Arca Swiss Adapters on Majestic Tripod

[Jim Andrada]

I added a couple of Arca Swiss adapters to the flat top plate on the Majestic tripod. I have the plates on pretty much everything up to 5 x 7. On the wood bodies cameras I use the plates made for the Mamiya 645/RB6 and it's a simple matter to put a couple of small holes in the wood base.
The problem witn using most adapters on a tripod with a flat top is that they adapters open and close with a knob but no way to get your fingers in between the camera bed and the top plate to twist the knob. So I use two of the Kessler Crane adapters that operate with a locking lever.

Reason for two is that some camera plates attach "side to side" and others "fore to aft"

Anyhow, here's how the setup looks. So far it's working well.

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[Tin Can]

Have you found any weakness in the Kessler Crane beyond 5X7?

I use one, but I worry I am overloading it with 11x14 Chamonix. But I don't expect or use high load tilts or inversions.

[Jim Andrada]

I haven't tried anything bigger than 5 x 7 but I'm up to testing it with my 8 x 10 Linhof Kardan Bi. I'll hook it up and report. I think it will be fine. Some of the video stuff that goes on these mounts is close to 100 pounds.

[Tin Can]

Yes, those Video guys. I think I saw it used as a slider base, which with almost any camera induces severe loading.

I would buy more of their stuff if I won the Lottery. But I don't play the Lottery...

Not that Kessler Crane pricing is high but I have my budget

somewhere


I haven't tried anything bigger than 5 x 7 but I'm up to testing it with my 8 x 10 Linhof Kardan Bi. I'll hook it up and report. I think it will be fine. Some of the video stuff that goes on these mounts is close to 100 pounds.

[Jim Andrada]

I think for video stuff they're kind of middle of the road pricing. I was looking at their sliders for my video stuff - might still get one. I'd love to figure out how to use their crane for LF - come to think of it, I could hang my Canon 5D on the back of the 5 x 7 and run the video output to my remote electronic viewfinder. Then the trick would be cocking the shutter and stopping down. To say nothing of inserting the filmholder...

[Jim Andrada]

Well, I hung the Linhof on the Majestic and cranked it down. I think this might be a bit extreme, but nothing is complaining. I suspect you'll be fine with the 11 x 14 - probably OK with a 14 x 17 as well.

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[Tin Can]

Thanks Jim. I sure hate dropping things which I do all the time with my RA hands.

I may yet build a different QR simply because I have a hard time connecting even something as nice as the Kessler Crane.

[cowanw]

There is a gap in the products available for this purpose. While there are many who will comment that it is inappropriate to use an Arca Swiss mount in this circumstance, some of us would like to. Often the knobs are too large to sit flush between a large flat top plate or there are protruding elements like bullseye levels.
I emailed Induro's office and I think the QRT70X is an example of a mount that would sit flush, but the knob would be hard to get to.
My solution was to take an old and long Arca swiss type mount (no name) and rethread an extra tiltall handle to fit in the place of the knob.

[Jim Andrada]

Yup - the tight space was the thing that stopped me from just mounting a clamp on the Majestic. Then I found out about the Kesslers and the lever clamp works just fine - I can get my finger on it OK. Only drawback is the $$$. :(

[Jim Andrada]

@Randy

RA is bad! I've had a bunch of metal installed in my back and knee but so far RA hasn't been a life changing issue for me. My wife, on the other hand has it bad. It's really been a life changer for her - she was a concert pianist and performed up until a few years ago, but can't even touch the piano any more. The piano was her life since she was a 4 year-old. I sometimes wonder if the 6 - 10 hours a day of practice contributed to the problem. Good luck with keeping it under control.

[Jim Andrada]

Just thought that I should point out that I drilled two holes in the top plate so the "front"clamp won't rotate under load. The rear clamp also has two machine screws - the normal one that comes with the head and an additional one inserted through the slot in the center of the head. By the way, just wanted to clarify something - the reason I like the Arca Swiss plates for the Mamiya 645 etc for my wood bodied cameras is that the plate has two anti-rotation pins that fit into holes in the camera base.