Farpoint FDA Ball Head Camera Adapter

Product Overview

The Farpoint FDABHCM pairs a ball head with the quick-release FDA (Farpoint Dovetail Accessory) clamp. The clamp grips any D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bar, and the ball head above it carries a camera on a standard tripod socket, so the camera is aimed independently of where the telescope points. CNC-machined in the USA, with a published weight of 0.69 lb.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you shoot wide-field piggyback frames with a DSLR or mirrorless body while the mount tracks, and you want the camera aimed somewhere other than along the telescope's optical axis.

Key Features & Design

• Ball head on top: full ball-head movement, so framing is set independently of the telescope's pointing.
• Standard tripod socket: accepts any camera or lens collar with a conventional tripod thread.
• Quick-release FDA base: the clamp goes on and off the bar without tools and repositions anywhere along its length.
• D-size interface: clamps to D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bars.
• Published weight: 0.69 lb, CNC-machined in the USA.

Mechanical Design

Two separate clamping jobs happen here. At the base, the FDA clamp closes on the dovetail's angled flanks, which centres the adapter on the bar as it tightens and lets it slide to any point along the bar for balance. Above that, the ball sits in a socket under a single locking control: released, the camera swings through pitch, yaw and roll together; locked, the ball is held by friction spread across the sphere rather than at a hinge, so there is no preferred axis for the load to settle along.

Recommended Uses

• Piggyback wide-field astrophotography with a camera and short lens while the mount tracks.
• Framing a constellation or Milky Way field that sits well away from the telescope's target.
• Carrying a second body for time-lapse or all-sky frames alongside a deep-sky run.
• Terrestrial work on a tracked bar where the camera needs its own aim.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

The FDA base clamps onto D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetail bars, the wider of the two common standards. Narrower V-size (Vixen-style) bars use different accessory hardware. Any camera with a standard tripod socket threads onto the ball head. The dovetail bar itself is a separate item, and Farpoint's universal D-size bars cover that role. If you are unsure which standard your bar is, we can identify it from the mount or bar model.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Bar supplied separately. The adapter clamps to a D-size bar you already have or buy alongside it.
• D-size geometry. The clamp matches D-size (Losmandy-style) dovetails, not the narrower V-size (Vixen-style) profile.
• Balance shifts with the camera. Hanging a body off the bar moves the payload's centre of gravity, so the mount's balance changes with it.
• Sub-pound item. The published weight is 0.69 lb, and shipping is calculated at one pound.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cameras will it hold?

Any body with a standard tripod socket — DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and lens-collar combinations used for wide-field piggyback work.

Is it difficult to install?

The clamp opens, sits over the dovetail bar and closes by hand, with no tools and no drilling. Threading the camera onto the ball head is the same action as mounting it on a tripod.

Ball head or the FDCM camera mount?

The ball head aims freely and suits framing that differs from the telescope's target. The FDCM holds the camera fixed to the saddle and is the simpler, more rigid platform when the camera follows the bar's orientation.

Will it fit a Vixen bar?

The FDA base is cut for D-size (Losmandy-style) bars. On a V-size rig, Farpoint's Vixen accessory hardware is the equivalent, and we can match it to your bar.

Bottom Line

In short: a 0.69 lb ball head on a tool-free D-size dovetail clamp, for aiming a piggyback camera anywhere while the telescope tracks.