A better tripod mount ring for my 200 - 500
Australian Pelican, Denmark, Western Australia
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens at 500mm
1/1000 sec, f/6.3 and ISO 320. Hand held.
Last year, I wrote about my purchase of my first really big lens: a Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens I called The Beast. While it has its weaknesses, it's a very good lens and extremely good value. (While not being exactly cheap, it's much less expensive than you would expect.) And it gives me the results I've hoped for:
The Arca-Swiss plate could clearly take a second mounting screw, but the foot would need a hole drilled and tapped - and I don't have the necessary tools. So, I started looking around - and came across a replacement foot with a built-in Arca-Swiss "dovetail": the Haoge LMR-N25 Tripod Mount Ring. No mounting plate required!
However, a problem using this lens (and a few other large lens, I gather) is mounting it on a tripod. The issue is that the mounting plate (in my case, an Arca-Swiss plate) moves about on the lens' "foot" because it has only a single threaded hole to screw on the plate:
The Arca-Swiss plate could clearly take a second mounting screw, but the foot would need a hole drilled and tapped - and I don't have the necessary tools. So, I started looking around - and came across a replacement foot with a built-in Arca-Swiss "dovetail": the Haoge LMR-N25 Tripod Mount Ring. No mounting plate required!
It fits on the 200 - 500 like it was made for it (my pathetic attempt at a joke - it's made specifically for the lens) and feels very, very secure on the Sirui Arca-Swiss compatible clamp I've tried it on. How robust it is remains to be seen, but it looks and feels well made - especially given the price of AUD$87.98. My lens now feels part of the tripod mount - which is the way it should be. What's more, it also has 1/4" and 3/8" tapped holes should I ever need to mount it directly.
Haoge makes other mounts for other lenses, so if you're experiencing similar problems, use Google. I'd like to include a link, but if Haoge has a web site, I can't find it. You can however find their extensive range of photographic accessories on Amazon and eBay.
Good shooting
Shane Baker
ShaneBakerPhotos@iinet.net.au
