Gitzo head suggestion..?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Large format photography : One Thread

Anyone have any ideas about this one? I just got a humungous Gitzo low profile rationale head - biggest one they do. However, because of it's desigh, part of it sticks down lower than the tripod head mount plate. This is okay with a "normal" sized tripod plate - Gizto, benbo etc, but want to use it on my old Ries, which has the huge 4 or 5" wide top plate.

So - I need something to mount between the two - a spacer of half and inch or so. Before I see about getting soemthing machine, does anyone know of something ready made that would do? a spacer with a threaded mount hole in the bottom and a tripod mount screw on the top?...

If you see what I mean...?

Thanks

tim a

-- Tim Atherton (tim@kairosphoto.com), January 08, 2002

Answers

I am not familiar with anything that is ready made like that, but I believe that if you talk to Ries they can make what you need. Better yet just get the Ries Double Tilt head and you'll be a very happy camper,I know I am and many others that I know who have these heads like them also.

-- Jeffrey Scott (jscott@datavoice.net), January 08, 2002.

Tim,

I've got the same head mounted on a G504 and I know what your are talking about. Even with the Gitzo, there is not much more than 1mm space between the hinge an the plate.

I would not recommend to fasten the head with a standard 3/8"-screw or even add another weak point with an addional 3/8"-screw mount, because my screw broke once as the tripod fell over (luckily withoud the camera). A single 3/8"-screw is certainly the wakest link in this chain, since you have to fasten this screw very tight to get the head fixed in a torsion-proof manner. So there is much tension in these screws. I had a mechanics to remount the head with four standard- screws on the plate. It is rock-solid now.

Regards,

-- Thilo Schmid (tschmid@2pix.de), January 09, 2002.


Gitzo makes a leveling plate that may solve your problem.

-- Roger (roger@photo.net), January 09, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