FS7: Help please: Dovetail clamp compatible with Miller 860

B

bengiles

Well-known member
Hi All.

It's Friday afternoon, so I'm rewarding myself for working really hard this week by have a bit of tinkering time on my FS7 setup. I wonder if I someone can help:

I've got this Miller 860 plate on the bottom of the rod clamp foot:

IMG_0147.jpg

I'm quite attached to it - it clicks in out of my Compass 25 with a solid thunk - so I'm trying to avoid changing the plate/receiver system, if I can help it.

Anyone know of a lightweight 65mm width dovetail clamping receiver that I could bung on top of a shoulder pad, so I can slide it on and off and do a ninja move from tripod to shoulder?

Manfrotto 357 sort of thing - but capable of taking a dovetail plate that is 65mm wide. The Miller receiver (https://www.millertripods.com/en/sliding-plate-assembly-euro.html) is too heavy and cumbersome to connect a shoulder pad.

Google is playing hard to get with answers. Ta.
 
Oh, and I'm currently balancing the camera right where the 860 plate is - and it's not very comfortable.
 
As they clamp at the ends receivers may need to be that long to hold the clamp mechanism.

One thought - I think sachler plates are the same dimensions (dont take my word for it)

You could google some sachler receivers

S
 
I've never used the miller plate, so I can't comment on size. The Sachtler one mentioned is for the same size quick release as on the Sachtler Video 18 and Video 20 tripod heads. (They also make a much smaller one - which is fine for an A7s, but I would consider too small for your purposes.)
But there is nothing 'slidable' about the Sachtler -- it clicks in with a solid clunk and requires a bit of dexterity to hold the release safety while opening the release lever. I have a couple of them (because I also use Sachtler heads/sticks) - but I wouldn't try to go from sticks to shoulder mount while shooting - thinking I could get a smooth transition. The tolerances on these wedge plates are pretty strict - so if you think the Sachtler Touch-n-go would work for you, bring your miller wedge to a shop where you can try it on a Sachtler tripod head.
 
What I've done is put a Manfrotto type sliding base plate receiver on top of the sachtler quick release for my Sachtler 18. I used to put a long Manfrotto plate on the camera and then have a number of the Manfrotto receivers on different heads and on a monopod. However recently I bought the SmallRig shoulder Rig for the FS7 and it already utilizes a manfrotto plate on the camera to slide into the shoulder mount which then attaches to a tripod with the standard Sony VCT-14 plate . The beauty of that system is you can bypass the Sony plate and the shoulder mount simply by sliding the camera out of the shoulder mount and going to a Manfrotto receiver. Hope that's clear.

The SmallRig shoulder Pad is a phenomenal deal. Very comfortable , solid, adjustable balance, well made and only $200!

There are a number of sliding base plate systems that use Manfrotto plates. Check B&H . I use the Simplis from Cinevate but at first it was hard to get it to center on my tripod plate. Fortunately I was able to get a couple of older now out of date versions that allowed me to tap a few new holes that worked better. Maybe they've fixed that by now. Its good to get one that allows you to drop in the plate so you don't have to always slide the camera in. The FS7 arm can get in the way of sliding in .
 
Thanks Lenny.

I did have the Smallrig system for a while, when they first released them, and I agree their new shoulder pad is very nice.

Unfortunately it won't work with the way I have my 18-110 constantly supported on rails - and I also have Sam's Half Inch Rails front handles, which are simply brilliant.

I'm really just trying to find a way to make the 860 plate a little more comfortable on my shoulder over a long shooting day. It may just be as simple as putting a towel over my shoulder. Or maybe just accepting that most of my work now is handheld, so maybe the tripod plate could just sit in the bag until I actually need it - which is less and less.

I'll take another look at the Smallrig shoulder pad on it's own, without the VCT14/rails bit - there maybe a solution there.

I'll keep looking - thanks for all of the input so far.




LennyLevy said:
What I've done is put a Manfrotto type sliding base plate receiver on top of the sachtler quick release for my Sachtler 18. I used to put a long Manfrotto plate on the camera and then have a number of the Manfrotto receivers on different heads and on a monopod. However recently I bought the SmallRig shoulder Rig for the FS7 and it already utilizes a manfrotto plate on the camera to slide into the shoulder mount which then attaches to a tripod with the standard Sony VCT-14 plate . The beauty of that system is you can bypass the Sony plate and the shoulder mount simply by sliding the camera out of the shoulder mount and going to a Manfrotto receiver. Hope that's clear.

The SmallRig shoulder Pad is a phenomenal deal. Very comfortable , solid, adjustable balance, well made and only $200!

There are a number of sliding base plate systems that use Manfrotto plates. Check B&H . I use the Simplis from Cinevate but at first it was hard to get it to center on my tripod plate. Fortunately I was able to get a couple of older now out of date versions that allowed me to tap a few new holes that worked better. Maybe they've fixed that by now. Its good to get one that allows you to drop in the plate so you don't have to always slide the camera in. The FS7 arm can get in the way of sliding in .
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