Warning: MB-D10 rubber base easily destroyed by tripod

[hoffmanvision]

I'm fuming today! The very first time I mounted my D300 + MB-D10 to my Bogen 488 ball head, the rubber on rubber

of each unit locked together and couldn't be unscrewed. It was so stuck that I thought I had somehow cross

threaded the mount. Eventually, I was able to get it loose but in the process, the rubber bottom of the MB-D10

was a bit shredded and completely peeled back, plus the rubber pad on the 488 peeled off as well. Trust me

everyone, I didn't over-tighten this. I've mounted cameras to this ball head hundreds of times without incident.

It really just seems Nikon chose a bad place to have a thin rubber coating.

 

This is just a warning to all MB-D10 users. I think applying thin coat of lube would probably solve the problem-

wish I'd have known ahead of time. Do you think this will be treated as a warranty issue by Nikon?<div></div>

[eclecticbuzzard]

Thanks for the warning. I'll remember this, and be sure to only attach my MB-D10 to a cork covered quick release plate.

[rffffffff]

over time that same thing happened to the bottom of the D2X... When I brought it in for service on an unrelated issue they fixed it too for no additional charge, but I betcha you'll pay for it if you have them fix only that... I would call nikon service and see if replacement rubber is available (I'm sure it is), the cost, the replacement procedure and if there is a specific glue necessary... its probably tedious, but easy to fix.

[User_276104]

Wow - makes me glad I got into the Kirk system a few years ago.

[gary_watson]

Looks like a combo of over-tightening and torque that twisted the grip free of the QR plate. I've never jammed a Manfrotto QR plate on anything and wonder if there's a bit more to the story than posted--the photo evidence doesn't look consistent with your version.

[hoffmanvision]

To clarify, this was not a QR plate, my ball head screws directly to the camera and has a large rubber coated surface area in contact with the base of the camera. You can see the circular shape of it where the rubber is scuffed in the photo above. That rubber on rubber action just locked together! Shame.

[robert_hooper1]

This is probably not truly a rubber product, but more likely a form of vinyl. New vinyl out-gasses chemicals used in the

manufacturing of the product for weeks or months after production, depending upon the environment. When pressed tightly

together with a similar vinyl or even rubber material, the out-gassing chemicals of the newer vinyl will soften/slightly dissolve the adjacent surface of the older material, causing both surfaces to adhere. Rubbing a silicone lubricant or even a

product like Pledge furniture polish on both the new and older surfaces which come into contact with each other should

prevent a destructive bonding.

[eric_arnold]

yikes!

that sucks sean, but still seems like it would be hard to do without applying excess torque.

 

i've got the manfrotto 488 RC4 w/QR plate myself. it is possible to mangle the mb-d10 rubber on the base if you

screw the grip directly onto the ballhead without first: a) removing the QR plate from the ballhead and gently

tightening the screw on the bottom until firm, then b) clicking the QR back into the slot on the ballhead.

 

if your ballhead doesnt have a QR plate then i guess you need to be extra careful when tightening the screw. but this

isn't really a design flaw of the mb-d10, rather an occupational hazard caused by over-tightening, i'm afraid. good luck

fixing this under warranty, but a careful application of contact cement (i.e. krazy glue) should be able to smooth out

the rubber pad somewhat so it's at least usable until you can get a replacement.

 

the lesson here seems to be that a QR plate is better than no plate, and a cork plate is better than a rubber one. if

your weight requirements are such that you need a heavy ballhead for a pro camera and long lenses, you might as

well invest in a good QR plate. looking at prices, the 488 with no QR plate is $90 at B&H; the 488w/RC4 is $113 at

amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bogen-Manfrotto-488RC4-Rapid-Connect-System/dp/B00009R6N3, and the

486RC2 is only $70. but a wimberley QR clamp is $78 and the plate is $52, which is more than the cost of the 488

by itself. just a fyi.

[joseph_smith3]

Here is a link to the camera plate I started to use a few years ago. It has a cork bottom to it and one plate will fit all bodies. It is made by Wimberley. http://www.naturescapes.net/store/product.php?productid=16&cat=28&page=1

 

Another solution is a L bracket. Both work with QR sytems and ballheads.

 

Joe Smith

[eric_arnold]

how would a cork bottom help when the top part--the one that attaches to either the camera or the grip--is made of rubber? finely textured English crepe rubber, perhaps, but still rubber.

 

the solution is to either have a cork top plate or a QR plate. otherwise you still have rubber-on-rubber action.

 

for $52, i'd think you'd be better off with the manfrotto 486 RC2 for $70. even if you get the wimberley plate, you still need a QR, which adds $78 to the cost.

 

it would be cheaper just to replace the nikon rubber mat on the mb-d10, but those may not be available unless you send the grip in for repair.

[dirtlawyer]

Nah! This happens after you attach the camera to the tripod head. Just to be on the safe side you give the camera a little twist to make sure the attachment is tight enough. And if it is, that's when the rubber breaks away.

 

You Schwartzeneggers out there need to be a little more gentle with the photo gear.

[joseph_wisniewski]

You can order a new rubber pad from Nikon parts and services. I had to do it a couple of years ago for my D2X

(long story). I think it cost about $10.

 

"To clarify, this was not a QR plate, my ball head screws directly to the camera and has a large rubber coated

surface area in contact with the base of the camera."

 

You're lucky it didn't happen sooner, or to a camera instead of a battery grip. Or that the process of releasing

them didn't break apart the grip. Rubber to rubber with a screwing motion is a bad idea. Get the right synthetic

materials and friction breaks chemical bonds, getting the surfaces ready to join. Friction also generates heat,

and then you leave the parts crushed together under pressure. Those heads go back to the days when cameras had

metal baseplates. And I've seen them bond to painted metal parts.

 

I first went to quick releases on everything (OK, an FM2 and an 500-800mm zoom cat, my first lens with a tripod

socket) about 25 years ago, with a Slik U-212D tripod). My Benbo 4-way (not a typo) head had a cork plate, and it

got stuck solid to the Nikon FA once. After that, I fitted it with a Bogen system that didn't have a name at the

time, but is now called RC-4. I used to machine the RC-4 plates down to lock securely to each camera, and take up

less space.

 

Eventually, I went to Arca releases, sort of slowly (by the time I made that decision, I had 2 D100, an F100 that

still saw occasional use, 3 lenses with tripod feet, a panorama head, a gear head, a ball head, a slide bar (for

stereo) a dual camera bar, and a bar for locking onto both a long lens and a camera when there were two

teleconverters or an 80mm stack of extension tubes between them). So I carved up some RC-4 plates so that they'd

lock into either an Arca clamp or an RC-4 clamp.

[hoffmanvision]

Well, Guess it's finally time to bite the QR bullet- in the mean time can anyone recommend an adhesive for fixing this mess?

[joseph_wisniewski]

Trust me on this one, and order a replacement pad from Nikon. Once these things get stretched that badly, there's just no gluing them back down. Been there with peeling rubber on a D100 battery grip, D2X hand grip and bottom.

[gary_watson]

Replace the rubber base and get ANY head with a QR plate system; otherwise, you'll see this movie again.