modify a MP-101 pan tilt in 360° at DVinfo.net

Philippe Chau · April 3rd, 2010, 02:34 PM

Hello,
I want to convert my MP-101 pan tilt in 360°.
Can you help me?
Thanks

Chris Soucy · April 3rd, 2010, 06:50 PM

You had me going with that esoteric reference for a while, luckily Google came to the rescue.

You can modify the MP - 101, here's some folks as have done it:

Hague Modified Remote Pan & Tilt Power Head MPH

I even have one of them in a cupboard somewhere, along with an unmodded one to boot.

What even I can't tell you is HOW.

I can only assume there's some sort of mechanical stop that's been removed, but where and how eludes me.

You can either go it solo and start dismantling or perhaps send a nice e - mail to B. Hague and see if they'll tell you.

It's a pretty faint hope but worth a try.

Good luck.

CS

Sean Seah · April 5th, 2010, 09:40 AM

Chris, I have been thinking of getting the Hague version but I'm worried it wun handle the 5D with a 16-35mm F2.8 . How do you find it?

Chris Soucy · April 5th, 2010, 02:17 PM

Haven't had a lot of use out of the modded unit, but used the original unit parked under a Canon XL1s, and that's a beast.

Theoretically well over weight for such a small pan/ tilt unit and I confess, I had to rig up a counterbalance system to get the camera back level if I did a serious tilt (rigged up a weight and string passed through a pulley then attached to the carry handle on the camera), but it handled it fine for over a year, no problems.

[This was a static camera placement which went on for over two years, shooting urban foxes in our garden in London. Had the camera hooked up to a VCR and looped through to the telly and used the pan/tilt remote and camera Lanc to shoot whenever the IR activated outdoor lights fired up. Magic arrangemt as I could shoot from the comfort of my armchair, doesn't get any easier than that.The cable runs were horrendous tho'.]

Can't think a 5D with the mentioned lens would be anything like that, mass/ cog wise.

I'd weigh the combo and see how it measures up to the max weight recomended by Hague.

Not what you'd call lightning quick, but you get what you pay for I guess.

CS

April 3rd, 2010, 02:34 PM	#1
Philippe Chau Tourist Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: France Posts: 2	modify a MP-101 pan tilt in 360° Hello, I want to convert my MP-101 pan tilt in 360°. Can you help me? Thanks

April 3rd, 2010, 06:50 PM	#2
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,691 Images: 18	Hi Philippe......... You had me going with that esoteric reference for a while, luckily Google came to the rescue. You can modify the MP - 101, here's some folks as have done it: Hague Modified Remote Pan & Tilt Power Head MPH I even have one of them in a cupboard somewhere, along with an unmodded one to boot. What even I can't tell you is HOW. I can only assume there's some sort of mechanical stop that's been removed, but where and how eludes me. You can either go it solo and start dismantling or perhaps send a nice e - mail to B. Hague and see if they'll tell you. It's a pretty faint hope but worth a try. Good luck. CS

April 5th, 2010, 09:40 AM	#3
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Chris, I have been thinking of getting the Hague version but I'm worried it wun handle the 5D with a 16-35mm F2.8 . How do you find it? __________________ Firewerkz Films SGP

April 5th, 2010, 02:17 PM	#4
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,691 Images: 18	Hi Sean............. Haven't had a lot of use out of the modded unit, but used the original unit parked under a Canon XL1s, and that's a beast. Theoretically well over weight for such a small pan/ tilt unit and I confess, I had to rig up a counterbalance system to get the camera back level if I did a serious tilt (rigged up a weight and string passed through a pulley then attached to the carry handle on the camera), but it handled it fine for over a year, no problems. [This was a static camera placement which went on for over two years, shooting urban foxes in our garden in London. Had the camera hooked up to a VCR and looped through to the telly and used the pan/tilt remote and camera Lanc to shoot whenever the IR activated outdoor lights fired up. Magic arrangemt as I could shoot from the comfort of my armchair, doesn't get any easier than that.The cable runs were horrendous tho'.] Can't think a 5D with the mentioned lens would be anything like that, mass/ cog wise. I'd weigh the combo and see how it measures up to the max weight recomended by Hague. Not what you'd call lightning quick, but you get what you pay for I guess. CS