Mounting plate is loose!!

[Mark Linthicum]

I just got my Camera yesterday, put it on a tripod today and am shocked to see that the mounting plate that slides into the bottom of the rail system it soo loose!

I am sure it is on correctly, there is no way to do it incorrectly. the lever slides to lock it but is still very loose!

Anyone else have this problem?

Mark

[donatello b]

you are referring to the dove tail sliding & locking into the bottom plate ...

i don't think the dove tail was designed to be on tripod with much weight ..
i can feel just a slight movement when it is locked into bottom plate ..

i have found mine to be OK with 18-50 and quick release batt on camera on tripod ..once i add one FF , MB , cooke S4 prime -now when i pan the camera will move slightly when i come to start/end of pan ... also on a dolly the dolly start/end move will cause it to shift slightly ... so for all shots except hand held i use the cheese plate on the bottom plate ...

[Wes Printz]

If there is any movement of the camera when it's supposed to be locked down to a head, then something is wrong somewhere. Whether it be the camera to sliding base plate , base plate to balance plate, balance plate to head. there should not be any movement of the camera.

I've not run across an assistant or operator that tolerated any movement of the camera once it's on the head. When they pan or tilt, come to to a stop, they want the camera to stop as well.

[Harry Clark]

FWIW,
I won't be using that thing very much unless I'm in a lightweight run-and-gun situation and need to go from handheld to tripod quickly.
There is no safety button like on a traditional Arri dovetail or SS4 shoulder set dovetail. So if the locking lever slips, it's conceivable that the camera could slide right off.
It's a nice piece and will come in handy for those back-and-forth situations, but I will be using it with extreme caution. I'll mostly use the traditional bridgeplate dovetail combo.
Cheers,
Harry

[Damien Molineaux]

I just got my Camera yesterday, put it on a tripod today and am shocked to see that the mounting plate that slides into the bottom of the rail system it soo loose!

I am sure it is on correctly, there is no way to do it incorrectly. the lever slides to lock it but is still very loose!

Anyone else have this problem?

Mark

You're not the only one with this problem, I've heard about it and have been advised to get a Cheese Plate, which I added to my order (I'm waiting for delivery). However going from Shoulder Dove Tail to Cheese Plate and back is a big hassle since you need to remove the Bottom Plate from the camera to attach the Cheese Plate, shame !

I consider this a deffect, basically the Shoulder Dove Tail is not useable on a tripod ! I would like Red to address this. However, it is a minor default, the camera remains phenomenal and perfectly useable, I just hope they can do something about this.

Cheers,
Damien

[Mark Linthicum]

you are referring to the dove tail sliding & locking into the bottom plate ...

i don't think the dove tail was designed to be on tripod with much weight ..
i can feel just a slight movement when it is locked into bottom plate ..

i have found mine to be OK with 18-50 and quick release batt on camera on tripod ..once i add one FF , MB , cooke S4 prime -now when i pan the camera will move slightly when i come to start/end of pan ... also on a dolly the dolly start/end move will cause it to shift slightly ... so for all shots except hand held i use the cheese plate on the bottom plate ...

Yes, I guess it is called the dove tail. if it was not designed to be used on the Tripod why is it pictured in the manual mounted on a tripod? With all the technical issues Red has overcome creating this cameras it is hard to believe they overlooked this!

Thanks, Mark

[Corrado Silveri]

Same problem here, wondering if I have to wait an indication from the Headquarter, maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Cheers, Elcurado.

[David Wyatt]

We've got the same problem. A cheap and quick fix is to put a small strip of camera take on the end of the rails of the bottom plate, then force the shoulder dovetail along the rails until it gets to the point where it clicks in (it will be very tight/stiff and take a lot of oomph to push it because of the little strips of camera tape - but no wobble!). Although by no means an ideal fix we've decided to go for the sturdier-looking Element Technica 19mm base-plate which has had some very good reports:

http://www.red.com/store/product_detail/45

[Emery Wells]

I had the same problem with my dovetail. Red replaced it and it's now rock solid. It should not be even slightly loose. If it is, you need a new one.