Wow, that's sweet. I'm glad Manfrotto finally jumped on board. Over the years it seemed that Manfrotto had no desire to move to an Arca-Swiss type clamp, and furthermore, they made their heads harder to convert to Arca-Swiss clamp heads. I always tell people to get a used Manfrotto 489 RC4 for cheap, take the RC4 clamp off, and then add whatever clamp you wish (this is one head that Manfrotto makes that can be converted to pretty much any type of clamp). This is a good entry-level combination and I have had no problems over the years with this combination for any of my lenses/cameras. I just never saw the point in investing in Manfrotto plates, as they were worthless when upgrading to a nicer head, they are architecturally poor, incompatible with many additional accessories, and a pain in the a&$ when you are shooting with a friend who has Arca-Swiss clamps (i.e., trading gear back and forth was impossible).Originally Posted by conropl
I've never used the new series of ball heads from Manfrotto, but to be honest, for how much those new ball heads cost ($300) with the Arca-Swiss clamp, I would probably just get an Acratech GV2. I bought and built my Manfrotto 489 RC4 ball head into a Manfrotto 489 "Wimberley" for $140 (granted, the old 489 is not that easy to find anymore).
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