Quick release plate options for M2

[rumbliegeos]

I just got my first Leica M, an M2 in remarkably good condition. My only experience with Leicas before this was with two Barnacks. They were fun, but this machine is something else.

I'd like to get a quick release plate for the camera, largely to protect the base from tripod marks, and I'd like something that has a tripod mounting hole in the center for times when I don't have an Arca Swiss type clamp on a tripod. Acratech makes a plate that looks good, but it appears to lack the tapped hole in the center for non-clamp use. Really Right Stuff used to make a plate that looks perfect, but it was discontinued in 2017.

Are there any options other than to keep searching for a used RRS plate?

 

[Bill Clark]

I have a Manfrotto tripod with a quick release device. It has rubber that meets the base plate of a camera. It is a very good system. I bought my first Manfrotto tripod around 2000.

Here is the quick change from B & H:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1118088-REG/manfrotto_200lt_pl_quick_release_plate.html

You would also need two other items, the tripod and the head.

 

[Swift1]

If you can find one, the original GMP M-Grip fits to the M2 base and then has a standard tripod mounting hole that is centered on the camera.

http://photoequip.net/about



It looks good too,


Leica M2 by Colton Allen, on Flickr

 

[splitimageview]

Quick release and tripod socket on the optical axis:

http://www.metro-case.com/grips/leicam

 

[Swift1]

http://www.metro-case.com/grips/leicam

That's even better!
I might have to get one of those 😀

 

[rumbliegeos]

I suspected this pool of expertise would come through on this one. The Metrocase grip looks perfect, and it costs less than the original RRS plate. I actually owned an M-Grip at one point that I used on a Nikon F2, but I like the Metrocase's ability to be used both in a clamp and on a simple tripod mount. Many thanks.

 

[rumbliegeos]

Actually, it was an "F-Grip" that I used on the Nikons.

 

[David Hughes]

It might be easier to get a tripod that has one built in...


Regards, David

 

[Bill Blackwell]

Leica made a grip with a tripod socket on the base during M6 production. They can still be found used:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEAR-MINT-...181533?hash=item48ceccebdd:g:4q0AAOSwJNpdM8Wc

Or a new near perfect copy here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Leica-...977523?hash=item2aae4e0e73:g:VOUAAOSwUXFbQOZk