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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Beware lens mount changes

Michael Morlan

Michael Morlan

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So, I've been so excited about the chance to try my Nikon still lenses on my RED One. I received the Nikon mount by Douglas Underdahl just in time for the camera to go out on a week-long shoot with Zeiss superspeeds (no complaints there.) Finally, today, I reviewed Doug's youtube videos, set up my camera, and pulled my 2mm allen wrench from the toolbox.

BUT, the PL mount retaining bolts are so over torqued and stripped that I can't get a bite with my wrench on the bolts. So, I'm out of luck. I tried two different 2mm wrenches and similarly sized imperial and metric wrenches. No luck.

Now, I have to ship my camera to R.D.C. because I'm not about to drill out all eight bolts to remove the mount. (I started a support ticket.)

:ranting2:

Be very wary about your first-time attempt to change a mount. You may be in for a lot of frustration.

Michael
 
I had no trouble at all switching the mount on #791.

Stephen
 
Michael,

Before you go thru all the trouble of shipping your camera back to red, look in the yellow pages under Machinist or Machine Shop, and give them a call. Any decent shop can have those bolts out in no time.

Nick
 
Remove Stripped Bolts

Remove Stripped Bolts

Your local hardware store should have a kit that will help you remove stripped bolts and screws. This works with a portable drill/ screwdriver. But, this might void the warranty, so I'd check with Red first.

Mike
 
Had the same issue with trying to unscrew a plate from by shoulder dovetail. Screws stripped on one turn. terrible...
 
Oh yeah, those flat head screws come from RED quite tight. I warn about this in the first of those two RED CAMERA LENS MOUNT videos that I put on Youtube. Yes, a machine shop can get them out for you quick. I just swapped the mount on my very own RED today and the screws weren't and super tight as with John Vallon's and Ed Watkins, two cams that I personally changed the mount on, so maybe they reduced the torque specs.
 
Evin Grant said:
Doug,
Would there be any issue you can see with replacing them with stainless steel?
I think that would minimize the binding no?
Click to expand...

Using Stainless bolts in the aluminum may magnify the problem even more since they are dissimilar metals and have a good chance of galling.

Use lubrication, always, and slow down your turns when you are screwing things together, as alot of heat is built up when you come to the end.
 
Jarred is right - and the black oxide coating is certainly a lubricant on those original factory screws. Battistella is also correct about the slack in the cable and making sure that you have a nice snug fit with the 2mm wrench BEFORE you turn it counterclockwise to remove those 8 screws. Like, when you insert it into the screw, and you wiggle it back and forth, does it feel tight, or sloppy? If sloppy, like a loose doorknob, then go out and buy another 2mm hex key and try that. And PUSH DOWN HARD so that the wrench seats well. My screws came out easily today and I used the hex keys that were in that little bag that came with the camera. If you strip a screw head, then I suggest that you phone your nearest machine shop and tell them you stripped a 2mm socket head screw as arrinick says. MVL is right about the screw extractor kits that you can buy to remove stripped screws, but if you get one of those, then I think you better practise on some screws in a bench vise before you hold your power drill up to the front of your awesome new revolutionary camera, and pull the trigger! Gadzooks . . . ! Better to leave that job to those machinists who have done it a hundred times, and probably charge you what you spend at to get your hair cut.
 
Jarred Land said:
Use lubrication, always, and slow down your turns when you are screwing things together, as alot of heat is built up when you come to the end.
Click to expand...

Is tri-flow a good choice? If not What lube do you recomend?
 
I get 30 degrees of turn from both of my 2mm wrenches before there is anything like a bite. Then they slip. I didn't try the wrench in the RED bag-o-bits.

I'll give it another try tomorrow then it's either a machine shop or a super-fast turnaround with RED. I have a spec spot shoot on the 29th.

Michael
 
Wiha. Every one who ones a camera should have all the sizes on the red. Google, or ebay, great deals on wiha allens on ebay. These are the tools Arri sells.

cheers,

Nick
 
I once had a problem like this with a PL mount. I took it to panavision UK and Christopher Ross was a tech there at the time (DP of "London to Brighton").

He was kind enough to sort it out for me. He said the trick is all about using high quality tapered allen key's. They will create a seal even if the head is a bit striped.
 
Wiha! Bondhus! High quality tapered Allen keys! Hooray, a new excuse to BUY MORE TOOLS - which I love to do.

INT - CHURCH BASEMENT

A man stands in front of a group of mostly men seated in folding chairs.

MAN
My name is Doug. I'm a toolaholic.

GROUP
 
GROUP
HI DOUG

DOUG
See, I just got these awesome tapered Titanium
Allen keys, and this micro adjust ratchet wrench,
and a new set of . . . .

GROUP
Oooooh, Aaaaah .. . . .
 
Nothing is better than a proper fitting tool.
If you've made the investment in the camera, invest in quality tools too. They are just as important as the camera.
 
Okay, thanks for all the feedback everyone. I had tried my Bondus gorilla wrench and was worried it would simply strip the bolts further. I dug out the RED wrench and tried the "press really hard and turn" method. That did the trick.

Sorry if I was a bit alarmist in my original post. I just didn't want to make a potentially troublesome thing worse.


So, now I have Doug's Nikon mount installed. A couple notes:
  • The data connector under the mount seems a bit too wide to successfully fit within the gaps provided by the RED One mount base and Doug's Nikon mount. I tucked the excess wires back in the hole from which they emerge and shaved off the edges at the end of the data connector so it could rest flat within the RED base gap. This arrangement allows me to rotate the Nikon mount in any orientation I wish.
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    264_1206289101.jpg

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  • Doug, it might be nice to include a couple extra bolts for those inevitable times when the original set become fatigued from the constant swapping of mounts.
Oh! And my back-focus was bang on requiring no adjustment! (focus chart at 1 foot with Nikon 17-35 AF-S hit the 1-foot mark and matched at both ends of the zoom range.)

Michael
 
Great idea about the connector trim, Michael.

I was not able to fit the mount entirely smoothly over that connector, either. AND, as a bonus, as you note, the mount can then be set up so that lens focus marks are facing at 90 degrees from vertical.

Anyone have any slick ideas as to how to turn my shiny mount into cool RED black like the new Underdahls??? Can aluminum be painted with something that won't fleck off and land inside the camera?

Stephen
 
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