Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp without Stud (#035)

The clamp is great. However, Amazon, not so great in this situation. To Amazon: if you are going to send me a package that has been opened and poorly reassembled, you should at least offer an opened merchandise discount.

I've been using the Manfrotto brand grip Eqpt. for the past 35+ years because it is the best and it never breaks (unless seriously abused).Don't buy the cheap knockoffs.

I'm using the super clamps to hold the manfrotto 244 arms with the camera attachment to hold up my split keyboard as replacements to the arms of my Razor Enki chair. The chair is nearly perfect for relaxing minus the arms which are wobbly anyway. now I can type and damn near lay back with all of my rested hands weight on this clamp system. I've been trying since january to get a solid captains chair and i believe Ive finally completed my mission with these clamps and arms and a little wedge of wood i milled to get the full weight of the jaw.the clamp is much wider than I would have thought. Like an inch and a half wide, so be aware of that if you want to use it for the same purpose, but this thing is rated at 30 lbs so it makes sense why its so heavy and wide.

For photo and video work, you can never have too many super clamps. I use them for mounting lights, iPads, and cameras. There are cheaper versions of the Manfrotto out there but I always come back to the original and have never had one fail. The versatility of the grip on round and flat surfaces is excellent without any slipping and you can really crank down on them when needed to get a sturdy hold.

For this price you're paying for the name brand. Yes, it's heavy duty and does what it's supposed to but for the price they could have made a ratcheting handle. I have other generic brand super clamps that come with a spigot and ratcheting handle for $8 less. It's not about the money difference but the ratcheting handle can be a bigger deal when you have several clamps on the same rod/pole. I'd buy the generic versions again without hesitation.

I am physically disabled, cannot walk without the use of a walker and often have to use a wheelchair. I attached the superclamp to the handle of my walker, added the Manfrotto standard stud with a 3/8" screw, to which I added the Manfrotto 438 camera leveler, to which I added the Manfrotto 502AH video head (see the second picture). And all of this is strong enough for me to slide in my video camera rig consisting of the Z Cam E2, a good Voigtländer lens, the BM5 monitor/controller, and even a battery to power it all (see the first picture). I can use it to shoot video while sitting on the seat of the walker, as well as while walking with the help of the walker (the video head handle allows me to face the camera in any direction).Next, I will do the same for my wheelchair (thankfully, I bought two of these superclamps, so I can leave one attached to the walker and the other to the wheelchair and just move everything else between them as needed).

I reserve 5 stars for items I feel are an absolute steal for the price or items that I find are so incredibly useful, I have to buy more.This is mostly the latter.I work with video and photography for a living and find this to be a key tool when you need to hang a speedlight,, or even a small camera from a weird place without breaking out a stand.I usually get mine with the 1/4 " 20 stud or even the 3/8 to 1/4 " studs which you can mount all kinds of photo gear to.I've used these to hold reflectors, background fabric , field monitors, gopros, the list really goes on and on.Two of these, a stud and a magic arm , will give you a ton of variety. These are no brainers. . They open wide and can grip to cylinders or flat objects with the use of the wedge adapter , included.Another common usage is to combine this with a stud and a sturdy mini ball head to give you 360 degree versatility.I have 4 now and may pick up a couple more because they are so useful.

It is a super Super Clamp (sorry for my poor attempt at humor). I just purchased two through Amazon. These are my 4th and 5th Super Clamps, not because my older ones broke, because they still work perfectly, but because they are so handy to have on a shoot or in the studio. I recommend Manfrotto Super Clamps. Honestly, I haven't tried the cheaper versions by other manufacturers of these types of clamps so I can't speak to how good or not the alternative brands are. I figure why change when I have am completely satisfied with a product. Being complete satisfied with a product seems to happen so infrequently I am not going to change.