The ATC/STC series have been out for approximately 2 years and to the best of my knowledge there has been no changes.
the change looks like this. The difference in the new version is the two holes for the removable plate. And then no PTFE tape is needed, if the plate is well thought out in terms of construction.
Thank you for the photo and clarification, as mine has the two hole plate I wasn't aware that there was an earlier version!
I don't know what the problem is with the third image, it's a simplified representation of the assembly. SV could have omitted this necessary (?) component by using a tripod base similar to the KOWA 553/554. But they didn't. Instead, they responded to complaints. Now there is criticism of the image and its interpretation?
Sounds good. However, I don't use the Arca Swiss system.
It also prevents the screw itself from being lost when dismantling. The two! - not one like in my own design - bolts for the anti-twist lock fit very precisely. I would estimate the play to be 3/10mm. The quick-release plate feels inseparable after just a few simple steps. It fits well in my Berlebach, as well as in a GITZO head.
Yes, the plate is free to purchase. I haven't tried whether the two pins can be removed. But it doesn't make much sense, as the user can then take another normal plate from the market. It would be much more interesting to ask Swarovski whether the old models can be given a new tripod base - free of charge.
The plate on the spotting scope cannot slip. It has a groove in which a pin from the tripod head snaps into place. This is the case if the head has the anti-slip device.
You can see it in the photo in Dominique's post #29 (the top left of the 4 picture-collage). It is the stainless steel pin with the slit across its top end, located roughly midway between the spirit level and the "B" in Berlebach. It is connected to the horizontal red bolt, the left end of which you have to press for the pin to fold out of the way (towards the viewer) and release the plate so it can slide out. If you are using a non-Berlebach plate, you have to press the red button also when mounting/sliding the plate into the head. (Whereas original Berlebach plates will slide in without pressing the button)
If I understand it correctly, you can use any head that has a pin in the base for the removable plate. There are so many tripod heads out there, I can't recommend a specific one. I use a Siuri L-10 most often for the spotting scope and binoculars with high magnification, which I have converted to the Berlebach quick-coupling system 110-40 (drill required). Maybe this will help you a little.
I use that too, but I find it too big and too heavy for the ATC - hence the Siuri
