How do you mount your large lenses to your tripods?

Naboo32

Naboo32

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I'm having a bit of trouble with mounting a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, with a two 1/4" hole foot mount, to my tripod and I wondered what you guys/gals do :shrug:!?

My particular problem is explained further in this thread (Link ...), but I couldn't get an answer from anyone about how they mount a their large lenses on their tripods :|.

So, do you use both screw holes in the lens foot to secure the lens to the quick release plate/ball head, or not? If so, how?

Any pictures would greatly help, too :naughty: ...
 
I use manfrotto QR plates attached to canon 70-200 IS L and sigma 80-400 OIS with only one screw on each and they are rock solid. Both of the tripod mounts have grooves on them which sink into the padding on the QR plates and prevent them from turning.
 
awp said:
I use Kirk Plates - http://www.kirkphoto.com/ on an Acratech Ballhead - http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-acratech-gv2-head/p1019787 - solid as a rock and no slippage.
Click to expand...

Great looking head :), but the question remains, do you use just one screw through the plate into the lens foot, or two :shrug:!? Looking at those links you posted, AWP, the Kirk plate only has one screw, so how do you avoid having the lens twist around!?

Sorry if I'm being a bit dense here, but I just can't understand why I wasn't able to find a suitable QR plate for my Giottos ball head to mount to a (fairly common) Nikon lens :thinking:!?
 
User Name said:
I use manfrotto QR plates attached to canon 70-200 IS L and sigma 80-400 OIS with only one screw on each and they are rock solid. Both of the tripod mounts have grooves on them which sink into the padding on the QR plates and prevent them from turning.
Click to expand...

Interesting :naughty:! The foot on my Nikon lens is slightly wider than the rubber padding on the QR plate and so the lens just slips around on top of the rubber. Because I intend to leave the foot attached to the ball head (and not the lens), I don't mind the 'hassle' of using two screws to secure the lens, but I'm having trouble sourcing one at the moment.

Perhaps the answer is then, that most people are just using one screw to secure their lenses - that would explain a lot ;).
 
A pic, because you asked for one :D

33ubb86.jpg
 
With a decent lens plate (Kirk, Wimberley, etc) properly tightened, I use single screw mounting on my 400/4 and on my 300/2.8 when I had it. Much larger lenses and no slippage.

Most of the decent Arca style plates use an Allen Key to tighten up which helps.

Or, for Nikon - I believe Kirk do a replacement foot for the 70-200 with an Arca mount built in...
 
Naboo32 said:
Interesting :naughty:! The foot on my Nikon lens is slightly wider than the rubber padding on the QR plate and so the lens just slips around on top of the rubber. Because I intend to leave the foot attached to the ball head (and not the lens), I don't mind the 'hassle' of using two screws to secure the lens, but I'm having trouble sourcing one at the moment.
...........
Click to expand...

As you can see the QR plate is wider than the foot of the tripod mount on the lenses - the opposite of your case. I leave both of these QR plates attached permanently.
 
User Name said:
A pic, because you asked for one :D

33ubb86.jpg
Click to expand...

:thumbs: Thanks mark, that's what I wanted to see.

Your arrangement is the same as the one I tried to use with my Giottos MH652 QR plate ...

GTMH652.jpg


.. except that there was some slippage from the plate it's holder, as well as some twist between the lens foot and the plate bolted to it :|.

I subsequently bought a Giottos MH631 QR plate ...

MH631.jpg


... with the intention of simply using two 1/4" screws to clamp the foot firmly to the plate. The plate doesn't slip in it's holder on this model either, so it would be plenty secure enough.

Anyway, that was the plan! I've since run into all kind of hurdles with trying to get hold a second 1/4" screw (it comes supplied with one 1/4" and one 3/8" screw). It has to be the same as the existing screw, as I've tried two other 1/4" screws from other ball heads and neither of them have a long enough unthreaded shank to slot into the plate. But that's another story ...

Thanks for your input!
 
grumpybadger said:
With a decent lens plate (Kirk, Wimberley, etc) properly tightened, I use single screw mounting on my 400/4 and on my 300/2.8 when I had it. Much larger lenses and no slippage.

Most of the decent Arca style plates use an Allen Key to tighten up which helps.

Or, for Nikon - I believe Kirk do a replacement foot for the 70-200 with an Arca mount built in...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, Mr. Badger :)!

To be honest though, I'd rather just spend 17 quid on a spare Giottos QR plate (with the extra 1/4" screw that I need), rather than change the foot on the lens, which currently costs 104 GBP :eek:!!!

For a bigger, heavier lens, I might consider it a worthwhile upgrade, but for the 70-200mm I don't feel that it's really necessary.

Again, thanks for your input :).
 
The plates I have use allen keys and once tightened just don't slip - it's all down to the design and quality of the plate I think. You can get specific plates for different lenses - and bodies.
 
My Arca-type lens plates have tiny lugs which but up against the heel of the foot. No way that's going to rotate with one screw. Not that I think it would with a decent length plate anyway, but when I was using the smaller Manfrotto QR plates I took the precaution of putting a couple of tiny spots of BluTack inbetween and it was absolutely solid then.

Edit: maybe the two holes business is just to give options on balancing the lens with different camera bodes? Again not a problem with Arca plates as you can slide slide them for perfect balance.
 
HoppyUK said:
My Arca-type lens plates have tiny lugs which but up against the heel of the foot. No way that's going to rotate with one screw. Not that I think it would with a decent length plate anyway, but when I was using the smaller Manfrotto QR plates I took the precaution of putting a couple of tiny spots of BluTack inbetween and it was absolutely solid then.

Edit: maybe the two holes business is just to give options on balancing the lens with different camera bodes? Again not a problem with Arca plates as you can slide slide them for perfect balance.
Click to expand...

Hi Richard,

Thanks for your (as always ;)) helpful input.

You may well be right about the two holes being there to allow lenses with different balance points to be mounted securely to the QR plate. It just confused me because the lens foot has two screw holes the same size and I just (naturally) assumed that the idea was to put one screw in each to stop it twisting on the plate :shrug:.

Anyway, this whole melodrama has been resolved now :D, as those lovely Customer Service people at Giottos are sending me another MHA 604 screw, so I can get the job done without any further expense.

If I ever invest in a larger lens (the 300mm f/2.8, for instance), I think I'll look at changing the ball head sytem anyway and them consider the benefits of Kirk hardware :naughty:.
 
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