Glidecam XR 2000 Update

Last week I smugly ordered two quick release mounts with plates from eBay which would allow me to remove my camera from the Glidecam system and mount it on my Weifeng/Fancier 717AH fluid head that’s on my Glidetrack and tripods. The idea was to have kit that was all compatible with each other. Unfortunately for me the quick release mounts are not compatible with the Glidetrack. Why, I hear you ask? Well, the quick release mount has a safety button on the side which stops the plate from sliding out completely should you not have the lever tightened and it tip forward. But the diameter of this safety button is larger than the height of the mount itself.

This means the mount would not sit flush on the top of the Glidecam system. And the trigger catch isn’t adjustable, so if it did sit flush you wouldn’t be able to lock the plate into place. Also, the mount does not have the usual screw holes in the bottom. Instead of one 1/4 inch hole (standard to a lot of tripods and kit) it has a hole in each corner which did not line up with the pre-drilled holes on the Glidecam plate.

So these EI717QK mounts and plates will be going back on eBay as they are no use to me. Such a shame, considering all the hands they went through to get them from New York to the UK.

After a bit more research (I did lots already) I decided upon the Manfrotto 577 quick release mount with 501 plate. This is perfect for the Glidecam. It sits flush with the Glidecam plate and the quick release mechanism is moveable so that it doesn’t interfere with the camera or the Glidecam plate. It can lock and loosen within 90 degrees. Perfecto!

However, this means that in order for me to stick to the compatible-with-all ideology, I now need to purchase Manfrotto tripod heads that are comptible with the 501 plate!