New Desmond DBA-2 Manfrotto RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp

A little over a year ago I made an introduction to Desmond Photographic Distributors, USA and their mostly innovative products by reviewing the Desmond DBA-1 QR Clamp the first ever clamp accepting both Bogen® / Manfrotto® RC2 and Arca-Swiss® compatible quick release plates.

A few days ago, Desmond released the DBA-2 QR clamp not only with enhanced characteristics but with a lower price tag as well.
The DBA-2 clamp
The DBA-2 retains the unique design of its predecessor by accepting both Arca-Swiss® compatible and Bogen® 3157N / Manfrotto® 200PL-14 compatible plates, while slimmer and lighter.
In addition it features now laser engraved decimal scales on both clamp jaws and a quite large removable bubble level.

Manufacturer Specification:
Model:	DBA-02
Compatibility:	Arca-Swiss® / Manfrotto® 200PL-14 RC2
Jaw Length:	60.0 mm (2.36")
Bubble Level:	Removable
Weight:	107 gr
Includes:	Metal Converter 3/8"-16 to 1/4"-20

Despite of the addition of the bubble level, Desmond engineers managed to relieve the clamp from 29 gr (1 oz) of mass by redesigning the clamp bottom and extracting all excess material. The previous DBA-1 weighed 136 gr (4.8 oz) while the DBA-2 weighs 107 gr (3.8 oz).

Desmond DBA-2 illustrated with the Manfrotto® 200PL-14 RC2 plate clamped.

My only critical comment in the DBA-1 review was about its mass. But as I mentioned recently in the Desmond DAC-X1 Skeleton QR Clamp Review, I understood then that the extra machining required to lower the weight would rise the manufacturing cost substantially. However, the Desmond team succeeded once again, not only to reduced the weight by ~22% but also to reduce the price by ~12%. Well done!

I hope you found the information useful, thank you for viewing.
All Photos by courtesy of © 2013 Desmond Photographic Distributors

Price & Availability:
Introductory price for the DBA-2 is US$ 30.43 (+Shipping where applicable) quite lower than the original price of US$ 33.95 for the DBA-1 one year ago (now US$ 27.98 19.95). Both Desmond DBA-2 and DBA-1 clamps are available from Amazon but also from eBay


Referenced Articles:

Desmond DBA-1 Bogen (Manfrotto) / Arca Clamp Review

Desmond DAC-X1 Skeleton Quick Release Clamp Review


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