Thanks for explanations - I see now what it is all about. To begin with I'll start with my 405 head and round Arca plate and as the next step I'll get Pan Tilt, which is not expensive anyways and additional Gitzo base plate for faster transitions. But still i need rail clamp base diameter to fit proper temporary plate. Anybody could measure it for me?
Kal
I guess a lot of people agree with Bernice that the Sinar pan-tilt head is a "must-do no exceptions" part of the Sinar camera system, as on the used market today, they often sell for more than an otherwise complete Sinar 4x5 camera.
However, I used a 4x5 F2 on the job for almost twenty years without ever having an official pan-tilt head for it... and I've used my 4x5 Norma for ten years or so now without one. Although I agree that it looks like a superb tool, and would like to use one, I won't let it keep me from making pictures.
For example, one member of this forum puts his Norma on a Tiltall tripod, a fine device made for 8mm movie cameras and 35mm Leicas. That's not for me, but there's not only one answer.
"The perfect is the enemy of the good."
There is also a Chinese copy of the pan/tilt that one can buy new. My camera is packed away, and I'm super busy today, but if someone doesn't measure for you before then, I can do it on Friday.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
Sinar rail clamp base diameter, about 2.94" or about 75mm.
Another way, this is a pan/tilt/nod head made using optical bench goniometer stages (ala Arca Swiss "cube"). It is uber precise, easily positioned with absolute accuracy to a fraction of a degeee with absolute stability. The goniometer stages are made of solid brass alloy and heavy, seldom used due to the weight and vast rotating of the knobs to position as needed. Majority of image making does not need this degree of uber precision, control, accuracy, stability.. It is most often used for interior view camera images where precise control is a big plus. Note the Sinar Norma rail clamp, lower profile than the later Sinar rail clamps.
Bernice
Originally Posted by kal800
The screw-head / stud which prevents the rail clamp from rotating is located right near the outer edge. Since the camera is balanced by sliding the rail in the rail clamp, the camera can be balanced on any tripod head. If the rail clamp rotates on the AS plate it will probably be caused by trying to pan the camera when the head panning is locked or set to high resistance.
Although the Sinar parts work very well together and feel well balanced together, the Sinar pan/tilt head isn't particularly friendly to small cameras. A head with an AS quick release makes swapping cameras much easier and can hold the camera just as well as the Sinar tripod head does. If you are comfortable that your current tripod head can handle the weight of your camera, IMO you don't need to feel compelled to get a Sinar pan/tilt head.
jeff
Bernice - thanks a lot. I got the solution. Hejnar has the plate almost identical in diameter:
http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/mobi...de=H131-300-AP
What I need is one hole for a screw in a proper place matched with rail clamp’s anti rotational slot and I have my link.
I've ended up with Sinar Pan/Tilt head. Manfrotto 405 was a disaster, even with F standards installed. It is simply too heavy, and the clamp is pretty tall making a hell of a lever which simply is to big for geared mech in Manfrotto head - as a result the thing moved back and forth being far from being stable. It is a great head for smaller cameras, but not for Sinar definitely. Pan and tilt head fits perfectly, it is compact and stable. One thing - is there any way to tighten the head to the clamp properly? That plastic knob is hard to grab and tighten.
At one point I tried the 405 as well. I quickly sold it.
If you have the anti-spin ....stud?....on the top of camera mounting platform, you don't have to crank super hard on the camera screw to keep the camera from spinning. It helps to mount the rail holder first, instead of the whole camera. Tilting the head quite a bit will make it easier to turn the screw, and that easy to do with just the rail holder on the head.
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
There should be a anti-rotation stud on the Sinar pan/tilt head to rail clamp side. This stud is a cheese head screw, it lines up with the slot with tensioning screw on the Sinar rail clamp. Connect the Sinar rail clamp to the Sinar pan/tilt head with the slot lined up with the stud on the pan/tilt top ~and~ the locking lever rotated counter-clockwise. Thread this connection together finger tight_ish, then rotate the locking lever clockwise to secure the connection. The locking lever drives a screw into the alignment stud head which greatly tensions the joint to make it wobble free and very secure. See image for details.
Previously posted as# 10 in this discussion.
https://www.largeformatphotography.i...to-tripod-head
Sinar as a modular view camera system has these concerns-needs and all that designed in and accounted for. This is much about learning about how this Sinar stuff works then understanding and respecting what has been designed in as majority of what is designed, produced, offered by Sinar has been carefully considered, working image maker tested and proven over decades of sheet film image making.
Bernice
Thanks, Bernice, for the better explanation than I gave!
“You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know
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