http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6_44&products_id=168

A noob question: how do I get from the Manfrotto head's hexagonal QR to this rail type clamp?

Thanks for the tip. I found this review and how-to to adapt it to shorter lenses: http://www.rahsoft.net/m293_bracket/

Just out of interest what is the value of this over a 15mm rod system? I was recently in the position of looking for a lens support for my 200mm Nikon for use with the GH3 and GH2 and was tossing up between a fotga rails set and varavon lens support or the Hejnar Photo lens support.

I liked the idea that the Hejnar would be designed to do one thing well and was tempted but then I realised that for me the Rails and lens support for a little bit more money would allow something that I could grow into. And also I needed something to be able to attach the Small HD DP4 to. I now have the Rails but am still waiting on the support from varavon, so I can't tell you how stable it is.

Anyway just curious. If I did not have the monitor I possibly would have gone with the Hejnar because of its compact nature.

@whynot : Well for one I'm not planning to get a monitor. I'm an artist/performer touring with a lot of stuff, trying to optimize bulk as much as I can. I'm filming for documentation purposes, not my main job, and want to keep it compact. Adding rods would also mean adding a case/bag for it. I might be wrong but it seems to me that I can't simply mount rods on the tripod head that I have, meaning more investment to make it work.

@goanna: Yeah I'm also considering DIY, I do have access to laser cutting/CNC milling and some handy friends...

A potential issue with the Hejnar is that the lens support can only be mounted on the end of the rail. This means that your camera would need to be repositioned fore/aft to position the lens over the support. It may be uncomfortable to use a setup where the rail extends behind the camera.

A 15mm rod-based solution would allow the lens support to move to any position to properly support a lens, making it more versatile for various lenses and cameras.

The clamp and rail from Hejnar are both Arca-Swiss compatible, so if you're tripod's clamp is AS, you can just drop the rail in. Otherwise it looks like the tripod's plate could be mounted in the 1/4"-20 holes, but not the slots as they appear to be threaded only at the ends.

Note that you'll also need an AS plate for your camera to mount in the included clamp.

Here's a simple Arca-Swiss plate for ~$10: http://www.amazon.com/Desmond-Square-Bi-Directional-Camera-Compatible/dp/B00BMCH6F2

You can also get basically the same setup by getting the components ala cart:

• Sunwayfoto YLS-01 Lens Support - $39
• Desmond 250mm DLR-2502 Double Macro Rail - $35
• Desmond DAC-X1 50mm clamp - $30
• Total: $104

As an alternative, you might want look at the Fotga DP500 baseplate/lens support for $75. Size and weight wise, it doesn't look much different than an Arca-Swiss macro rail setup (same length, etc.) and it can be broken down to transport however you like. The other nice thing is that you wouldn't need any additional parts-- the camera and tripod both mount to the baseplate.