Hi all -

Can anyone tell me how you cope with taking vertical shots w/the Beast? I am considering the purchase of the Bogen 3288 Elbow Bracket which has a groove to fit my existing QR (architecture) plate. Since the lip of the architecture plate will not fit under the 67II directly, I would like to couple this with Pentax's own QR plate for the 67, and put this whole assembly on the elbow bracket. I believe this will help in keeping the 67 perfectly aligned when I do verticals (since there is an extra alignment pin on the Pentax plate). The architecture plate will keep the Pentax plate from spinning or tilting in the veritcal position and the Pentax plate will keep the 67 from spinning or tilting. Does this sound like a reasonable approach to performing verticals? Are there other devices or better ideas to tackle this problem? Let me hear from all of you seasoned pros out there! Thanks for any insight or ideas you may have...

-- John Wall (jwall@tnc.org), July 11, 2001

Answers

If you don't use a Quick Release plate and are using a ball head, verticals are quite easy. Just flop it over and shoot. I usually have the camera on the right side of the ball head but then again, I am right handed and it just seems easier that way. I don't use plates so I can't comment on those.

-- Steve Rasmussen (srasmuss@flash.net), July 13, 2001.

I've had a Bogen 3288 more or less permanently mounted on my older 6x7 for about a year. It makes quickly switching to vertical a snap. It has a rather crude little adjustable brass finger that keeps the camera from tilting in the vertical position. I also find that it makes a handy "grip" for the left side of the body when the camera is off the tripod!

Definately worthwhile _if_ you are a Bogen "hex" person.

-- Dennis Baron (dbaron@MIT.EDU), November 25, 2001.

You've probably already made your purchase, but I'll add that I just got a Kirk "L" bracket for the 67 which of course is an Arca-Swiss style plate. I have a 67, and I believe it works for the 67II. It doesn't have enough clearance to allow the wooden handle to attach but does have a thread so you could add a flash bracket to it if you wanted to.

-- Cowan Stark (cowan1@mediaone.net), November 25, 2001.