Kirk or arcatech plates engage arca Swiss decent pin?

[chuck]

I understand some arca Swiss compatible QR systems, such as sirui, will fit into a arca Swiss QR clamp, but will not engage the safety

detent pin. This seems dangerous to me, because it seems if you forget to tighten the clamp, and the ball head, and the ball head flops

forward, the plate and whatever is attached can slide out. Am I right?

 

So are Kirk and arcatech plates fully compatible with arca Swiss QR clamps in the sense that they would also engage the safety detent

pin?

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>Acratech, Markins, Sirui have a detent pin in the clamp, RRS, Kirk, Wimberley have safety stops in the plates - either aim at preventing the camera/lens slipping out of the clamp in the direction of the channel. Mixing different manufacturer's clamps and plates may defeat that safety mechanism. The plate-safety stops, however, should work interchangeably; the range of motion will be limited for clamps that lack the proper cut-outs milled into them. The detent-pin mechanism will not work for "solid" plates that depress the pin. Nothing ever prevents the camera popping out of a not-tightened clamp in the direction perpendicular to the channel.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>As far as I'm aware, the (recent) Arca-Swiss clamps only have a "do not drop my camera" pin in the monoball fix/slidefix secondary clamp; it sits below the traditional clamp (as does the rest of the secondary clamp), and therefore tends not to engage with traditional plates. So far, I've not dropped anything, so I'm not too fussed - and, especially with a screw clam - you can tell whether you've got things locked in anyway. I suspect if you want to have the safety pins work, you'll need a third-party clamp (unless you can find an old-style single-level clamp) - but not having tried very hard, I could be wrong.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

I remove the little safety bolts. They are a pain and deter ease of attachment sometimes. I mean I do not rely on more than tightening the clamp. So it may be important or it may not be. I have some old clamps and plates so I do not really rely on this fail safe feature. I think you are correct however.