Manfrotto 488 Plate Selection

[blackdrakes]

Need Help from pros,
I'm planning to get the manfrotto 488 head but i don't know which plate is the one i should choose.
There are 3 types to choose from

488 Rc0 has a hex plate. ( is there a difference between hex plate and the normal ones?)

488 Rc2 has the normal plate.

488 Rc4 has the Low profile head. ( i think it's slimmer)

Or should i get just the 488 and get a seperate quick release plate?

What are the pros and cons of each plates?
really lost here. All i know is 488Rc2 is cheapest. haha.
Would love everyone's inputs..

Tia..

 

[blackdrakes]

No coments?

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Is depending what you going to use for base on your equipments and set up..

all look oK for me..
I'm using 488RC2... is good for me...
but for 488RC4 is c/w 2 bubble spirit levels so that will be useful...

So see which one you need the most lor... :sweatsm:

 

[blackdrakes]

Hey Rubber_Duck, thanks for your reply.
Care to share how much you bought the 488rc2 for?
thanks

 

[sojourn88]

hi
Depends alot on the budget and how much weight u are prepared to carry. For me size and weight is of paramount importance, I would not like to carry another additional 100g during my travels. if you have 3 lens to bring, you may want to buy additional 2 plates, and if you choose a expensive plate you will have to pay for it for those additional plates.

One observation: The RC0 with its hex plate seems that it will have a longer lifespan, considering that it has more sides to for securing with the cam. As you know the material is normally aluminium and as you use it, there are some wear and tear, hence more sides increase its lifespan.

 

[psychobiologist]

when i tried the hex plate it didnt feel/seem right on my camera! i think it would be a better fit for medium format

went with the RC2, and is happy w/o a gigantic setup. if using a big telephoto, i think other QR systems may be better than manfrots

 

[dEthANGeL]

I'll give my insight for the RC0.

I used to own a 488RC0 + 190Pro.

Very solid and stable setup. I kinda miss it (but i don't miss the weight).

The RC0 is relatively a very secure and stable setup for heavy setups. Most people i've encountered says that the RC0 is for medium formats.

It served my setup then, really well. There was simply no creep with heavier lenses (70-200 /2.8 IS with flash .. sometimes even a TC added. Also tested with a 100-400.) No issues. Not like the flimsy RC2 plates which till this day - give me a big load of headaches.

I've switched to the arca swiss system now as I really got fed up with the RC2 variants.

Good luck.

 

[Rubber_Duck]

Hey Rubber_Duck, thanks for your reply.
Care to share how much you bought the 488rc2 for?
thanks

I got it at abt $150...:think:

 

[denniskee]

I'll give my insight for the RC0.

I used to own a 488RC0 + 190Pro.

Very solid and stable setup. I kinda miss it (but i don't miss the weight).

The RC0 is relatively a very secure and stable setup for heavy setups. Most people i've encountered says that the RC0 is for medium formats.

It served my setup then, really well. There was simply no creep with heavier lenses (70-200 /2.8 IS with flash .. sometimes even a TC added. Also tested with a 100-400.) No issues. Not like the flimsy RC2 plates which till this day - give me a big load of headaches.

I've switched to the arca swiss system now as I really got fed up with the RC2 variants.

Good luck.

i have been using rc0 for afew years. pls note that these are 2 types of surface material (the face that tourches the base of the camera), older ones comes with cork / cardboard like material and newer ones with rubber.

the older ones will be "peel off" from the plate if it is wet (condensation) when heavy lens are mounted.

also, RC0 and RC4 each as 2 bubble levels (landscape and portrait orientation) while RC2 has non. The levels is used prevent the horizon from slanting to one side when shooting landscape and maintaining the horizon level when shooting a series of photos to be stitched later to form a pano. but you can buy a hot shoe mounted bubble level if you use RC2 system. so it is just the matter of convinience.

may i suggest you refer to post #6 of this thread, subject on
Recommended quick release plate when using Manfrotto RC0 or RC2 system with tele-lens (200mm-40mm)
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=384016
these are suggestions only.

 

[blackdrakes]

Thanks everyone for your inputs on my situation.
I went down to cathy yesterday to check out all the 3 heads first hand.
Both the rc0 and the rc4 were very much bigger than i had expected. The rc2 is missing the bubble levels but is somewhat lighter compared to the other two. I then mounted the rc0 onto my 190xProb and it seemed to work out well for me while i was testing it. And after considering that i have to pay about $10 more to get the 2 extra bubble levels and a somewhat more stable plate. So in the end, I bought the rc0.