Qucik release advise

[dpetersen]

For years I have been using the Bogen tripod head and a corresponding hexagonal plate on the camera for securing the camera to the tripod. Recently I have become the benificary of a 4x5 monorail and now this setup seems kind of shaky to me. I would like to solicit the advise of the group for alternative QR systems. I have a suitable tripod head, but no QR set-up. Thanks in advance

DP

[vinny]

arca-swiss type. The best, most rigid, and smallest in my opinion.
kirk, really right stuff, and others make quick release "clamps" that you can mount on most heads. Is this what your'e talking about?

http://reallyrightstuff.com/QR/03.html

[Ron Marshall]

I second the Arca-Swiss type, simple, reliable, solid.

[konakoa]

If you like the Bogen system, look at a 3039 head. Same hexagonal quick release plates, just a much more robust head. Add in a big 4" 3297 plate and it's one stout platform for 4x5. Great for my monorail.

[Brian Ellis]

Bogen makes a 4" square QR plate that I used with an 8x10 camera and it was rock solid. It will fit any head that has the Bogen hexagonal shape. I used Arca plates on my other cameras and they're fine too but I think having 16 square inches of plate under the camera is nice for stability.

[neil poulsen]

If you like the Bogen system, look at a 3039 head. Same hexagonal quick release plates, just a much more robust head. Add in a big 4" 3297 plate and it's one stout platform for 4x5. Great for my monorail.

I second the 3039. I have this tripod head, and it's great. Very smooth operationally. It's basically the same as the 3047, except that it's much better built and smoother in its operation. It's rated for 26.5 lbs.

Actually, it's now the 030-14 that replaces the 3039. But, it sure looks the same.

http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/site/bius/pid/6780?detailPid=8041&actualPathCategoryKey=1CAT:AAA1:2CAT:BB24&kindOfProductCollectionRequest=productDetail&marketList=MARKET:MKT1|&productCode=229&productDescription=3D%20SUPER-PRO%20HEAD&curBrandId=MAN

[ic-racer]

I'm not sure if I understand. Do you mean that the Bogen hex plate and locking mechanism does not seem robust enough for a 4x5 camera?

[neil poulsen]

I'm not sure to which comment you are referring. The hex plate is one of the stronger quick release plates that Bogen offers. It's certainly strong enough for just about any 4x5 camera up to 12 or 15 lbs.

As to Brian's comment, it's a 4 inch base on top, and it has fittings on the bottom that are compatible with a hex plate head like the 3039. A large plate like this has an advantage with 8x10 cameras.

In my experience, the hex plate quick release system is strong and tight.

I did notice a problem using older, light gray hex plates on the newer heads. They were loose. At some point, I'm thinking that Bogen may have increased the size of their hex plates by some small margin. Older hex plates that fit tight on my 3047 did not fit tight on my 3039.

[ic-racer]

I'm not sure to which comment you are referring. The hex plate is one of the stronger quick release plates that Bogen offers. It's certainly strong enough for just about any 4x5 camera up to 12 or 15 lbs.

As to Brian's comment, it's a 4 inch base on top, and it has fittings on the bottom that are compatible with a hex plate head like the 3039. A large plate like this has an advantage with 8x10 cameras.

In my experience, the hex plate quick release system is strong and tight.

I did notice a problem using older, light gray hex plates on the newer heads. They were loose. At some point, I'm thinking that Bogen may have increased the size of their hex plates by some small margin. Older hex plates that fit tight on my 3047 did not fit tight on my 3039.

I was asking the OP, but your comments echo my experience. That hex plate system works well for large format cameras.

[Stephen Willard]

I have found 90% of all camera move occurs not in the tripod legs as most would think, but rather in the tripod head. There are two places in the head where movement is realized. The first is where the camera connects to the plate, and the other is torque or twist that occurs around the cantilevered arm of a three way tripod head.

I actually setup my LF camera with a 720 lens, and photographed the tripod head with a long exposure under windy conditions up close using my 35mm camera and a telephoto lens from a number of different angles. This allowed me to actually see the movement by noticing where the blurring occurred. I also did the same for my undersized tripod legs. To my surprise, I found that the tripod head was where the problem lies at the points noted above.

To counter this I purchased a Bogen 3057 which is no longer made. It is a massive tripod head with a thick steel cantilevered arm and sports a 3/8" thick 4"x4" quick release plate. Only then was I able to consistently take sharp images with the 720mm lens. I suspect a head of this size is not needed for normal to wide-angle lenses.

I also on occasions use a homemade giant rubber band made from a bungee cord with its two ends tied together. One end of the cord is then looped over the barrel of the lens and run under the tripod head between the tripod legs and back up and attached to the back standard. This bungee cord configuration serves to further dampen any vibrations during windy conditions or long bellows extensions. I have also attached a backpack cord lock on the rubber band so that I can adjust the tension as I change the extension of the bellows for different focal length lenses.