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This is a subject which has been on forums before, but I have a specific question. I have bought a Sinar F2 and am intrigued about the best route to tripod mounting, especially in regard of the head. There is the now-quite-hard-to-come-by Sinar pan & tilt head. There are also a few Manfrotto heads which'll do the job. They have the advantage of using QR plates and so make switching from one camera to another quite straightforward. However... My main concern is that the common QR plates (410PL or their hexagonal job) have a maximum dimension of 75mm (3") when the monorail tripod mount has a base of 75mm diameter. Does anybody here know that these plates are usable? If not, any suggestions?
Regards,
Charles

The hexagonal QR head is very substantial, if that is any help. Dennis.

I usually use the Manfrotto hexagonal plate with my Sinars.
You can cinch them tight to the plate with that lever if you mount them at the right angle.
I also have a Manfrotto 400 head which is massive and very sturdy. The circular plate for this is the same diameter as the Manfrotto clamp mounts.
I'll send you an mms image showing one mounted at the weekend.

I've used the Manfrotto hexagonal QR plate with my Sinar Norma (with both 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 backs) but I think the monorail clamp design differs from the F, so may not be relevant. It worked OK, but I have to say that the Sinar pan and tilt head is way better.
Best wishes
Robin

Thanks everyone for your input. Marizu, which Sinar do you put on your hexagonal plate: F or Norma?
Regards,
Charles

Charles, Manfrotto used to make 100mm square hex plates for use with large format camera's. I have two of them (somewhere!), one at least unused. I bought them to fit a Manfrotto 229 head which was sturdy enough for an MPP Monorail.

If you would like to test one I'll try and find them (problem due to moving home!). If it's suitable I'm sure we could come to a small financial arrangement

Hello Barry,
That sounds really interesting. AFAIK, the underside of the plate is 75mm and top side is 70mm. That wouldn't support the edges of the tripod mount, I reckon (?), which may or may not be a problem. So having a plate with 100mm corner to corner on the top side would make all the difference. I'll look in to the availability of different plates but if you could help, that would be great.
Regards,
Charles