Arca-Swiss plates for Panasonic FZ20?

Does anyone know of Arca-Swiss type plates for the Panasonic FZ20? A

standard A-S plate won't work, the tripod thread is very close to the

battery/memory compartment, so that the screw has to be very close to

the edge of the plate. It might be OK to take the camera off the

tripod to change memory or batteries, but removing the plate goes

against the whole idea of "quick release." Kirk doesn't make such

plates (I asked) and RRS is supposed to have a point-and-shoot plate

coming out (I asked them too) but I've seen nothing thus far.

It might seem a bit much to put an A-S style plate on a

point-and-shoot, but it is useful to be able to put the camera on the

same head as my other cameras.

I used to use a standard Arca-Swiss plate on my FZ10, and yes, I had to remove it to

change battery or memory card. But ...

I used 512M and 1G memory cards ... that's room for several hundred exposures at a time.

But the bottom line was the battery: that's about 200 exposures or so per charge. With

that in mind, the 30 seconds required to loosen/remove the plate just didn't seem much

of an annoyance. I rarely made more than 60 or so exposures per session on the tripod.

Of course, you could buy a standard plate and have a machinist simply mill it down to

clear the battery/card compartment door...

Godfrey

"Of course, you could buy a standard plate and have a machinist simply mill it down to

clear the battery/card compartment door..."

If you're a woodworker, consider just making one! No, not from wood -- carbide-tipped

woodworking tools work well on aluminum as well!

I now make all my quick release plates. It seems each camera has its own special needs. I

even sold one on eBay for $20, after I sold the body it had been on!

It's great to have one that fits your camera perfectly. For example, I put anti-rotation pins

in to mate with the extra holes in camera bodies. I tap them and put in a set screw, so

there's no chance a heavy lens will twist the plate.

Take extra care regarding kick-back and eye protection -- what might be a sliver with

wood could be a bullet with aluminum. But you don't need special equipment -- a table

saw and drill press is all you need to work aluminum.

Here's an example I did last year...

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=2491361

Godfrey -- Thank you. I also use 512M and 1G memory cards, but I don't always remember to copy and clear a card before going out -- I just replace it when it fills. Same with batteries -- I always carry spares. I would hate to be looking for the Allen wrench, removing the plate, etc. in the middle of shooting. If I don't find a plate that works well with this camera, I'll probably do as you suggest -- have a regular plate modified.

Jan -- Thank you as well. I know just enough about working with wood and metal to realize that I shouldn't try to make my own plates. What you write suggests something else though -- I wish there were plates made from wood. Thin hardwood laminations glued together cross-grain would be strong enough for a light camera like the FZ20, possibly even SLRs with short lenses. Wood has one big advantage -- in cold weather, it's good to avoid sticking your hand or cheek against a thick piece of aluminum and having it freeze there.

"Of course, you could buy a standard plate and have a machinist simply mill it down to clear the battery/card compartment door..."

That doesn't require a machinist, that requires a hacksaw. If you go to a machinist I would get him to relocate the mounting screw. With access to a drill press you could probably do it yourself.