Hejnar PHOTO F-GH2780QR Arca QR Clamp for Gitzo Ball Heads Preview

Up to now Hejnar PHOTO has successfully designed and released quite a number of conversion plates as well as clamps for various Manfrotto® heads, in order to enable the use of versatile Arca-Swiss® compatible quick release plates, rails or L brackets with them.
It was about time for Chris Hejnar to introduce a conversion for Gitzo® heads, with a new replacement clamp designed specifically to fit the Gitzo® GH2780QR Center ballhead with quick release.

The Clamp

The Hejnar PHOTO F-GH2780QR Arca compatible Quick Release Clamp design is based on the well known by now Hejnar Photo F63b Quick Release Clamp which was described back in 2012 in the Updated Hejnar PHOTO Quick Release Clamps Preview; but with an entirely redesigned center section in order to match the mounting specifics of the Gitzo® heads.

Manufacturer Specification:
Model:	F-GH2780QR
Jaw Length:	82.5 mm (3.25")
Mounting Screws:	Three M3 screws
Safety Stop Relief Grooves:	Two 2.6mm deep
Weight:	176 gr (6.2 oz)
Material:	6061-T6 Aluminium, Black hard coat anodized
Hardware:	Stainless Steel
Made in:	U.S.A.

The F-GH2780Q maintains the 3.25" (82.5 mm) long jaws of the F63b QR clamp, all with the laser engraved scales on both jaws and the deep V-shaped safety stop screw relief grooves. However the countersunk center hole is replaced by three tapped holes placed on the corners of an equilateral triangle.

In place of the bottom anti-twist alignment groove we can see the narrower ends of the pass through holes. As shown in the photos above, the clamp is accompanied by three M3 hex cap bolts and the appropriate 2.5 mm Allen hex key for mounting the on the head.

As all Hejnar Clamps, the F-GH2780QR follows a Tongue-in-pocket Design that protects internal parts from dust and grit. It prevent the tendency of the moving jaw to hinge backward during clamping, It keeps the jaws aligned with the geometry of the plate and eliminating unwanted bending forces on the threaded stud.

Mounting the Clamp On the Ball Head

The conversion is relatively easy, since it only takes to loosen and unscrew the three screws that hold the Gitzo QR clamp, and screw the Hejnar Arca QR Clamp with the provided screws in its place.
I would suggest a drop of medium strength thread-lock, like Loctite blue on each screw in order to prevent screws from loosening.

Shown above is Hejnar PHOTO F-GH2780QR Arca compatible QR Clamp attached on the Series 2 Gitzo GH2780QR Ball Head.

The Hejnar F-GH2780QR Arca QR Clamp can be attached on all Series 1 GH1780QR, Black GH1781QR, Safari GH1780FQR, Series 2 GH2780QR, Black GH2781QR, Safari GH2780FQR and Series 3 GH3780QR, Black GH3781QR, Safari GH3780FQR. However its massive size is matching more with the size of the Series 2 and Series 3 QR Gitzo® heads.

I hope you found the information useful, thank you for viewing.
All Photos by courtesy of Hejnar PHOTO ©2014 Chris Hejnar.

Price and Availability:
Current price for the Hejnar F-GH2780QR Clamp is US$ 65.00 (+Shipping where applicable) and is available from the Hejnar Photo online store.

If you are interested in the product, do check the Recommended Sellers page for a valid Hejnar Photo discount coupon before ordering.

Referenced Articles:
Updated Hejnar PHOTO Quick Release Clamps Preview

Relevant Articles:
Manfrotto and Other Compatible Conversions