Arca Swiss – what’s the big deal?

Even if you don’t have a tripod, you might have heard of Arca Swiss.

Arca Swiss is a company that makes all kinds of gear for photography and videography, including tripods, tripod heads, mounts etc. It’s probably as close to a standard in this world of tripods as we come, at least when it comes to quick release mounts and plates.

Many other brands make tripods, heads and mounts, and the one I’ve come to use the most is Manfrotto. They have their quick release plates and mounts, which work well.

A problem with Manfrotto’s gear (and almost any other company’s gear as well) is that it only works with that brand’s other items. So you’re locked in if you like.

Recently, I was looking at getting an l-plate (or l-bracket) mainly for my D800e, and it turns out that most, if not all, l-plates are really also Arca Swiss style quick release plates. I didn’t know that!

So, I took a look at my gear and what I use the most, which is a Manfrotto monopod and a Manfrotto tripod with ball head. I already had an Arca Swiss quick release mount, which I put on the monopod, and bought another one, which now sits on the ball head. Then I got an l-plate, which now mounts on both the monopod and the tripod, without the need for anything extra. I needed this screw to make that happen. Put the camera in the l-plate, and I’m done.

This has simplified my photography quite a bit.

And if i want to get other gear in the future, I’m not locked in to Manfrotto, but can instead look at the much bigger world of Arca Swiss compatible stuff.