Arca-Swiss clamp and plate cross-compatibility is a well-known issue among camera manufacturers. There are dozens of manufacturers in the marketplace and 2 distinctly different variations on the style.
The original Arca-Swiss plate and clamps (as on the Arca-Swiss B1 ballhead) is followed very closely by most Chinese and Pacific Rim manufacturers such as Markins, Giotto, Vanguard, Sunwayfoto, etc. These generally feature a thinner plate (with a shallow V-groove with a 45 degree included angle, so the plate can only be mounted from the bottom into a clamp).
North American manufacturers (Jobu Design, Kirk Enterprises, Really Right Stuff, Acra-Tech) have moved away from the original design and approach a different \'standard\'. Plates appear to be commonly sourced from 1.5\" wide by 3/8\" aluminum stock (give or take) and (usually) have a full 90 degree V-groove (dovetail) on the edges of the plates. This allows the clamps to be installed on the bottom or the top of the plate.
Nov 10, 2014 at 06:44 PM
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