Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

I just treated myself to a new tripod, a Sachtler with the FSB6 head. Lovely bit of kit.
Unfortunately my Manfrotto pan arm style Lanc Controller doesn't play nicely with the Sachtler head.
The rosettes don't match, so I can't just screw the Manfrotto pan arm onto the Sachtler Head. And the pan arm's diameter is too large to just slide into the clamp that fits the Sachtler pan arm.

Has anyone got a bright idea that might save this marriage?

Thanks!

Mark

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

I got a friend who handy with his tool kit to cut the top bit off the Manfrotto lanc arm and replace it with the top bit (with rosette) from a Sachtler arm (in fact I purchased a "long" arm from Sachtler specifically for this).

The Manfrotto/Sachtler bits were brazed together. Not pretty but it works.

Ron

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Thanks Ron.. you've given me an idea though: I reckon the inner diameter of the Manfrotto's tube must be about the same as the outer diameter of the Sachtler. Perhaps I can combine the two of them that way: get the business end of the Sachtler arm inside top of the Manfrotto. I'd only need a hacksaw and perhaps a bit of brazing...

Cheers

Mark

PS I'm just off to Anglesey: I'll wave to you from across the Bay!

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Manfrotto used to do adaptors for the LANC controller in various sizes. I doubt there are many still left around.

My FSB 6 head uses a 16 mm pan bar, as does my Miller head. I bought what seemed to be the last 16mm adaptor around earlier this year

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Can have my controller on its Sachtler bar for £50.

Ron

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

The Manfrotto part number for the 16 mm pan bar adaptor is MN522PB16.

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Thanks, Ron. I'l come back to you on that!

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Thanks a lot Alan, I'll try and track one down, but having seen a picture of one, I don't think that's what I need.
It's this that I want to be able to attach to my Sachtler FSB6:
https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/rc-pan-bar-lanc

I can see how the MN522PB16 could be used with the older LANC controllers like the 522 / 523 eg
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/iy0AAO...KX/s-l1600.jpg

But not sure how it'd work with the MVR901. I'll drop Manfrotto a line and ask!

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Ah, I had not realised that you had one of the new-fangled devices!

I suspect the reason that Manfrotto dropped the wide range of replacement pan-bars that they used to do is that the new controller is not compatible with them. They probably never sold well anyway.

Surgery may well be what you will have to resort to!

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Hi Alan,

I had completely forgotten that I had one of the old Manfrotto 523 LANC Controllers.... and Amazon provided me with the MN522PB16 - thanks for that - so am now up and running. Though one little 'gotcha' is that there's no 'stopper' on the end of the MN522PB16 so it's a two handed job to change the angle of the pan bar on the head, or the whole pan bar slides out as you untighten the rosette. Is this the same for you?

Meanwhile, I have discovered that the inside diameter of the end of the newer Manfrotto LANC controllers is 16mm - same as Sachtler pan arm - so I'm going to get a piece of 16mm outside diameter tube and see if I can make it work that way. May have to take a leaf out of Ron's book and do a bit of brazing ;-)

Re: Unhappy marriage between Sachtler and Manfrotto...
 

Yes, the falling apart when loosening the clamp was a major problem for me too. Some of the pan bars have a groove near the end, into which the clamping screw fits, and this holds the base in place when the screw is loosened.

I solved this as I have access to a pillar drill. I drilled a hole in the solid end of the pan-bar and tapped it 1/4" Whitworth to suit the standard camera tripod mount screws. Most of these have a head too small to work, but I had some which were larger diameter and acts as a stop.

Obviously this could be done with any size thread, and a washer under the machine screw, but I wanted a "one-piece" solution for neatness. I suppose a solution would be to fix the washer with Araldite, or solder.

I don't think "brazing" is the answer as the metal used is aluminium. This requires specialist welding.

My old 523 came out of retirement recently when I was forced to replace my EX3 with its Nikon lenses, but no LANC, with a new Z100, which has a LANC connection, and several fewer kilograms!

Fortunately both my heads - a Sachtler FSB6 and a Miller DS10 use the same 16 mm pan-bar fitting.