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Smart Flex L-Plate

gazwas

Active member
But If the plate is useful it may available for the one who want it.
That would be a definite YES!

Sunchai, you seem to know a lot about this product so do you work for Smart Flex?

IMO all high end kit should come in Arca mount (the standard) or and adapter to allow Arca mount like the one you've shown here.
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
Hello Gareth

The L-PLATE is a great tool and very well machined .

I have successfully reworked my ARCA plate .
It is a HASSELBLAD design plate , but that size is not available any more .
What is needed is an ARCA plate with at least 50x55mm as I already stated above . The screw must be in the center .
802210.1 1/4 " screw or 802210 3/8" screw would be candidates .
The size of these plates would allow to rework for parallel fitting to the SMART FLEX L-PLATE or 90 degree to the L-PLATE . This is the case for my plate .
An other solution for attaching in both ways would be the NOVOFLEX round 6x6 Q-PLATE . This one can also easiliy be reworked .
So , here is some homework to do .:salute:
 

Sunchai

Member
That would be a definite YES!

Sunchai, you seem to know a lot about this product so do you work for Smart Flex?

IMO all high end kit should come in Arca mount (the standard) or and adapter to allow Arca mount like the one you've shown here.
It is my interest to bring in the useful and facts information and thank you so much for the input
I have learned a lot from this forum.
Sunchai.
:D
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
It is my interest to bring in the useful and facts information and thank you so much for the input
I have learned a lot from this forum.
Sunchai.
:D
Forgive me however you danced around the question asked. Do you work for the company?
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I guarantee you that if you make this with the Arca plate on it you'll sell every copy that any of the dealers pick up. I know practically nobody who uses a camera mounting system with medium format who doesn't either use the full size or micro Arca or RRS/Kirk mounts.

Like others here I've been through the pain of using screw in tripod plates and they ALWAYS twist unless they have either registration pins or some form of anti-twist or body mount. That includes all of the Manfrotto rectangular, octagonal and generic Gitzo plates that all sit in my 'never to be used again crap' drawer.
 

alajuela

Active member
I guarantee you that if you make this with the Arca plate on it you'll sell every copy that any of the dealers pick up. I know practically nobody who uses a camera mounting system with medium format who doesn't either use the full size or micro Arca or RRS/Kirk mounts.

Like others here I've been through the pain of using screw in tripod plates and they ALWAYS twist unless they have either registration pins or some form of anti-twist or body mount. That includes all of the Manfrotto rectangular, octagonal and generic Gitzo plates that all sit in my 'never to be used again crap' drawer.
Hi

Just for the record, I put a RRS BP-CS: Multi-camera plate. Cost 49.00 USD.

The plate has a lip on one side - impossible to twist.

Thanks

Phil
 

gazwas

Active member
Here a quick shot of the SMART-FLEX with my reworked ARCA plate attached .
What exactly is involved in "reworking" the plate?

RRS etc are not readily available in the UK where as the Arca plates are easy to get and are obviously of very high quality so would prefer that option. However I have no experience in metal working since my school days and the occasional sharpening of the blade on my mower and your picture looks like it came with that plate attached (I fear mine wouldn't ). :eek:
 

rem

New member
I really confused, what I have to order. Have Arca Heads and will use the Smart-Flex with the Hasselblad H4/5D. I do not like to do any "reworking". And also it must be rotation free. If this is not possible, then I order a RRS Hassy Plate again again.
Thanks, Rem
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
....
Sunchai, you seem to know a lot about this product so do you work for Smart Flex?

.....

Sunchai, I think it's pretty obvious that you are either part of the Smart Flex L-Plate design/engineering team and/or an interested party in marketing and selling the Smart Flex L-Plate.

This is not a bad thing! But please be open in disclosing your background and relationship to the Smart Flex L-Plate. The GetDPI community is a bit different in that we enjoy having dealers/manufacturers participate. It makes us feel important. :ROTFL: Seriously, though disclose your background and relationship. You're getting very real feedback from experienced medium format digital photographers---and everyone here wants to see innovative companies adding to the medium format digital experience succeed.

Thank you Sunchai, and welcome to the GetDPI family.

:) ken
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I received the following private message from Sunchai in response to my query.


Dear Don,

Thank you for your interesting at the smart Flex L-Plate forum.
as the master of fact I am the owner of the patent of the smart Flex.
I have designed this unit at the first place just like to help our customer in the protrait studio as they have so many problems to keep the composition when change from H to V.
as I say , it is my interest to bring in the fact and may be useful information.
Thank you and very best regards, sunchai.
This clears the mystery (if there ever was) of who Sunchai is and hoe he know so much. As Ken said, welcome to the Getdpi family. It's always better to hear from the horses mouth.


Don
 

Sunchai

Member
Hi, Ken,Don, and .......,

Thank you for the warm welcome to GetDPI family, that make me feel like home even our mother tongue is difference. I have Thai and most of you have English,so please forgive me, if my writing have a mistake here and there.

