Well made/finished and very robust. 5 year warranty - will probably outlast any number of cameras. Bubble level incorporated (essential if fitting a panorama rotator under the clamp and using the ball head to level the combo). The clamp lever 'tucks in' when closed. Clearances machined into the top of the plate allow a substantial degree of sliding adjustment when using safety end stops on camera or lens plates etc.

Expensive ($120 - $132) especially when $35 shipping, UK import duty and VAT plus UK postal service costs are added. At 170gm it's 70gm heavier than my Novoflex clamp. When used half way open on its side (ie vertically oriented), sliding rails tend to judder when adjusted (eg for macro focus or node point alignment on panoramas). Because the lower V groove is taking all the weight, I guess this is to be expected and to be fair, the substantial RRS 192mm rail slides smoothly when the clamp is in the usual horizontal position. Godd gear like this deserves a wider exposure - like a European distributor!

The only Arca-Swiss compatible clamp I know of that allows quick drop-in loading without having to fiddle around undoing and then re-tightening a screw. Mounted on a Korean-made Markins 10 ballhead (from Nikonians and the best light ballhead I've ever used) the combo works perfectly with RRS custom camera and lens plates (see review) as well as longer 'Arca-Swiss-style' rails from other makers. Nicely made and finished in black anodized aluminium with a substantial stainless steel lever clamp giving drop-in access when fully open, secure but adjustable hold at the half-way position (especially if using plate end stops) and a good, firm lockup when closed. I've bought the 80mm long version which I guess will provide more secure clamping for heavy lenses or macro work than the standard 60mm version. I'm very happy with the smooth and efficient operation of the RRS clamp (especially on the excellent Markins ballhead) and would certainly NEVER consider going back to mounting cameras or lenses via the usual tripod head screw.

Customer Service

My email order (for over $600 worth of Really Right Stuff .. er .. stuff) was efficiently if perfunctorily acknowledged. Took 10 days to arrive in UK. A 'thankyou for your custom' on the invoice - costs nothing, means so much blah, blah - would've been nice. I'm sure they're lovely people at RRS but since I didn't order by phone, I've no way of knowing. RRS like to do business by phone (which I don't) or on their website (which I do)and do not disclose an email address. They say they'd be unable to cope with the traffic but I would have thought, as a confirmed customer, that I could've been let in on the secret.

Similar Products Used:

Novoflex Q=Mount Foba head clamps RRS mini clamp