RIES head: from two way to three way??

[jack_hui]

Hi,

Just got a RIES J250 head, excellent head! But it is a two way head without horizontal
pan.

Anyone got an idea to convert it to a 3 way head?

thanks!

[wfwhitaker]

To pan with a Ries head, loosen the screw holding the head to the top of the tripod, pan to frame your shot and retighten the screw. It may sound crude, but it works very well. You only need to loosen it enough to move. There's plenty of thread to still hold onto the head. The top of the tripod makes for a large bearing surface so the movement is well supported. I've seen aftermarket kits which have a bearing made out of some sort of thin plastic which makes for a smoother motion. I have essentially the same thing for mine, but it's homemade out of milk jug plastic.

[jack_hui]

To pan with a Ries head, loosen the screw holding the head to the top of the tripod, pan to frame your shot and retighten the screw. It may sound crude, but it works very well. You only need to loosen it enough to move. There's plenty of thread to still hold onto the head. The top of the tripod makes for a large bearing surface so the movement is well supported. I've seen aftermarket kits which have a bearing made out of some sort of thin plastic which makes for a smoother motion. I have essentially the same thing for mine, but it's homemade out of milk jug plastic.


Thanks wfwhitaker,

Are you talking about RIES tripod??? I can understand that RIES tripod has a screw at the head, which can be loosen and pan the RIES on the top. But for other tripod, such as GITZO, the screw on the tripod head, can't be loosen as the way of RIES does.

Well, I just want a cheaper way to solve this problem, rather than buying a RIES tripod.

Thanks
Jack

[Colin Graham]

Can you replace the mounting screw on the Gitzo with one that has a knob that's easy to tighten? McMaster Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/) sells a lot of 3/8 thread studs with knobs attached....For a bearing surface I used a lid from a quart of yogurt on mine, works great.

[Tracy Storer]

Colin,
if your Gitzo has no center column, it would be a simple matter to have a new top plate custom turned that would allow the Ries head to pan like it does on a set of Ries legs.
I am thinking of getting a Gitzo Carbon-fiber tripod for my 8x10 and doing this for myself with a J-250 head.
If you DO have a center column, I don't know...do I remember right that Gitzo center columns DON'T turn?
Best,
Tracy

[Colin Graham]

Oops, forgot about center columns! That is a bit of a kink in my plan.

[wfwhitaker]

Are you talking about RIES tripod???

Yes.

[jack_hui]

Tried, but don't think the Gitzo's head screw could be replaced by a knob screw.

[jack_hui]

Colin,
if your Gitzo has no center column, it would be a simple matter to have a new top plate custom turned that would allow the Ries head to pan like it does on a set of Ries legs.
I am thinking of getting a Gitzo Carbon-fiber tripod for my 8x10 and doing this for myself with a J-250 head.
If you DO have a center column, I don't know...do I remember right that Gitzo center columns DON'T turn?
Best,
Tracy

Yes, you are correct.

[Dave Parker]

Colin, can you give a bit more info on where McMaster site has the tripod mounting screws. They have so much stuff it is difficult to find. Can't get anything on it searching for Tripods, Tripod mounting screws or similar.

Thanks for the referrel though, it is an interesting site with some stuff I will use in the future.

In looking at their website, I would suggest the fastening and sealing section they list quite a few different bolts and nuts, etc, as they are not a photographic but a hardware type company, they would not be listing them as tripod screws.

Dave

[John Schneider]

try: knobs, threaded stud. Their "round with knurled rim style #4" is what I used for my homebuilt 4x5 monorail. It's the same knob used by OEM's incl. Studioball.

[Tracy Storer]

What you need is a fairly low-profile rotary table that locks. I don't know if there's one out there, but it wouldn't be that hard to build with the right tools. (lathe+mill) If you're interested, we can talk details and I'll give you an estimate.

[Colin Graham]

Dakotah, what John or Dave wrote will work well for the search parameters. It is a huge and wonderful site and very easy to get sidetracked. I used a four-lobed rubber knob for my tripod because the sizes worked for what I needed, a 3/8-16 thread and long enough to feed through the yoke. I wish I could give a direct link but their site doesn't seem to allow it.

[scott_6029]

Yes, a great solution and one that I use. It's a bogen 'ball head' - but NOT really a BALL head in the traditional sense. Its a FLAT ball, more like a flattened ball. The whole thing is less than 2" tall and is 4-5" wide. It allows you to rotate the whole camera and has a little bubble level on it. It sits between the tripod and the tripod head. Call Rod at Photomark. It has a lever to loosen and rotate and level it, and then tighten again. It also holds a lot of weight. It's not expensive either, I think around $85 and is a great way to rotate the camera, level it, etc.

[ken]

Reid Tool in Michigan (also online) sells all kinds of knob accessories. They are used in machine tool setups. Just remember to get the right thread size (3?8" x16 threads per inch, also known as 3/8 NC [National Coarse})

Ken

[jack_hui]

After I disassemble the Gitzo 1570M 3-way head, I copy the idea and ask
someone who know machine work to help me.

Please take a look of my 3-way RIES head ...


http://www.pbase.com/jack_hui/image/87050193.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/jack_hui/image/87050192.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/jack_hui/image/87050189.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/jack_hui/image/87050191.jpg


However, this design will need to drill holes on RIES head and attach it to
the horizontal pan. Therefore, this horizontal pan only good for my RIES head,
But I got some idea to make a horizontal pan, which is
useful for all 2-way pan. I might start the work later ... have fun!!