April 18, 2020

New Sunwayfoto MAP-01 and MAP-02 Adapter Bushings for Manfrotto Ball Heads

Sunwayfoto MAP-01 and MAP-02 Manfrotto® Bushing Adapters

Sunwayfoto had released their MAC-14 Manfrotto® RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp back in 2014 that allowed owners of  the popular RC2 200PL plates keep using them while migrating to an Arca style system. However, an adapter to fit an Arca style clamp on a proprietary Manfrotto ball head was not available from Sunwayfoto then.

Nonetheless it took some time for a Sunwayfoto bushing adapter for Manfrotto® to come along, but a few days ago Sunwayfoto announced the release of not one but two adapter versions, covering the whole range of Manfrotto ball heads.
Meaning all series MHXPRO-BH, MH055/057, MH492/494/496/498 Centered and older 492/494/496 Ball Heads can accept  Arca-Swiss® compatible Quick Release Clamps especially high quality Sunwayfoto QR clamps from now on.

Some History
For the record, Manfrotto had released the Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor Previewed back in 2013, which was claimed to be Arca-Swiss® compatible, but in my Q6 Top Lock QR Adaptor Compatibility Assessment article it did not prove to be so compatible after all in order to accept the vast majority of Arca style accessories.

Still a very sturdy and high quality dedicated solution came from Hejnar Photo with the Hejnar FM496RC2 6cm QR Clamp which fits directly on the Manfrotto ball head stem, but its price and size are a bit limiting and better matched with the larger, higher capacity and price 498 and MHXPRO or 055/057 ball heads.

Should I mention also that in cooperation with Desmond back in 2014, we came along with the Desmond DBAD-1 Manfrotto Boss Adapter which did the obvious. Was a small, light weight and inexpensive accessory, which could fit the most popular of the Manfrotto 494/496/498 - 054/055/057 ball heads back them, but unfortunately it was discontinued.

Therefore, the need of an economical and true Arca compatible QR clamp conversion system solution still remained, for the numerous Manfrotto ball head users.

As a usual practice Manfrotto's ball heads have different proprietary anti-twist boss or groove designs which are wider and reversed compared to most other manufacturers. More than that not all Manfrotto ball heads follow the same design, since each series has a different one according to the Quick Release they are supplied with. So Sunwayfoto had to come with two Bushing Adapters.

The MAP-01 Adapter

Manufacturer Specification:
Model:MAP-01
Manfrotto® Compatibility:
Bossed Stem
Diameter:19mm (0.75")
Top Bosses:5mm (0.17")
Bottom Groove:7mm (0.27")
Includes:2 x M6 Screws +Allen key

Sunwayfoto MAP-01 Bushing Adapter is compatible with Manfrotto ball heads with wide bosses on top of their ball stem. 

Manfrotto® MHXPRO Ball Head with Sunwayfoto MAP-01

The MAP-02 Adapter

Manufacturer Specification:
Model:MAP-02
Manfrotto® Compatibility:
Grooved Stem
Diameter:19mm (0.75")
Top Bosses:5mm (0.17")
Bottom Groove:7mm (0.27")
Includes:2 x M6 Screws +Allen key

While on the other hand Sunwayfoto Bushing Adapter is compatible with Manfrotto ball heads with wide grooves on top of their ball stem.

Manfrotto® MH494 Ball Head with Sunwayfoto MAP-02




Mounting a QR Clamp on a Manfrotto® Ball Head

Mounting the MAP-02 Bushing Adapter on an MH494 Centered ball head is taken as an example. The procedure does not require any special skills other than to unscrew the existing Quick Release using the provided Allen hex key. Then center the Bushing Adapter within the wide anti-twist groove on top of the ball stem.

Next obvious step is to center the clamp of your choice, or in this illustration the Sunwayfoto MAC-14 dual Manfrotto® RC2 and Arca QR Clap on top of the MAP-02 adapter aligning the top bosses with the anti-twist grooves at the bottom of the clamp.

Manfrotto® MH492 Ball Head with Sunwayfoto MAP-02 and MAC-14 QR clamp

Either using the removed screw or choose the most convenient length between the two M6 stainless-steel screws provided with the MAP-02 or Clamp+MAP-01T kit, screw and tighten the clamp on the ball stem with the provided 4 mm Allen hex key. That's all!

Manfrotto® MH492 Ball Head with Sunwayfoto MAP-02 and MAC-14 QR clamp II

Now a vast selection of Arca-Swiss® compatible camera support accessories is open for you. L Brackets, Multi Purpose Rails, Macro Focusing Rails, Panning Clamps and bases and you name it.
As in above illustration the Manfrotto® MH494 equipped with Sunwayfoto MAP-02 Adapter and MAC-14 QR clamp can hold a Nikon D850 via the Sunwayfoto PNL-D850 L Bracket.

Packages and Contents

There are five different package options available for the Sunwayfoto Bushing Adapters that will suit every need.
They are sold separately as MAP-01 or MAP-02; as a combo MPA_01T containing both MAP-01 and MAP-02 and furthermore combined with either MAC-14 dual QR clamp as MAC-14T pack containing MAC-14 + MAP-01 + MAP-02 or DDC-50i QR Clamp as DDC-50iT pack containing DDC-50i + MAP-01 + MAP-02.

All MAP-01 T packages besides the MAP-01 amd or MAP-02 Bushing Adapters contain 1x M6 20mm SS screw, 1 x M6 25mm SS screw and one 4 mm Allen Hex key.

Sunwayfoto MAP-01 / MAP-02 Pacjkages

Of course QR clamp packages have more accessories included, like 1/4"-20 to 3/8"-16 conversion bushing, draw string bag a.o.

I hope you found the article and ideas useful, thank you for viewing.
All Photos by courtesy of Sunwayfoto ©2020

Price & Availability:
Recommended Retail for either MAP-01 or MAP-02 Adapter Bushing is US$ 12.99 while for the MAP-01 T package containing both is US $ 14.99
Further, combined with either MAC-14 QR clamp as MAC-14T (MAC-14+MAP-01T) or DDC-50i QR Clamp as DDC-50iT (DDC-50i+MAP-01T) at a Recommended Retail Price of US$ 39.95.
The MAP-01T combo is currently available from Amazon and/or from eBay.

Furthermore, as of 2022 the popular MAC-14T (MAC-14+MAP-01T) is also available from the Sunwayfoto Store

Please note that we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases through above affiliate links.


Referenced Articles:

Desmond DBAD-1 Manfrotto Boss Adapter Review
Desmond DBAD-1 Manfrotto Boss Adapter Review
New Sunwayfoto MAC-14 Manfrotto RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp
New Sunwayfoto MAC-14 Manfrotto RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp
Manfrotto Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor Preview
Manfrotto Q6 Top Lock Quick Release Adaptor Preview
Manfrotto Q6 Top Lock QR Adaptor
Manfrotto Q6 Top Lock QR Adaptor Compatibility Assessment






Relevant Articles:

New Desmond DBA-2 Manfrotto RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp
New Desmond DBA-2 Manfrotto RC2 and Arca Compatible Clamp
New & Unique Hejnar PHOTO Arca Compatible QR Clamp for Manfrotto 496/498 and 054 Ball Heads
Unique Hejnar PHOTO Arca Compatible QR Clamp for Manfrotto 496/498 and 054 Ball Heads

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