Tripod head for Sinar F

[Stefan Lungu]

Hello everybody,

I am now the proud owner of a Sinar F . I would like to thank you for the very good advices that I got here and the experience shared among users that has been of great help.
Now, here I am trying to figure out how to start sooting with my new baby . How do I set this "little" guy on a tripod ? The holder of the Sinar looks to have a very big base. I have not checked it out yet ( I'm still not at home ), but I think my quick release plate of the Manfrotto 329 head is a very tiny thing compared to this. Any idea what I would need to set this up on a tripod ?

Regards, Stefan

[shmoo]

I have an F2 which can get quite heavy with a large lens. The 3047 (229) head works really well for me. It has a hexagonal quick release plate that is snug and secure. I use it with the 3021 tripod legs...a good combination for the Sinar F series.

[Greg Lockrey]

Get the Sinar base. It's made for the camera and it's a lot easier to use with it. You can get them for around $200 on fleabay. And they will hold a tank. You'll be glad you did.

[Jan_6568]

Stefan,
I had the F2 and I can only second the advise of getting Sinar Pan and Tilr head. I was trying Manfrotto head (can't recall which one now, the one with rectanglular QR plates) and the plates were too small for Sinar tripod block. Also, the camera was a bit too heavy for this head. The Sinar head works very smooth.
regards,
Jan

[Brian K]

I second the use of the Sinar Pan tilt head. I leave the rail clamp on the pan tilt head and can pop the camera rail on it quickly, it almost works likes a quick release and the head is rock solid.

[Stefan Lungu]

Well, since everybody seems to have only good words about the Sinar Pan/Tilt head, I'll look around for one and try getting all the "little" bits that I still need in order to start shooting. For now, I just take the camera out, place it on a table and look at the ground glass - great
Regards, Stefan

[Tom Raymondson]

I use the Manfrotto 3047 head with the 3221 legs. It's rock solid for my F1. I do all my LF near the car - I wouldn't want to carry this settup very far.

[Richard Wasserman]

I'll jump in here with another, although a bit late, endorsement for the Sinar head. I use one with a Norma 4x5/8x10 and it couldn't be better, it's solid and very easy to use.

[dominikus bw]

I have Sinar F1 & Manfrotto 055 pro but never use any head just to safe weight in my backpack
I leave the rail clamp on the center column

[Stefan Lungu]

Well, skipping the head was one thing I also considered, panning would not be a problem but tilting by going with different legs height does not sound very safe if you have 4kg over. On the other hand, ahead and the rail clamp of the Sinar make the whole thing a very high overstructure to start with. My 329 is a very robust looking head, the only problem is that the quick release plate is a little bit over the rest of the head, otherwise there would be no problem for the Sinar rail clamp to stay on solid ground.
For the legs I also considered the 055ProB since it should hold 7kg. The camera is about 3.6, the head another 1.4 or something, leaving me with about 2kg of weight on film holder, lens with lens plate and other accessories. For the time being, I have a Sironar N 150mm and I also got a SA 90mm f8 MC for a great deal, otherwise I was planning on starting with only one lens to get accustomed with the camera and the whole LF handling. I also plan on getting one more lens, either a 240 or a 300mm lightweight ( my preferences in 35mm with crop 1.6 were a 20mm, a 35mm and a 85/90mm, so a not too wide wideangle, a normal on the long side and a head portrait lens, even if I doubt I will have the opportunity to shoot like that with the LF gear ). I will look into getting the legs for this too and work from there - if I can get my hands on a Sinar head for less than a fortune, I will get it, but my main interest is to start using the gear I got - only looking trough the ground glass and playing with the movements is a good thing, but film wants to be exposed .
Regards, Stefan