Manfrotto577 Rapid Connect Adapter with Sliding Mounting Plate for Bogen/Manfrotto Tripods

This thing.....I am giving Manfrotto's quick release adapter 4 out of 5 stars, but I'm not very proud of it.This thing is basically solid metal. No reason it should ever break. Ever. It serves a VERY important function, being able to mount onto tripods, steadicams, shoulder rigs, you name it...But I have had some distasteful experiences with these things. First of all, I purchased one of these guys not too long ago only to return it the following day, and it's for a reason most people are giving it negative reviews for.The locking knob on the side (which tightens the quick release plate into the base itself) can pull out, twist without effecting the inner screw, and then lock down again. This is important when certain objects like the bottom of the camera or the cheese plate of a steadicam are getting in the way. But the first time I received this item, I couldn't pull the knob out far enough no matter how hard I tried to pull. The inner screw just kept turning with the knob. The most important element of this device was defective.Since then, I've braved it out and gotten another one, hoping to receive a nicer model. I did... for the most part...The knob works, though still not nearly as nicely as some other ratcheting knobs I've seen on Ikan's products. But this time, one of the 1/4" threads on the bottom of the baseplate has been poorly molded! I can't fit a 1/4" screw in there more than maybe a couple of centimeters! There appears to be damaged threading on the inside. No chance of fixing it myself. Luckily there are 2 more threads (a 3/8" and another 1/4"). However, I am mounting it to an Ikan DSLR baseplate, so the 3/8" thread is out of the question anyway. I'm left to use only one 1/4" thread, and use the other as just enough to make sure it doesn't shift.So ultimately... Yes, the thing works fine. Should stay working fine for a long time, hopefully... But buyer beware the 4 stars! Manfrotto seems to keep dropping the ball with these quick release adapters. If you plan on getting this thing, don't be surprised if you have to send it back for a new one.Robbie Skadal

I've bought two of these rapid connect mounts through the "Amazon Warehouse deals" option recently on two separate orders. The first was for work, the second was for personal use but wanted to standardize my mounting just in case I needed to work from home. Very simple to use. Attach the plate to Camera, mount base to whatever it is you are using as a tripod or stabilizer device, then mount camera/plate to base. Can't get more simple than that! I am using these on articulating arms I built to hold the camera stationary at different angles while performing assembly/ disassembly shots. These mounts are sturdy enough to hold a Canon 80 D in a vertical position and not drop! And if I need to pull the camera off, its a quick twist of the locking knob and a press of the side button, and camera slides off.Above being said, be careful of the "deals." Great Mounts if both were the same! One was correct, but the other is way off. The base between the two appears to be similar, but the locking knob between then is different. The adapter plate is vastly different between the two, and you can not swap either adapter to the other base because dimensions are completely different. Not sure what happened but the one with the longer plate is not the 577. They had the sticker of inspection on both packages but someone apparently was not paying attention...

I purchased this for my GlideCam HD-2000 and the built on this Manfrotto Quick Release Adapter is rock solid. It gets the job done much easier now and it is quite heavy for something that looks very small. ***The only problem for glidecam users is the lever on the left side, which only go's back and forward at a 180 degree because the glide cam plate is restricting from it giving a full 360 turn. You can solve this issue by making the quick release lever hang off the side and adjusting the top plate all the way to the right so you can balance out the glide cam and the camera together or you can put it normally in the middle and just put the lever little to making it free and come off or to tighten it and it can happen within that 180 degree turn, which I am doing as of now. ***The next problem is that the main screw that came with the glide cam cannot fit in the bottom of the plate with the glide cam so I had to look for certain screws just to make it work. That is not an issue but the screw that came with the Manfrotto adapter looked very promising because of the thick thread it had on the screw.So overall, I would say this is the best quick release adapter for the glide cam as of now and I would recommend to other filmmakers to purchase this.