Cheaper Alternative to Arca Cube Geared Tripod Head

[wlaidlaw]

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I would like to get an Arca Cube to use on my Berlebach wooden tripod in place of the Manfrotto 222 Joystick head (converted to Arca QR plates), where my arthritic hands now struggle to cope and make accurate adjustments but cannot really justify the £1500 cost. I have found a Chinese company called Optics Focus who make geared and micrometer heads designed for surveying instruments but if you added an M6 to 1/4" UNC adapter, I see no reason they could not be used for photographic purposes. Their motorised (110 or 220v) two axis goniometer costs $588  plus of course P&P, and import duties . I would probably add a manual micrometer rotation stage to that for a further $58. Has anyone tried any products from Optics Focus? 

Wilson

 

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[dg4mgr]

I have no experience with Optics Focus, but did you look at this one?

https://www.leofoto.eu/en/g2-geared-panning-clamp.html

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[wlaidlaw]

1 hour ago, dg4mgr said:

I have no experience with Optics Focus, but did you look at this one?

https://www.leofoto.eu/en/g2-geared-panning-clamp.html

That looks perfect thank you and much better than messing about trying to convert items made for other purposes. My local camera shop, Park Cameras, about 6 miles away keeps them. 

Wilson

 

[wlaidlaw]

Just gone and picked up the Leophoto geared head and it is very nicely made with very smooth gearing for the goniometer adjustments. There are however two silly design mistakes. The panning head cannot be locked in the 0º position as the locking lever fouls the tightening knob for the top QR plate at 0º. Where would you normally want to lock the panning head - at 0º of course. The adapter on the bottom plate from 3/8" to 1/4" UNC, is too long so when fully screwed in it stands about 1/8" proud of the bottom plate. Just silly mistakes that with a modicum of thought could have been avoided. I am unlikely to use the 3/8" to 1/4" adapter anyway, as I think all my tripods are 3/8" screw mount for the head. The bottom plate of the head is very sensibly also an Arca compatible QR plate, so I can always mount it for quick use on top of another tripod head, as all my various heads are now either Arca QR plate or been converted from Manfrotto PL12 plate to Arca plate using Hejnar adapters. 

Wilson

 

 

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[dg4mgr]

vor einer Stunde schrieb wlaidlaw:

. The panning head cannot be locked in the 0º position as the locking lever fouls the tightening knob for the top QR plate at 0º.

You can pull the lever and turn it to another angular position - if I correctly understand your problem. 

[wlaidlaw]

3 minutes ago, dg4mgr said:

You can pull the lever and turn it to another angular position - if I correctly understand your problem. 

It might come off but it will need a puller. I gave it a good tug after removing the locking screw and it did not budge. 

Wilson

[dg4mgr]

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Won’t come off. It’s spring loaded and can be switched between different notches. The manual just says "can be pulled out to adjust position".

The mechanism is similar to the "adjustable clamping lever" on milling machines or other tools.

 

Edited March 1 by dg4mgr

[wlaidlaw]

Many thanks. I put the locking screw back in and tugged a bit harder. The tab was stuck on the square but has now come loose and I adjusted 180º. There is zero about this in my instructions which are definitely on the minimalist side. I now have it mounted on my Manfrotto 190 tripod so that I can do a panorama from near the top of  a friend's restored post type windmill (Kingston near Lewes, East Sussex). I will use either my M10-R with 35 APO Summicron or Q3, so with these wide angle lenses, the 190 should be rigid enough. Given my advanced age (just coming up to 78), I don't fancy lugging my very large and heavy Manfrotto 075B medium format tripod  up 6 floors of the windmill's spiral staircase. The owner is going to have to arrange printing himself, as I no longer have a roll paper printer, like I did when I did a panorama some 15 years ago on the last windmill he restored, a smock mill at Sandhurst, Kent.