sinar head question

[game]

Hi there,
I have a pan tilt sinar head for use with my Sinar f2.

example

I know how it works, but It has no Quick release... How do I deal with that?
I cannot imagine unscrewing an screwing all the time...
Is there a common solution?

Thanks for sharing!!
Game

 

[Amund]

Here`s your solution: http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/clamps/index.html

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

On a Sinar, the rail clamp is itself a quick release (unless, perhaps, you have the compact clamp). Leave the clamp attached to the head, and unscrew the rail with the large handle on the clamp.

Alternately, there was a guy on eBay who had a bunch of Arca-Swiss type plates made up for the Sinar rail clamp. Maybe he has more. I bought one and am hanging on to it, because most of my other cameras have A-S type plates and sometimes it's handy to be able to switch between the Sinar and another camera on the same tripod or stand, but normally with the Sinar I still use it as I've described with the clamp attached to the head, removing the camera by the rail.

 

[game]

Thanks for explaining. Indeed on can do it the way you described...
It seems a little less handy than a 'real' quick release, but it'll work.
game

 

[Jim Noel]

It may be less handy, but it is more secure than a quick release.

 

[Early Riser]

I use the Sinar rail clamp as a quick release, except for it's protruding handle which can make stowing it a little awkward, it works great. You will find though that the increased amount of removing and replacing the rail into the rail clamp will cause faster wear on the plastic rail collar.

 

[mikebarger]

Sinar experts, do you know if this clamp can replace the standard clamp on my F to get the camera down out of the wind?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sinar-Camera-Cl...yZ107928QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks

Mike

 

[Peter De Smidt]

Sinar experts, do you know if this clamp can replace the standard clamp on my F to get the camera down out of the wind?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sinar-Camera-Cl...yZ107928QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks

Mike

Mike,

You can use that clamp with an F. I don't understand what you're after, though. "Down out of the wind"?

-Peter

 

[David H. Bebbington]

I use Manfrotto hexagonal quick-release plates and have 3 heads which accept these. If I am using another tripod with no Manfrotto head, I add a "Manfrotto Quick Release Adapter for RCO System" to this head and then mount the camera as usual. The clamp you show has a 3/8" screw where I would expect to see a threaded hole - don't really understand why!

 

[mikebarger]

Thanks, your right. Must be for another application.

What I'd like to find a Sinar Norma clamp, they look quite a bit shorter than the standard F clamp.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Struan Gray]

Mike, the clamp you showed is intended for mounting other cameras on the Sinar Rail. You could get creative and use it to mount the rail onto the pan-tilt head with an intermediate threaded plate, but the clamp is bulkier than any of the regular rail clamps, the rail ends up off-centre on the head, and you have to remove a standard and slide the rail through the hole, instead of just lifting it out.

The Norma clamps are lower profile, but they also don't allow the rail to just lift out. Well, they do, but you have to leave the plastic insert on the rail, and the bolt head can foul the bellows. I used to just detach the rail clamp from the head (unscrewing a vertical bolt never seemed any harder to me than unscrewing a horizontal one). Now I leave the rail clamp on the head and have got good at loosening the front standard, sliding it off the rail, pushing the rail through the clamp and putting the front standard back on. Sounds complex, but takes little time and the camera takes up less room in my pack.

ps: I use the top plate of my 3-series Gitzo as a sort of quick release. Undo a bolt with a 10 mm spanner and the whole top plate, head, clamp and camera lift right off. I have another top plate with a ballhead I use for MF and 35mm, it slots right in.

 

[mikebarger]

The camera is so high above the tripod head (Bogen 410) I think it is putting extra torque on the the gears in our Kansas wind.

Understand I'm caught between Oklahoma and Nebraska.

I thought if I could cut down the height of the camera it may be easier on the tripod head.

Mike