Quick release

[thegrump]

I have a quick release plate on my camera. There appears to be a lot of movement between the plate and the camera. Is this normal, should I discard the plate. etc etc.

[ameerat42]

You screw the plate to the camera base, then you insert the plate back onto the tripod and LOCK it in (somehow).
Does the camera NOT screw tightly onto the base? Post a pic/link of same for clarification. (Alt: have you heard of Super Glue)
Am(joking, of course!)

[ricktas]

As Am says, you have to screw the plate in tight to the base of the camera, and get into the habit of checking it, cause like any screw/bolt system, it can work itself loose.

[thegrump]

OK ..... I will use a bigger scewdriver. THANKS

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still moving
DSC_1366a.jpg

[ricktas]

OK ..... I will use a bigger scewdriver. THANKS

what brand of plate is it? Most use a foldable wing nut type method of tightening the plate to the camera base.

[thegrump]

DSC_1375a.jpg

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just found a split washer on the screw. I think this might be stopping the screw from tightening. I will do some modifications

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no made no difference. BUT I did put the screw into the camera and I think the screw is coming to the end of the hole and the gap left is wider that the plate. So I will put a washer under the screw head and see.

[Redgums]

The split washer is to stop it coming loose. It should flatten out completely when done up properly and should not impede the camera attaching to the plate.

Are you sure the movement isn't where the plate attaches to the tripod head?

[ameerat42]

...Are you sure the movement isn't where the plate attaches to the tripod head?...

And, if the movement is from what Redgums suggested, where is this split washer anyway? I can't see it in the pic you posted. I would
have expected it to be between the head of the screw shown here and the base of the plate (also shown here). But either it's
under a Klingon cloaking field or it's in some other way invisible.

[thegrump]

Ok have it all out....No the washer is not the problem, it is there to stop the screw from coming out. I thought it might be in a groove, but it is free moving up and down the screw. The problem is when the screw is tight in the camera, the distance from the camera to the under side of the screw is too large and is not sufficient to tighten the plate to the camera. Solution thin washer under head of screw.

DSC_1376a.jpg

[ricktas]

Where did you get this plate from? Sounds like a cheaply made knock-off.

[ameerat42]

I wonder if you could either:
1. Place an extra washer on the screw shaft and then crimp that one you show back in place so it stays there, or,
2. Throw the thing away.

One of these would surely solve the problem??

[arthurking83]

...... The problem is when the screw is tight in the camera, the distance from the camera to the under side of the screw is too large and is not sufficient to tighten the plate to the camera. Solution thin washer under head of screw.

.....

Yep! the thin washer under the screw head is one solution BUT!! you also need to watch for clearance between the screw head and the base of the tripod head's base plate too.
If it has worked for 'ya then all good.
Looking at the screw head tho, I'd be inclined to go to the local screw shop and acquire a new screw that fits more perfectly!

If you don't have anything local ..... Keable's in the city is a good source. Don't bother with Bunnings/Masters/etc type large hardware stores .. they're pretty useless with this sort of hardware.

I do know of a fastener shop not far from Greensborough, in Eltham .. just can't remember the name of the shop exactly. It's around the Peel St area of Eltham near the Bunnings.


EDIT: I misspelled Keables originally, and a quick search just now revealed that they may have moved from the City to West Footscray too.

[thegrump]

The tripod was left to me by an old friend who passed away some years back. She was an Ivanhoe lady from an well to do English family, and was not known as one to buy cheap. I only discovered the tripod recently and it had the quick release, but there was no base. I searched all over Melbourne for a base. I found a compatible one on a tripod in a camera shop, but he did not have just a base. I took the name ( which I have forgotten ) and contacted the manufacturer. They told me they had none at this stage but were expecting some in shortly. I then found the base on a movie camera she also gave me. The tripod is far superior to the one I was using, but may still not be of the best quality. Before anyone tells me to go out and buy a good one, I do not have the money.



DSC_1377a.jpg

[arthurking83]

TG!

some naming conventions for'ya to help us help you:

the top of the tripod is called the head.
The one you display here has an integrated head.
I can't confirm it, but this one looks like a two way tilt/pan head.

At the very top of the tripod head(the recessed part) is called the clamp

The plate that inserts into the clamp recess, which you attach to your camera is simply called the plate .. or quick release plate .. sometimes abbreviated to QR plate.

Going by the design, I'd say it's very Velbon like in it's overall look. Velbon make consumer oriented tripods, generally at the cheaper end of the spectrum.
Don't worry about spending money on a tripod(yet), you may not necessarily need one .. but you may!

When you say you went looking for a base, I suspect that you went looking for a plate. . or QR plate.
Try the Velbon type if you're still looking for one.

Back onto your issue.
If you have a way to measure the depth of the screw recess on your camera, you may find that it's just over 6mm deep. (about 6.2mm or so)
So you don't want the QR plate bolt to protrude any further than that, and in fact you want some headroom, so you need to get the bolt protrusion to about 5mm or less.

You should at least have the ability to measure the bolt's protrusion from the top surface of the QR clamp .. even if it's not exactly exact!
Is it 5mm is it 6mm .. or more? hold the bolt flush into it's recess in the QR plate and measure the protrusion of the thread.
You want to reduce it if it's more, but as I said earlier .. don't over do it and have the bolt on the lower side of the QR plate interfere with the tripod head's clamp either!

[thegrump]

Small washer out of the shed....................ALL FIXED

[ameerat42]

GOOD! A pic?

[Mary Anne]

Good to see you have finally worked it out, amazing what you can find in your Shed.