All this spring-like weather has put me in the mood for a bit of spring cleaning. Since I've recently switched from RC2 plates to Arca-Swiss plates on my gear (RC2 is great, don't get me wrong…but it's a little light when you want to put a tech cam atop an RC2 head and rotate it 90 degrees…). Are you in the market for some better support for your camera, or better ways to carry it? Read on, then. Everything is "or best offer"; I'll be updating this post as things sell.
Manfrotto 804RC2 pan-tilt heads - $50 each
I have two of these available, both identical. They're well-used but in great shape, and include the RC2 plate if you need one.
Manfrotto 3216 monopod $40
"Speak softly and carry a big stick". -Theodore Roosevelt. Also, as a good monopod should, doubles as a reasonable hiking stick. You have your choice of three monopod heads to put on this one; see below.
Manfrotto monopod tilt head $30
This is the 'factory' tilt head for the monopod above, or any other long thing with a standard 3/8" screw atop it. (Stop laughing!). Attach bottom part to monopod; attach top part to camera (or light). The knurled knob can be reversed depending on whether your camera/light/whatever takes 3/8" or 1/4". If your gear has an RC2 plate on it, and you don't want to remove it, you probably don't want this. What you want instead is one of these two:
Manfrotto 234RC monopod head ($40) or knockoff ($30)
This is the same head as above, but with an RC2 quick-release plate on it rather than a screw. I also have a generic knockoff version of this, which works identically and looks almost identical.
Alzo RC2 Camera Flip Plate $40
This flip plate has an integral RC2 plate on the bottom (sense a theme here?) and a lock knob. Unscrew the lock knob, and the plate slides up to 90 degrees. It's a clever way to get most of the advantages of a universal L bracket without the weight/expense. See here for more info--but the photos on Alzo's site are not of the RC2 version, which seems to be discontinued: http://www.alzodigital.com/online_store/alzo-camera-flipper.htm
Generic RC2 Plate Adapter $25
This adapter attaches to a 3/8" or 1/4" screw with bushing (included), and takes an RC2 plate on top. Includes safety latch. This plate adapter safely held my 5D and a tilt-shift lens on a 14' extendable painter's pole on location countless times.
Manfrotto 3405 'Junior' Tripod with 3-way head, $80
This is a surprisingly versatile little tripod with an integral (and non-interchangeable, thanks for asking) pan-tilt RC2 head. The centre column can be pulled out completely for travel compactness (it will fit on the side of regulation carry-on luggage), or inserted upside down for low-point shooting. This tripod got used extensively for construction progress documentation at VST and Christ Church Cathedral, where I wanted a tripod that I could leave on-site and not have to worry much about it if it vanished.
LowePro TLZ Mini Case $20
This cute little case will protect your crop-sensor body with a short zoom on it, and maybe a filter or two and a battery in the external pocket. It's definitely a "travel light" case. This fit an original Digital Rebel perfectly, but my current full-frame bodies are all too fat to fit in this.
LowePro photo fanny pack $20
This fanny pack will happily fit a crop-sensor DSLR and a short zoom, plus a couple of lenses + accessories, or a…film SLR (see those elastics on the top of the case? Yep, those are what you think they're for.)