Contact:
Please email us if you would like us to take a look at your OConnor equipment. You can send in the head to the address below, but as we are a small business, we request that you contact us first to make sure we can accommodate your schedule.
NovaCam
861 Soaring Drive
Marietta, (Atlanta) GA 30062, USA
Contact Person: Larry Gebhardt
Email: LarryGeb*at*gmail*dot*com
HDF Conversion Prices: Not Including Shipping
OConnor 515 / 515S - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $750.00
OConnor Ultimate DV / DVS - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $850.00
OConnor 1030 *** - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $950.00
NOTE: We do not suggest our HDF conversion for the larger late model OConnor heads such as the 2060, 2575, etc. heads
The prices include new O-Ring seals throughout and either HDF or HDF-Lite fluid, but do not include any other parts that may require replacing. In most cases, additional parts will not be necessary as very few internal parts in OConnor heads, other than seals, ever go bad. Please see the discussion about the various seals below.
If the head is leaking fluid, chances are that it has a bad seal. However, as a result of dropping the head the housing can be cracked, and in that case more often than not the head cannot be repaired. We will evaluate the condition and report back. There is no charge for this evaluation...we will only charge for the shipping.
Standard Servicing:
When we started NocaCam, we were only offering the HDF conversion service, but for some time now, we have been repairing and servicing all of the O'Connor heads released since the late 1980's. Please contact us for any repairs to these heads including our complete head refurbishment service price and delivery.
In each of these heads, there are three main sections, or what we like to refer to as 'Modules' ... the Pan, Tilt, and Counterbalance Modules. The Pan and Tilt Modules each have a large fluid filled chamber that in order to completely determine the cause of any abnormal behavior in the module (non-even drag, a "catch" or "bump" in the movement, etc.), the module may need to be opened up. If that is the case, we will need to charge for the time it takes to open and close (re-seal) the particular module. However, in most cases, we can determine the problem without the time and expense of the internal inspection.
The Counterbalance module is another story. To access the Counterbalance mechanism, quite a bit of the head needs to be completely taken apart, and it amounts to a large job. For this reason, if the Counterbalance is non- functional or has problems such as a 'catch' or 'bump' in the tilt (adjust the tilt drag to "0" and the CB to the lightest setting to check), we will need to quote the servicing of this module on an individual basis.
Any other servicing will also be quoted on an individual basis, including any parts that are necessary. We do take pride in being resourceful in repairing heads that are no longer supported by OConnor...for example, often making parts in a machine shop that are no longer available. Please note that we do not offer service work for the older heads such as the Model 50, 100, C, etc.
A WORD ABOUT SEALS
There are seals , and then there are SEALS. All throughout OConnor fluid heads of all versions, there are many standard rubber o-ring seals...they seal the various shafts that hold the knobs that allow you to adjust the pan and tilt drag, to allow you see the drag set on the readout dials, etc. They are industry standard Buna N (a synthetic rubber) seals. We automatically replace them as required.
Then there are the seals that OConnor uses for their main pan and tilt shaft seals...those parts of the head that move with your input with the pan Handle. These seal were designed for very high end applications like the aerospace industry for mission critical applications. They are much larger diameter and are made from a proprietary formulation of basic Teflon and other stuff...Teflon is that ultra slippery material that almost feels like it's been greased but it hasn't. That is one of the reasons for the ‘no friction’ OConnor ‘feel’.
These seals have a very small, stainless steel spring, wound inside the seal’s outer surfaces to evenly apply pressure to the sealing surface (they call it "Spring Energized"), and the result of all of this high tech stuff, they are pretty expensive. They also last forever, so unless warranted, we don’t replace them. In fact, as they wear in with use, the better they seal, (the surfaces wear together much like valves in a car engine) so we feel that "if it ain't broke, don’t fix it”. In the years we have been working on OConnor stuff, we have only seen a few bad main seals on heads up to 25 years old. Two were where the seal was installed on a part that should have been rejected by the factory QC department, but they slipped through. Doesn’t happen often. We feel these seals should outlast the rest of the head.
So, our prices include replacing the standard O-Ring seals, but they don’t include replacing the main Pan and Tilt shaft seals, the big deal ones. We will quote their replacement if warranted.
*** The Original 1030 heads (10-30 or 1030A ... Grey paint with "rounded" top casting) can be upgraded to heavier drag with our conversion. These early (first 1030 heads released) heads have fewer drag plates and as a result, have less maximum drag available compared to the later heads. Our HDF conversion modernizes these heads to the drag capacity of the current 1030 heads. As a further note...the counterbalance system in the original 1030 is functionally the same as the later heads - same drag principle but different in execution. Same great "feel".
The current 1030 design (1030B and S, 1030 HD, HDS, and 1030D, DS) have a good deal of drag at their max setting and often that is enough for most long lens work. Our normal HDF fluid has been found to actually be too heavy for some people using these heads and for those who would like a little more max drag, but not over the top, we are now offering a "lite" version of the HDF fluid that we have called the HDF-L fluid. This fluid gives approximately 25% more maximum drag than the factory fluid. Please contact us for more information.
