Black Knobs on Clamps

I will start adding clamps with black knob to my store inventory.
Many of you prefer black over silver surface.
F61ab - 1.50 inch clamp with black knob is already available in my store, and I added 3.25 inch  and 2.375 inch clamp with short black knob today.

Modular lens support

Original Design 

Many of you are using lens support brackets with lens/camera combos. In this combo the distance between lens barrel and mounting surface (either lens foot or camera bottom)  is limited. When the lens is equipped with a tall lens foot, there is no problem using the clamp on the rail. This provides for quick height adjustment, handy if you change lenses often. If you mount a clamp on the rail end, your lens foot is closer to the lens barrel and you will have problems with lowering the bracket. This is happening because the V groove on the LLSB side does not run the full length. The solutions until now were to either
             1) Increase distance by using dual sided clamp (or clamp set) between camera or lens foot and     vertical mounting rail.
             2) Use 90 degree connector mounted under horizontal rail for clamp mount
             3) Use center slot and screw mount option  instead of clamp. But L wrench needed to adjust height.

I was trying to make this bracket work for everybody, but no matter how I designed it there was some kind of problem. Finally, I decided to make this two part assembly where you can mix and match the wheel section and the rail itself.  Now you can have a shorter 2 inch, longer 3 inch, or any other rail you may need. Rail has V slot along hole length. On the top of this rail I can mount a wheel section. Again, the wheel section can be now wide or narrow and tall or short. I didn't produce many different wheel section designs, but they are going to be available soon.
Combinations are endless and you can match them to any lens/camera combo.
I can also make a smaller wheel diameter to allow you to bring your lens closer to the rail.

Rails ( 3 and 2 inch)

Wheel section. Wheels are equipped with soft rubber 

Wheel section and rail mount using two screws 

You can use 1.5 inch clamp on rail end 

Distance between horizontal rail and lens barrel will shorten if you use 1 inch clamp on rail end instead of 1.5  inch.

Arca Swiss type clamp for Manfrotto 468MGRC2

Manfrotto 468MGRC2  hydro static head is very popular. By adding one more hole to back of my F62 and F63 series clamps i was able to adapt clamps  for 468MG head.   After pressing  small pin  into that additional clamp hole and removing original RC2 clamping system from Manfrotto I have Arca Swiss type clamp mounted on Manfrotto 468MG Head.  Hardest part was to remove small screw from original setup. After that was out of the way placing clamp on 468 head takes few second. You have to align small pin with hole on round platform and attache clamp using original screw . Pin will prevent clamp from twisting. 

Pack original Manfrotto mounting system in save place and go shooting.

Available in my store for $65.00
www.hejnarphotostore.com

Manfrotto 405/410 research

Update as of Dec 2011
After few months since change was introduced looks like all 405 gear heads are equipped with REV 1 mounting pattern  and Junior head 410 is equipped with REV 0 mounting pattern.. This info was confirm by Manfrotto help desk in Italy. Just in case I would sagest to receive gear head  first before placing order for adapter plate.

Manfrotto 496 RC2 conversion plate

You can now convert Manfrotto 496RC2 ball head to use with arca swiss type equipment
Simple plate will do the trick. You of course will need a clamp if you are seriously thinking about switching to the best system available. Plate and plate/clamp combinations are available in my store .

Adapter plate is attached to Manfrotto head in a few simple steps.
1) Remove original Manfrotto platform..
2) Align slots on plate back with island on Manfrotto post.
3) Attach conversion plate in place of original Manfrotto platform using original center screw.
4) Attach clamp to adapter plate using two side holes and provided 10-32 screws.

Lens plate selection

As you all know, I am not a fan of dedicated plates (I do change my lenses and camera every few years and I hate when a perfectly good camera or lens plate can not be used with newer equipment simply because the hole location changed just a bit).

I do receive a few questions every week about what plate should be used  for XXX lens.  In some occasions, the answer is simple. But sometimes it is not. To determine type, length and plate type please follow these short guidelines

1)Determine the number of screws you need. If your lens foot has more than one mounting hole, it is recommended that more than one hole be used to mount the plate in order to keep the plate from twisting on the foot. If your lens foot has only one mounting hole, see the anti-twist section below.

