convenient Sinar mounting/dismounting

[peter ramm]

Recent thread about a Linhof Master has me wondering again how to best mount my Sinar P2 (8 x 10). I need to move it about, from the place where it sleeps (my office) to the place where it is used a cavernous, cold, and dusty aircraft hangar. Can't just leave it out there.

That means unmounting the camera from an ancient IFF stand in my office, carrying it through a narrow door (too narrow for wheeled thingies) and mounting it on the big Foba stand. At the end of the shoot, it is the same in reverse. I am alone, the P2 is major heavy, and screwing it on and off the Sinar pan/tilt head or the Foba head is really scary.

I am too lazy to assemble and disassemble the silly thing. Is there a simple and quick mount/dismount solution? What about a video camera plate and holder? I could mount the holder on a pair of Foba pan tilt heads, one inside and one in the hangar. Anyone tried that?

[Frank Petronio]

Why not just get a second set of rail clamps and leave them mounted in each place? They are not that expensive and simply dropping the rail into the clamp is pretty easy with the Nylon ring to "key" it into place.

If I wanted to use the more expensive "over the top" rail clamp then what I would do is screw only the rail clamp into each location's camera support.... Make it solid, then drop the camera into the open clamp.

The camera comes with a really nice quick release built right in, so why add another level of connectors to it?

[Bob McCarthy]

I used a P with the RRS clamp and plate w/o an issue of stability. Same clamp and plate are being used with a Calumet C-1 also w/o issue. Heavier than your P by a bunch and rock solid.

Its a very good system.

bob

[Armin Seeholzer]

Same as Frank!

Cheers Armin

[Scott Walker]

Same as Frank & Armin

[Richard Wasserman]

Same as Frank & Armin & Scott

[peter ramm]

Sorry guys, my bad. I neglected to mention that the camera is on a dual base plate (attached pic stolen from the auction site). That's what makes it so heavy. I think the last time I ranted about this I was told to dump the base plate, but you can never be too rigid. Hmmm. That sounds strange. Anyway, as you point out this would all work if I went back to a single clamp.

What I would prefer is a big adapter plate under the base plate, and a matching holder at each location. There must be something like that out there.

[Frank Petronio]

Why not just mount the base plate and both rail clamps, then add the camera? If you have the clamps adjusted to fit the camera before removing the rail, then it should drop right in.

Seems that you would want as much contact area between the base plate and head as possible, so adding another quick release would weaken the joint.