BlackRapid FastenR Tripod FR-T1

4-star rating because...This little device, while relatively pricey considering what it is and that it is only compatible with Manfrotto quick release plates, is an immense "convenience" addition to your rig. Being able to switch from your BlackRapid shoulder strap to your tripod without unscrewing and screwing new parts in/out of your rig is great when you want maximum flexibility on your photo shoots. Also, this means wear and tear on the mount screw threads on your camera is kept at a virtual minimum.I wanted to give it 5 stars, but I deducted a star because the D-ring on the FR-T1 has no resistance to it. This doesn't seem to be an issue until you try to mount your camera into the tripod head. The D-ring wants to hang down, making it necessary to jiggle and finagle the D-ring into a lifted position so that the plate can seat properly in the head mount. I've remedied this problem by sort of sliding my camera over the tripod head so that one side of the head positions the D-ring in a flat position. Then I can quickly let the plate seat in the tripod head. This isn't any sort of weird or advanced move, but it's not "ideal" in that I can just drop my mounting plate straight in.All in all, BUY the FR-T1. The flexibility and convenience outweigh the reason for my one-star deduction.

Love the function of this, makes it so much quicker to go from tripod to strap without ever removing the arca plate from my camera. 5 stars for the function! However, there is one tiny thing that bugs me - it's noisy! I used it for the first time at a wedding and the noise from the carabiner on the strap clacking against this fastener on the bottom of my camera made some extra undesirable noise during the ceremony, so I found myself holding on to the carabiner to keep the noise down. I think there may be a little plastic tube you can buy that slips on to the carabiner to avoid the clacking, but of course, I didn't think about that. In a pinch, you could wrap tape around the carabiner so it doesn't touch the metal of the fastener. This is NOT a deal-breaker, and the fastener is exactly what I needed. Bottom line: highly recommended, if you have an arca-style tripod head and need to quickly move from strap to tripod or vice-versa without removing the plate.

Unfortunately this did not fit the hole in my tripod mount. The area where the threads are on the screw side has a wider diameter just below the base. So basically it's kind of a "stepped" mount. The threads are a smaller diameter than the section just above it which would be the section that fits into the tripod mount hole. I either have to drill the hole in my tripod mount bigger, or have a machinist turn the section down to fit the mount hole. Either way it's more effort and or more cost than it's worth. I don't want to modify my tripod mount. So I'll figure something out. If it would have fit, it would have been a killer addition to my set up. This is a nice rugged little attachment. If you have a Manfrotto or other name brand tripod, it will probably fit since that's what it's designed for. Mine is not a high end brand and it's a Manfrotto knock off.

Update: The folks at BlackRapid wrote me & confirmed that this piece does not fit the 2015 and later Manfrotto RC2 pieces. (It was Manfrotto that changed. Older Manfrotto pieces are probably compatible.) I'm hoping that BlackRapid will make an updated piece that will fit the newer Manfrotto pieces. So for the moment, you should take a careful look to make sure you're compatible, and going forward, we can hope that there will be compatibility.Kudos to BlackRapid for being a great company & responding to a customer question, even if they'll need a little time to respond to a change in what another company did!.....................This BlackRapid piece doesn’t fit the Manfrotto MKBFRA4-BH BeFree Compact Aluminum Travel Tripod that I bought from Amazon at the same time, which has their RC2 Quick Release Plate. Amazon lists these two products together, and the BlackRapid piece is designed to work with the Manfrotto tripod.It looks to me like there may have been a design change on Manfrotto’s part and BlackRapid didn't catch up yet. Or maybe Amazon sent out an older model of the BlackRapid. I can't tell.The problem is that the BlackRapid screw shaft is not long enough to go through the Manfrotto mount & screw reliably into the camera. It might take a turn or so of the thread, but that’s not enough.Attached is a picture of the two pieces so you can see the difference. Note that I propped the Manfrotto piece up a little so that you can see the length of the shafts alone. The total height is similar, but the BlackRapid “head” is thicker, leaving their shaft shorter. Possibly the “shoulder” on the BlackRapid piece is also playing a role. I can’t tell.I wrote BlackRapid for advice - I love the products from both companies - and hopefully they will get it resolved.But in the meantime, unless or until the companies get this sorted out, you should exercise caution. The pieces I received do not work together.

