fast action that requires a hand hold. I have never dropped any gear, but have had the feel on the lever test tell me I missed the clamp a fair number of times. I have only actually needed the pull test to tell me I missed a couple of times.
