Manfrotto MA200LE1 QR Plate Televid 77 (1 Viewer)

Dougie · Oct 20, 2005

Can anyone in the UK recommend a dealer who has a Manfrotto MA200LE1 (specifically for Televid 77 Scope) plate for sale? (preferably in UK) or maybe a reader who has one surplus to their requirement. Please let me know as these plates are now discontinued and are hard to find.

Thanks Dougie :t:

Don Hoey · Oct 21, 2005

Hi Dougie,

If you are unable to get the Manfrotto MA200LE1 plate then I would suggest the Architectural Plate. Manfrotto code 200PLARCH-14. That is the plate with 1/4" screw. I have one for use with a Nikon scope and feel it is better than the MN200NK1 ( for Nikon ).

Available from Warehouse Express £11.95. Look for it in the photographic section.

Note : Unfortunately this plate is not suitable for 700RC2 or 701RC2 heads. For these heads you would require the Manfrotto 200USS plate, for around £40.

The current picture on Warehouse Express site of the 200USS is in fact the Architectural Plate.

Regards
Don

Swissboy · Oct 21, 2005

Don Hoey said:
Hi Dougie,

If you are unable to get the Manfrotto MA200LE1 plate then I would suggest the Architectural Plate. Manfrotto code 200PLARCH-14. That is the plate with 1/4" screw. I have one for use with a Nikon scope and feel it is better than the MN200NK1 ( for Nikon ).

Regards
Don

In which respect is the ARCH plate better? Would that be true for the Fieldscope III?

Swissboy · Oct 21, 2005

Dougie said:
Can anyone in the UK recommend a dealer who has a Manfrotto MA200LE1 (specifically for Televid 77 Scope) plate for sale? (preferably in UK) or maybe a reader who has one surplus to their requirement. Please let me know as these plates are now discontinued and are hard to find.

Is there a chance one of the other models could be adapted with the use of a file or so? They all look pretty similar.

Don Hoey · Oct 21, 2005

Hi Robert

In which respect is the ARCH plate better? Would that be true for the Fieldscope III?

The two plates are quite different.

1) The MN200NK1 has a very shallow groove cast into the base to the width of the scope foot, to stop the scope swivelling.

2) The Architectural Plate is made up of 2 sections. The base part is a standard 200 plate with a dovetail cast into the two short sides.The top part made from chrome plated steel sheet has folds on the underside to fit the dovetails in the base section. The top of this plate has a fold upwards of 4.5mm on the long side above the rubber base. The sliding plate allows for scope feet from 22mm wide to 60mm wide. A scope attatched to this plate will not possibly twist. The only downside for this plate now is -

One other thing is that the QR plate positioning is deeper on the 701. 0.5mm proud as opposed to 4.0mm proud on the 128. This means that the Architectural plate - standard 128/701 plate with its 2mm deep dovetail will not bottom out on the 701. Yes I have worked for years in a manufacturing environment and have seen this sort of thing many many times. I will have modify mine to allow for this.

My wife uses this plate for her Nikon Fieldscope EDIIIA.

Dougie could file out the groove on another plate provided the Leica foot is wider. My personal opinion though is that the Arch plate is a far better product.

By the way Robert, your head looks really interesting. It would be nice to see close up pics of it. Never having seen one before I looked at the Novoflex website but am still trying to work out its operation.

Don

Dougie · Oct 22, 2005

:t: Thanks for all the kind re-posts. I have managed to track down a Manfrotto MA200LE2 plate, must have been the last one in the UK!!! Ironic thing is it was a dealer thats about 15 miles away from where I live (Pennine Optics) and it was the last dealer I was going to ring after ringing all the dealers listed in Bird Watching magazine, SODS LAW Plate arrived and so far it seems to be working fine no more spin.

Dougie B

Swissboy · Oct 23, 2005

Don Hoey said:
By the way Robert, your head looks really interesting. It would be nice to see close up pics of it. Never having seen one before I looked at the Novoflex website but am still trying to work out its operation.

Don

Don,

thank you for the very helpful explanation!

As far as the Dino head is concerned, I also think it's a rather interesting piece of equipment. In particuler, I love the neat combination of function and design. Overall, it works astonishingly like a fluid head. Though the Manfrotto 128 certainly has more capacity in that respect. I mean on the Dino one has to adjust a bit more often when the position becomes tilted strongly upward or downward.
In essence, there is the vertical loop going through the half-sphere like base. The base has a second turnable piece inside which is attached to the tripod. For each part there is a locking screw, and the one on the side is a bit prone to get loose and then to get lost. As I had posted earlier, that problem can be easily remedied with a drop of locktight or whatever product that is used to keep screws from turning by themselves. The small lever, by the way, does not have a locking function. It can, therefore, be removed as it is too small to serve a purpose when the head is used for scopes.

Don Hoey · Oct 23, 2005

I have started a thread in Tripods and Heads as it may benefit users of other brands of scopes. It shows 2 pics of the Architectural plate mounted on a Nikon scope to give a visual idea of the plate.

Don

Swissboy · Oct 23, 2005

Don Hoey said:
I have started a thread in Tripods and Heads as it may benefit users of other brands of scopes. It shows 2 pics of the Architectural plate mounted on a Nikon scope to give a visual idea of the plate.

Don

Thanks Don, it would have made more sense there as soon as we widened the scope (no pun intended) of the original question. But sometimes we get sidetracked and think it's just a short digression. And, of course, at the beginning it really was specific to the Leica brand.
Anyway. good thing you posted the pictures there, I had already found them.

tav · Oct 31, 2005

I have a new 200uss plate for sale, for 30 ponds (sending included), i live in belgium.

Dougie · Nov 1, 2005

tav said:
I have a new 200uss plate for sale, for 30 ponds (sending included), i live in belgium.

Thanks Tav but I have already managed to get my hands on one (re previous post) picked it up for £12.95 from Pennine Optics must have been the last one in the UK!!!! B

Robin Pearson · Jun 29, 2006

I've got a Manfrotto architectural plate (MN200PLARCH14) attached to my APO 77 and 701RC2 head and everything's fine and rock solid. Don't know if they've re-engineered it but it certainly bottoms out and there's no sideways movement at all.

Manfrotto MA200LE1 QR Plate Televid 77 (1 Viewer)

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