I purchased two of these, one for use on the Manfrotto RC2 plate on my camera body and the other for the RC2 plate I keep mounted to a 150-600mm lens. This makes it possible to add a BlackRapid strap without having to remove the quick release plates, I can now just leave the plates attached.The only minor compromise is that when I snap my camera onto the monopod/tripod I have to un-clip the BlackRapid strap from the T1 fastener. This isn't that big of a deal as the BlackRapid locking carabiner is quick and easy to connect/disconnect. Also, when using a monopod/tripod I'm doing so to reduce vibration. Having a camera strap attached adds the possibility to induce some vibration so removing it is probably a good idea anyway.These fasteners tightly secure my plates in place and give confidence that neither the plate nor the strap will separate from their respective attachment points. I highly recommend them.

I had been using the Manfrotto MN-498RC2 Midi Ball Head with RC2 Release Plate for a couple of years alongside my Black Rapid R-Strap RS-4 and didn't see the need to buy this FastenR. The RC2 plate itself comes with a hoop that can be used alongside the Black Rapid strap, and though it's not as strong as this device it lasted several years without failing me.However, after upgrading to a 3LeggedThing (Eddie) tripod I found that I needed something with a hoop in it in order to quickly be able to go back and forth between strap and tripod, and that's why I purchased this item.It fits perfectly with the AirHead 2 release place of the 3LT tripod, and so is always attached to my camera body and the plate, regardless of whether or not I'm using my tripod or my BlackRapid strap.The build is good, and it feels like a tough piece of metal to hold; and attaching it to the plate can be done with ease as there are no real fiddly bits.The only reason why I have given this item four stars is simply due to the price. Since taking up photography as a hobby I have come to accept that camera gear is expensive, but for a simple screw for a tripod this item should be cheaper.In summary, well built and does the job. For the Manfrotto RC2 plate it's built for I found it unnecessary; but for the 3LT it's essential.

I bought this toa) try to replace my manfrotto RC2 D-Ring, which I variously love and hate andb) act as a fixing point when I finally get a BlackRapid Sport strapThe flaw, however, is that the D-Ring on this hangs down, meaning that it just gets slightly in the way as you fit it onto the tripod head. Not really a big deal, and once I've got the strap, I'm sure I won't care.That, coupled with the fact that it wasn't obvious from the instructions on the cardboard tab how to remove (and put on) the C-clip that goes around the thread of the tripod mount, along with the fact that it is a little pricey for what it is, are why I've knocked a star off (but it is a proprietary mounting point for BlackRapid's straps, so I kind of have to forgive the proprietary pricing) .Overall, this has a beautiful nickel finish, is smooth and feels premium and extremely well made, although after fitting it I noticed the rotation of the tripod screw is hampered somewhat by the jaws of the C-Clip that stops the screw dropping out of the RC2. This will probably ease with use, so isn't a big deal.A quality item!

I bought a few of these to mount RC2 plates on a DSLR and L series lenses. This allows me to keep the plates attached, for use with my tripod and monopod, and still use the excellent BlackRapid RS7 strap.When the fastener is attached there is insufficient gap, even with the included washer attached, between the plate and swivel D loop. This causes the D loop to stick and worried me that there may be some stress applied to the pins.This was easily solved by applying some additional packing to the washer to increase the separation. I did this by applying some aluminium adhesive tap to the top and bottom of the washer. The tape is the type applied around the edges of windows to detect broken glass in alarm systems. I only chose this over normal insulating tape as I thought it would deform less in pressure and reduce the chance that the fastener would loosen.

Yes, this does seem expensive for what looks like essentially the same fastener the one supplied with a Manfrotto RC2 plate, although this was designed for the purpose of carrying the weight of a heavy camera and the Manfrotto fastener wasn't. I would rather trust a purpose-made item to carry the weight of a camera and lens from a Black Rapid strap. During a recent trip to the USA my DSLR and Black Rapid strap were in almost constant use for two weeks and this stayed securely in place; if you were worried about it working loose, a drop of threadlock or superglue may help boost your confidence. The clip on the Black Rapid strap attaches to the D-ring, which also folds fully flat allowing the RC2 plate to fit onto the tripod as normal when the camera is released from the strap. An excellent, well-designed and engineered accessory for the Black Rapid range.

Not only did the Manfrotto MKBFRA4D-BH Befree Compact not come with a quick release plate, but even when I bought the quick release plate, the release screw on it feels HORRIBLE!I bought this as I saw the Amazon advert saying that people who bought the tripod also often bought the quick release plate AND this button. It was expensive for what it is BUT has massively improved the speed at which I can use the equipment, so is worth it.Takes 2 mins to fit and is easier if you have a small pair of snipe nosed pliers to position the securing circlip with, but you can probably do it with a small screwdriver/dining room knife if you are determined enough!