As stated above, we do NOT suggest out HDF conversion for the larger OConnor heads - the 2060, 2065, 2575, heads etc
NovaCam
861 Soaring Drive
Marietta, (Atlanta) GA 30062, USA
Contact Person: Larry Gebhardt
Email: LarryGeb*at*gmail*dot*com
HDF Conversion Prices: Not Including Shipping
OConnor 515 / 515S - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $750.00
OConnor Ultimate DV / DVS - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $850.00
OConnor 1030 *** - NovaCam HDF Conversion: $950.00
NOTE: We do not suggest our HDF conversion for the larger late model OConnor heads such as the 2060, 2575, etc. heads
The prices include new O-Ring seals throughout and either HDF or HDF-Lite fluid, but do not include any other parts that may require replacing. In most cases, additional parts will not be necessary as very few internal parts in OConnor heads, other than seals, ever go bad. Please see the discussion about the various seals below.
If the head is leaking fluid, chances are that it has a bad seal. However, as a result of dropping the head the housing can be cracked, and in that case more often than not the head cannot be repaired. We will evaluate the condition and report back. There is no charge for this evaluation...we will only charge for the shipping.
Standard Servicing:
When we started NocaCam, we were only offering the HDF conversion service, but for some time now, we have been repairing and servicing all of the O'Connor heads released since the late 1980's. Please contact us for any repairs to these heads including our complete head refurbishment service price and delivery.
In each of these heads, there are three main sections, or what we like to refer to as 'Modules' ... the Pan, Tilt, and Counterbalance Modules. The Pan and Tilt Modules each have a large fluid filled chamber that in order to completely determine the cause of any abnormal behavior in the module (non-even drag, a "catch" or "bump" in the movement, etc.), the module may need to be opened up. If that is the case, we will need to charge for the time it takes to open and close (re-seal) the particular module. However, in most cases, we can determine the problem without the time and expense of the internal inspection.
The Counterbalance module is another story. To access the Counterbalance mechanism, quite a bit of the head needs to be completely taken apart, and it amounts to a large job. For this reason, if the Counterbalance is non- functional or has problems such as a 'catch' or 'bump' in the tilt (adjust the tilt drag to "0" and the CB to the lightest setting to check), we will need to quote the servicing of this module on an individual basis.
Any other servicing will also be quoted on an individual basis, including any parts that are necessary. We do take pride in being resourceful in repairing heads that are no longer supported by OConnor...for example, often making parts in a machine shop that are no longer available. Please note that we do not offer service work for the older heads such as the Model 50, 100, C, etc.
A WORD ABOUT SEALS
There are seals , and then there are SEALS. All throughout OConnor fluid heads of all versions, there are many standard rubber o-ring seals...they seal the various shafts that hold the knobs that allow you to adjust the pan and tilt drag, to allow you see the drag set on the readout dials, etc. They are industry standard Buna N (a synthetic rubber) seals. We automatically replace them as required.
Then there are the seals that OConnor uses for their main pan and tilt shaft seals...those parts of the head that move with your input with the pan Handle. These seal were designed for very high end applications like the aerospace industry for mission critical applications. They are much larger diameter and are made from a proprietary formulation of basic Teflon and other stuff...Teflon is that ultra slippery material that almost feels like it's been greased but it hasn't. That is one of the reasons for the ‘no friction’ OConnor ‘feel’.
These seals have a very small, stainless steel spring, wound inside the seal’s outer surfaces to evenly apply pressure to the sealing surface (they call it "Spring Energized"), and the result of all of this high tech stuff, they are pretty expensive. They also last forever, so unless warranted, we don’t replace them. In fact, as they wear in with use, the better they seal, (the surfaces wear together much like valves in a car engine) so we feel that "if it ain't broke, don’t fix it”. In the years we have been working on OConnor stuff, we have only seen a few bad main seals on heads up to 25 years old. Two were where the seal was installed on a part that should have been rejected by the factory QC department, but they slipped through. Doesn’t happen often. We feel these seals should outlast the rest of the head.
So, our prices include replacing the standard O-Ring seals, but they don’t include replacing the main Pan and Tilt shaft seals, the big deal ones. We will quote their replacement if warranted.
*** The Original 1030 heads (10-30 or 1030A ... Grey paint with "rounded" top casting) can be upgraded to heavier drag with our conversion. These early (first 1030 heads released) heads have fewer drag plates and as a result, have less maximum drag available compared to the later heads. Our HDF conversion modernizes these heads to the drag capacity of the current 1030 heads. As a further note...the counterbalance system in the original 1030 is functionally the same as the later heads - same drag principle but different in execution. Same great "feel".
The current 1030 design (1030B and S, 1030 HD, HDS, and 1030D, DS) have a good deal of drag at their max setting and often that is enough for most long lens work. Our normal HDF fluid has been found to actually be too heavy for some people using these heads and for those who would like a little more max drag, but not over the top, we are now offering a "lite" version of the HDF fluid that we have called the HDF-L fluid. This fluid gives approximately 25% more maximum drag than the factory fluid. Please contact us for more information.
As stated above, we do NOT suggest out HDF conversion for the larger OConnor heads - the 2060, 2065, 2575, heads etc