My background,

we are the importer for the photographic equipment such as PhaseOne, Sinar, Cambo, Foba, Bowens, LPL, Beseller,JOBO and etc. (just like to give some idea that we are in quite some time, some of them was gone for long time). and that where I have learned photography.

I have collected the knowledge and also problems from professional photographer from time to time (long long time and thank you for their sharing with me) and that was the trigger point where the opportunity came in and have turn from not only selling things but also making things.

Let see ,if some of us may remember at the time of Phase One Lightphase, the first sticking adapter working on 4x5 camera to increase not only data but the capture area and many other adapter follow by which no need to mention it.
That should be enough for my background and sorry if this is too much.

Thank you for Don posted, the message is clear.

again, please forgive ,English is my bitter pill.

Thank you for all.

Sunchai.
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
I have been experimenting quite a lot yesterday with different adapter solutions and also different HASSELBLAD V-SYSTEM lenses .

Now , you find the SMART FLEX L-PLATE a great tool and you want it .
Great . I love it .

Your first question now should be , what do I want to do with that tool ?
Sounds simple , but that question also decides what kind of adapter you should go for .
My consideration is not based on the ARCA brand adapters .

Now , if you are going to use that tool only to have a fast and comfortable way to change between horizontal and vertical shooting , you would only need a small adapter , as Sunchai's or mine shows you in the previous posts .
If you want to do panos and must achieve the NPP (no parallax point) , (Some say nodal point , which is actually wrong) , for your lenses , you might find , that the built in sliding length is too short for some lenses .
I found this for the CZ 4/40 DISTAGON IF , then you need either a longer adapter or you must use a rail system .
A longer adapter does not seem to be an issue , but if you are going to use a rail system , then your adapter must be able to slide onto the rail system holder , which is 90 degrees shifted .
For that case , I have reworked a NOVOFLEX QPL-AT1 , which I still had , but the "QPL Video" is actually the same , and 20€ cheaper .
Novoflex - Wechselplatten Q=System

I have also found that Sunwayfoto have adapters which could be used without any or very little rework . Have a look here .
FlashLightShop - Fenix Importeur - FlashLightShop - Fenix Importeur - LED Taschenlampen mit gratis Lasergravur (LD20, TK11, TK12 u.v.m.), Wolf-Eyes, Leatherman, INOVA, WiseLed, SureFire, Onlineshop

Scan down on the left column for Sunwayfoto and look for DPG-50U up to DPG-120D .
These adapters have one "lip" only , but that is ok. They say its ARCA compatible . I don't know , if that is true , but I will order the DPG-120D .
That adapter would increase your sliding possibility (in the direction of the lens) by about 80mm . So you would possibly not need a rail system for panos with some of your lenses .

Here the NOVOFLEX QPL-AT1 , one lip only , but works in either direction .
View attachment 72651

If you have any questions , feel free to come back .
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
The SUNWAYFOTO DPG-50U seems to be the best candidate for SMART FLEX use as standard adapter . ARCA compatibility guaranteed . Available also on #-bay .
 

Sunchai

Member
The camera plate which supply with the Smart Flex kit can be mounted to the P1or Mamiya 645 in both way.


To shoot with pano. The camera plate have to mounted like figure 1.


The camera plate length is 78.5mm. this specific length have been designed to allow the auto settle of the NPP (no parallax point) or nodals point to the Phaseone LS 80mm lens. And this can be set by moved the camera backward unit lock. The NPP point for the difference lens is also possible on this standard plate as the plate with the camera and lens can be move forwards and backwards.
But in the case that the longer NPP or nodals point is needed (such as the P1 28mm lens or), it will be necessary to working on the extra base.

Sunchai.
 

Attachments

Sunchai

Member
I guarantee you that if you make this with the Arca plate on it you'll sell every copy that any of the dealers pick up. I know practically nobody who uses a camera mounting system with medium format who doesn't either use the full size or micro Arca or RRS/Kirk mounts.

Like others here I've been through the pain of using screw in tripod plates and they ALWAYS twist unless they have either registration pins or some form of anti-twist or body mount. That includes all of the Manfrotto rectangular, octagonal and generic Gitzo plates that all sit in my 'never to be used again crap' drawer.
with carefully read and noted, the extra plate may be add on if needed.
This smartflex arca plate will mounted to the base by 2 of ¼ screws and this will make it as one part to the base. At the center of the plate is 3/8 thread hole just in case.
And at the end of the plate is the protection slide locker to prevent the slip off. The slide locker can only be use when the size of the arca clamp less than 76mm.
May I noted, the metal have to cutting off concerning to the weight
Sunchai.
 

jotloob

Subscriber Member
A little bit playing around with the SMARTFLEX L-PLATE .
A great tool .



503CW + DISTAGON 4/50 FLE + CFV39 + SMARTFLEX 4 vertical image stitch . Toned in SILVER EFEX PRO
 
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