Why use an Arca-Swiss plate with an Arca-Swiss foot?

[Mumbly-Peg]

So I’m pretty new to the optic world, but something is kinda perplexing me.

I’ve seen more than a couple setups where people have their spotting scopes with AS compatible feet (Swaro or newer Vortex) that are bolted to an Arca-Swiss dovetail adapter plate.

So my question is… why? Why not just clamp onto the scope’s foot? Isn’t that the purpose of using an AS foot on these scopes?

 

[Camera Land]

I tell any customer I help out to put the plate in a safe spot and drop the optic right into the head if it has an arca mount

 

[Mumbly-Peg]

I tell any customer I help out to put the plate in a safe spot and drop the optic right into the head if it has an arca mount

Okay, so I’m not crazy?

The only thing I can think is that people are trying to lengthen the foot for balancing concerns.

 

[Mountainrancher]

My guess would be that people are not aware that the optics foot is arca they just put the plate on because it came with the tripod and never looked into it more.

 

[4th_point]

The dovetail dimension and geometry can vary widely from different manufacturers for the plates and clamps.

RRS has a drawing online for reference but that doesn't mean that others are similar.

I have various plates and clamps (heads) and some aren't compatible without fiddling with the clamp adjustment. Others clamp but create poor contact.

For example, I have a VA-5 head that doesn't like plates that are similar to the RRS spec. But works with various other Chinese plates.

I could be completely wrong but it seems like there's the RRS spec and similar, and the overseas spec. Some actually look quite different if you put them side by side.

 

[Mumbly-Peg]

The dovetail dimension and geometry can vary widely from different manufacturers for the plates and clamps.

RRS has a drawing online for reference but that doesn't mean that others are similar.

I have various plates and clamps (heads) and some aren't compatible without fiddling with the clamp adjustment. Others clamp but create poor contact.

For example, I have a VA-5 head that doesn't like plates that are similar to the RRS spec. But works with various other Chinese plates.

I could be completely wrong but it seems like there's the RRS spec and similar, and the overseas spec. Some actually look quite different if you put them side by side.

So I’m looking at getting a VA-5 to pair with my Swaro, and that’s a head I’ve specifically seen mounted to a plate instead of just going directly from scope to head.

 

[BBob]

So I’m looking at getting a VA-5 to pair with my Swaro, and that’s a head I’ve specifically seen mounted to a plate instead of just going directly from scope to head.

The VA-5 is not quickly adaptable between many of the various ARCA plates including their own. You sometimes have to fiddle with the little adjustable lock lever to swap between some plates. That can be a PITA and slow in the field. This is my biggest knock on the VA-5. If they fixed that one little thing it’d be a way better head. A way to get around that is to use identical plates on each optic.

I put a Kirk ARCA clamp on top of my VA-5 just for that reason. It’s my backup truck tripod so I don’t care about extra weight. The knob on the Kirk is way fast, much more accessible than the VA’s lever and no fussing between different plates. It opens fast and wide so plates just drop in (no need to slide in from one end or the other) and tighten. No fuss no muss.

 

[CMP70306]

That’s the reason I bought my newest Razor spotting scope which was great until I clamped it into my RRS Ascend 14 Tripod and found out that it would slide right out of the clamp.

So now I have an metal adaptor mounted to the bottom of the spotting scope as the tripod will clamp to that.

 

[4th_point]

The VA-5 is not quickly adaptable between many of the various ARCA plates including their own. You sometimes have to fiddle with the little adjustable lock lever to swap between some plates. That can be a PITA and slow in the field.

The knob on the Kirk is way fast, much more accessible than the VA’s lever and no fussing between different plates. It opens fast and wide so plates just drop in (no need to slide in from one end or the other) and tighten. No fuss no muss.

I am not a fan of that little lever on the VA-5. Nor having to fiddle with it to adapt to different plates.