Lens Collar & Battery Grip

[russellsnr]

HI, OK I have just purchased a Canon 70-200mm F4L and a Canon lens collar my problem is I use a battery grip (Canon) on my 40D and this seems to stop me attaching the lens to the tripod via the lens collar I am using a Manfrotto 484RC2 tripod head is there something else I need to get this to work please.
Thanks
Russ.

 

[HoppyUK]

Sometimes difficult with a grip, but with that combination you'll be better off attaching the tripod to the camera.

The lens is not that heavy and although not perhaps perfect it will be better balanced than using the lens collar.

 

[Nod]

Is the collar on back-to-front? Does the outfit balance when it's sat on a table or does it fall forward towards the lens? (feel for the balance, don't just let it all topple forwards...) On every lens I've had that uses a collar, the foot of the collar points forward - fitting it RC facey would interfere with anything on the bottom of the camera (like a grip or QR plate).

 

[Little John]

^^^ what he said^^^

Sounds like you have the collar on back to front, the foot needs to point to the front of the lens.

 

[kiko]

yeah I've had that problem with my dads 300mm f4, I've got a different head but it has the same rc2 quick release plate bit. my dads taken the lens out today so can't quickly check but if yours is getting stuck where the handle is to release the plate from the head? have you tried lining up the lens to the Mark on the plate saying '2lens' ?

there is a slightly more expensive way of sorting it (and the reason I can't quite recall if above works) is by getting yourself a teleconverter as this increases the gap between the foot of the lens and camera

 

[Scarecrow]

Strange. I've just tried this with a 70-200 2.8 attached to a 40D. I know the 2.8 is a slightly bigger lens, but I am getting the same problem. The release lever on the tripod head prevents the camera being put in the right position for attachment.

The only solution I can come up with is to attach the plate to the lens collar 180 degrees out i.e. with the lens arrow pointing back to the camera rather than forwards. The release lever on the head doesn't then foul the battery grip when attaching the camera.

 

[Little John]

Why dont you put the QR plate on the foot of the collar in the alternate direction. They have 2 arrows on the underside of the plate one going wide the other going long, I use mine long on the collar which results in the release lever being on the side.

 

[russellsnr]

Why dont you put the QR plate on the foot of the collar in the alternate direction. They have 2 arrows on the underside of the plate one going wide the other going long, I use mine long on the collar which results in the release lever being on the side.

Hi, You hit the nail on the head, apparantly that is how you are supposed to do it. Well we live and learn

 

[HoppyUK]

Hi, You hit the nail on the head, apparantly that is how you are supposed to do it. Well we live and learn

That's the 2.8 version though, which is twice the weight of an f/4. So you'll be heavy on the camera end.

If you want to use a collar with a gripped camera and 70-200L 4, then the way to get good balance is with an Arca-Swiss plate on the lens (and an Arca clamped head) so you can slide the lens back.

 

[Little John]

The reason I use it that way is the tilt top monopod head needs it to be front to back to tilt forwards and back. Its not really a solution to replace the tripod head for just one lens? I have 3 tripod heads that use the RC2 plate to make things easier and quicker, having a different plate for 1 lens sort of defeats the object of a quick release doesn't it?

 

[HoppyUK]

The reason I use it that way is the tilt top monopod head needs it to be front to back to tilt forwards and back. Its not really a solution to replace the tripod head for just one lens? I have 3 tripod heads that use the RC2 plate to make things easier and quicker, having a different plate for 1 lens sort of defeats the object of a quick release doesn't it?

Yes, sure. But that's not the point.

The reason for using a tripod collar is to get better balance with a long lens. But the 70-200L 4 is not a heavy lens, which is why it's not supplied with a tripod collar as standard.

And then if you fit a collar and have a gripped body, which is obviously much heavier, you end up with a rig that is just as badly balanced the other way.

In the light of which, I would either leave the collar off or do the job properly with a sliding plate. The Arca-Swiss system is easily the best way to mount long lenses - every camera/lens combo perfectly balanced. As it happens, I've got both options but that particular lens isn't really very heavy so I usually leave the collar off.