Nikon 300 f4 Kirk collar - some questions

desantnik

desantnik

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Thinking again about getting one of these but have a question...

The collar has a Acra-Swiss type foot and am wondering how I get that mounted to my Manfrotto monopod...

I assume that I can't use a normal Manfrotto quick release plate with that??

If not, then I need a Acra-Swiss quick release head for my Manfrotto... any ideas where from?

Thanks in advance!
 
Lots of places. Warehouse Express sell Kirk A-S clamps.

Not quite sure exactly what you want to do, but if it's just screw an A-S clamp on to your M'frotto monopod's 1/4 Whit bolt, then the cheapest I've found is a £20 clamp from Camera Gear UK on ebay. You'll need one of their little brass 1/4 to 3/8 adapter bushings. Dead easy :)
 
Thanks guys.

Ok, slight change to my stated requirements as I forgot something crucial..

Currently I use a Manfrotto tilt head (234RC) and the tilt bit is something I still need.

Are there any A-S heads that allow for tilt and will fit the Manfrotto monopod?
 
Cheapest/good, one of these Benro A-S monopod heads £60 delivered http://cgi.ebay.com/Benro-DJ-90-Mon...631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20bbeff4c7 Recommended supplier.

Best/expensive, similar but better from Really Right Stuff (hold on to your hat) or Custom Brackets, or Hejnar (ebay)

On the other hand, an inelegant but effective solution would be to simply screw the M'frotto plate on to the foot, as Iain suggests.

Flippin amateur ;) :D
 
desantnik said:
Thinking again about getting one of these but have a question...

The collar has a Acra-Swiss type foot and am wondering how I get that mounted to my Manfrotto monopod...

I assume that I can't use a normal Manfrotto quick release plate with that??
Click to expand...

There is a threaded hole in the baseplate of the Kirk collar, so you could fit you manfrotto QR bit to that.
 
Thanks, really appreciate the excellent advice here!

Martyn... said:
There is a threaded hole in the baseplate of the Kirk collar, so you could fit you manfrotto QR bit to that.
Click to expand...

Think I will go with this as a starter for ten as I can do this with just the Kirk Collar and what I have.

I also have concerns that the A-S QR system looks inferior to the Manfrotto sort I currently use, in that the dovetail and screw system is not nearly as quick as what I currently use.... and I am also concerned about it slipping if the nut isnt done up tight enough (I tend to walk around with my monopod over my shoulder with the camera in place - easiest way to walk miles!)
 
desantnik said:
Thanks, really appreciate the excellent advice here!



Think I will go with this as a starter for ten as I can do this with just the Kirk Collar and what I have.

I also have concerns that the A-S QR system looks inferior to the Manfrotto sort I currently use, in that the dovetail and screw system is not nearly as quick as what I currently use.... and I am also concerned about it slipping if the nut isnt done up tight enough (I tend to walk around with my monopod over my shoulder with the camera in place - easiest way to walk miles!)
Click to expand...

All my big glass has Arca Swiss collars or plates, mainly Kirk stuff, I always carry the tripod over my shoulder, with lens/camera mounted.

The Kirk plates/collars come with a couple of small allen screws that you fit into the base plate, they act as a safety stop to prevent the plate/collar slipping out of the clamp.

In my opinion the Arca Swiss system is superior to the manfrotto system, (I have used both).
 
desantnik said:
Thanks, really appreciate the excellent advice here!



Think I will go with this as a starter for ten as I can do this with just the Kirk Collar and what I have.

I also have concerns that the A-S QR system looks inferior to the Manfrotto sort I currently use, in that the dovetail and screw system is not nearly as quick as what I currently use.... and I am also concerned about it slipping if the nut isnt done up tight enough (I tend to walk around with my monopod over my shoulder with the camera in place - easiest way to walk miles!)
Click to expand...

:thumbs:

A-S is a brilliant system. Standard plates should have stop-studs so they can't slide out, or some have pop-up pins. You can also swap the screw clamp for a QR lever, eg RRS.
 
Martyn... said:
I wouldn't Hoppy, I have tried both and have more confidence with the screw clamp over the QR lever, especially with the bigger glass.
Click to expand...

Tend to agree :)
 
When I was looking at the RRS stuff though it said that the quick release heads weren't compatible with Kirk feet - something about the angle of the dovetail not being standard.
 
desantnik said:
When I was looking at the RRS stuff though it said that the quick release heads weren't compatible with Kirk feet - something about the angle of the dovetail not being standard.
Click to expand...

I only have Arca Swiss and Kirk stuff, RRS is only available from USA, seemed too much hassle when I could get Arca Swiss and Kirk from the UK.
 
desantnik said:
When I was looking at the RRS stuff though it said that the quick release heads weren't compatible with Kirk feet - something about the angle of the dovetail not being standard.
Click to expand...

No, it's not the angle that's different, it's because with the Arca-Swiss lever-lock clamps they have to be precisely adjusted to the plate.

Any tiny manufacturing tolerance shift between brands 'could' throw that out slightly, which 'could' mean that you might have to tweak the fine adjustment screw every time you switch from say camera plate to lens plate, which kinda defeats the QR aspect of it ;)

That's why I prefer the original screw-lock method, as it's self-adjusting to the various brands of plate I have - which all have stop-studs. And it's hardly slow to use ;)

I think those lever-locks attempt to solve a non-existant problem, and throw extra difficulties and cost into the mix at the same time. The beauty of the Arca-Swiss standard is that it's very simple, it's very good, and it's universal between brands and 1001 different types of support accessory. Once you're into the AS system, you can build stuff like Lego - clamps and rails and nodal pivots and pan-clamps and gimbals and all sorts.
 
Okey dokey, think i get it now.

Thanks everyone for some excellent advice :thumbs:
 
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