2) If your lens has only one hole, you can prevent the plate from twisting on the lens foot by positioning the plate ridge on the back of the plate, against the back of the lens foot If you need or prefer to have the plate extended behind the lens foot, you can set the plate ridge against the front of the foot. You also have the option of purchasing the plate with a removable ridge. In that case the ridge can be mounted in various positions along the plate.

3)To determine the length of the plate needed for your lens please measure your lens foot. In normal circumstances that is length of the plate you will need. If you are using optional flash brackets and you wish to mount it on the lens plate you may prefer to add an additional 3/4 of the inch to lens plate. Also you may opt for one that is a bit longer than your original lens foot, especially if you are using a gimbal head where you have to move the camera and lens backwards and forwards to get optimal balance.

4)If your lens foot has a 3/8" mounting hole (very rare) install a reducer bushing into this larger mounting hole. This allows use of the 1/4" plate fastener in the larger 3/8" hole. You can purchase reducer bushings in the miscellaneous section if you have a 3/8" hole, the center slot is not wide enough to use 3/8" screw.

web store in finally ready-www.hejnarphotostore.com

After few months my web store is up and running. Not all items are loaded there yet but will be in a few weeks
( I have to re-shoot some photos). Pay Pal and credit cards are accepted.
For now there is only one shipping option (standard- first class mail to US and Express to rest of the planet).
I hope I will work out some issues with the post office and have all options available (priority, express etc) available soon.
10% discount on most items www.hejnarphotostore.com is open :)

New clamps

Few addition to my clamps

Table top clamp(F60) - 1.00 inch wide  with center hole as always countersunk for 1/4-20 and M6 screws but also threaded 3/8-16. It works great with small point and shoot camera with combination of arca swiss type clamps. 


Second addition is 2.375 inch clamp with bubble level. (F72)
This clamp was long overdue since i had tons of request for a clamp with built in bubble level.

Since I had to removed  side holes from this model to have room for the level I also found room on the opposite side for a dowel pin locator. Now two of them can be connected back to back  in various orientation to each other by using pins and bushing.

Also 4 inch clamps are back in stock as always with short and long knob options.

And since I had request from Germany to build 122mm (4.8 inch) clamp same of them are also available. Please not that they do have 3/8-16 taped holes spaced 35mm apart. 




Also i do have all clamps available with black knobs
http://hejnarphoto.blogspot.com/2012/02/clamp-with-black-knobs.html 

10 inch Macro rail

New 10 inch micro rail has been introduced to costumers.
Now you have a choice between original 8 inch model and a new 10 inch
There is no difference between those two other than length. All components and mechanisms are identical.

Dual stage can now be built with 10 and 8 inch rail. You may opt for 8 inch rail at top and 10 inch rail at bottom or vice verse.

Newport Micro stage adapter

New addition to my store created by request from my costumers is a clamp adapter form Newport micro stage.
I was machining few custom plates lately to adapt Newport micro stage to arca swiss type. Newport stage is very popular among micro photographers.

Plate is designed to work with all Newport stages as long as hole mounting pattern is 1x1 inch or 2x2 inch

New 8 rail for panorama or lens support (G13-80)

New 8 inch rail was designed to replace G010-80 rail in same application.

Additional holes have been added to rail end. These two holes let you mount F12 clamp with dowel pins on rail end and prevent it from twisting. Works very nice with lens support bracket when quick high adjusting is required, when you use multiple lenses with this setup.

Second improvement is incorporating bubble levels.

You can now build panorama (http://hejnarphoto.blogspot.com/2011/04/panorama-setup-on-budget.html) replacing one G010-80 from this setup with G13-80.

Clamp Adapter

Clamp adapter.

It can be mounted to all clamp from Hejnar Photo and clamps from other manufacture equipped with slot on center. (Benro RRS) Slot must we wider than 0.207 inch. Please refer to your clamp specification in that matter.

Adapter let you switch setup orientation very quickly. It is very helpful in application where rotating clamp below is not possible, will require substantial amount of time or it is just simpler to keep clamp below in original position and have instant 90 degree rotation for your setup.

Arca Swiss Conversion for Manfrotto 3433, 3460.3465 Heads , 501 &503 Pro Video Heads

Manfrotto conversion set for system using 3433PL Mounting plate

(supplied with the 3433, 3460, 3465 heads, 501 & 503 Pro Video heads and system using special 501PLONG accessory plate). This combination of plate and clamp will let you use Manfrotto with arca swiss quipment. Clamp can disconnected from plate and use independent on other equipment if needed.