A lurker has asked me for a specific photo of an A1 or G1, and after browsing through my image folders, it appears that I don't have what they're looking for. So maybe one of you brand new XH owners can help out by grabbing your digicam and snapping a quick pic or two and sharing it with us here please.

Looking for a shot of the bottom of the camera, showing the position of the 1/4-20 tripod mounting threaded insert and the four smaller screw inserts that surround it. If you can show the whole underside of the camera, so we can see where that plate is relative to the rest of the bottom. Thanks in advance,

here you go chris...

http://www.downwiththefuture.com/images/a1_underside.jpg

Excellent... many thanks, Henry!

Damn, a 1/4" instead of 3/8"?

Par for the course, Bill. 1/4-20 is the established standard for this size camcorder. I've only seen 3/8 on the big iron. Can you imagine the resulting calamity if this thing had a 3/8 socket? It would have caused quite an uproar, calls for a class-action lawsuit, claims of a conspiracy intended to force people to upgrade their tripod kits, etc.

That said, note the four smaller threaded inserts surrounding the 1/4-20. These allow for the attachment of the Canon TA-100 quick-release tripod plate, which *is* compatible with 3/8 mounting plates. So yes, you really can have it your way. It's a $100 accessory, and pretty much essential for those who live in a 3/8 world.

If I do get one of these, I definitely will get the tripod adapter plate too. That's a must for any camera.

I discovered the 1/4" socket thing the first time I shot with a friend's XL2...took along my Gitzo tripod and was sort of stunned into speechlessness when I found that it only had a 1/4" thread. I had thought that was strictly a still camera thing. You'd be surprised at how much gaffer tape it takes to mount an XL2 on a Gitzo with no screw....

I'm confused about the quick release plate. You mount it to the camera permanently? You don't just snap the camera onto it?

Oh, wait. Never mind. I saw a photo. There's apparently a quick release thing that replaces the plate containing the 1/4" socket, and that snaps onto the tripod plate, is that right? That shouldn't add much weight to the camera.

Right, it's a two-part kit... small plate attaches to the cam via the four screws... and it fits into the larger QR plate itself, which in attaches to your tripod head's mounting plate, take your pick of a variety of 1/4 and 3/8 threaded mounting sockets on the bottom of the TA-100. These photos explain it... click to see 'em big... I had to use a product photo from an Italian site as it was the only one I could find that shows the bottom. I thought I had my own pics of this thing, but they're buried on my data drive, who knows where.

Excellent! Thanks. I've got to pass that on to my friend with the XL2.

Yeah, for anybody else who isn't already aware, the Canon TA-100 is compatible with the XL2, XL H1, XH G1 and XH A1.

It looks amazingly like Sony's standard plate, only smaller.

I have a Cartoni Focus tripod and head and they provide their own click release plate/mechanism that works like a champ on all these cameras, as well.

Great tripod, couldn't be happier with it after a couple years.

KW

Chris and Henry, thanks for the thread and the bottom-view photo. Glad I won't need the TA-100 tripod adaptor. -the lurker

Around here, lurkers eventually become some of our best posters. Welcome aboard Steven,

Around here, lurkers eventually become some of our best posters.Or...when Chris has a lapse in judgment, former lurkers end up as forum moderators ("Wranglers" in TX-speak).
;-)