Need something to stop lens dropping under weight.

[Dearis]

Hi there,

when shooting macro with my 350d, 100mm macro and kenko rings I am shooting subjects very close. Using my 141/190 manfrotto the lens drops ever so slightly under wieght. What can I use to stop that? Because a 5mm drop cause the framed shot to be no good.

Regards Darren
_________________
****Darren****

The Angel’s from the Book of Life
Wrote down our Jordy’s birth
And whispered as they closed the book
"Too Beautiful For Earth"

[Ken Ramos]

You may want to get a lens collar mount and adust the lens/extention tube combination to the center of balance to support all that. Unless it is your tripod that is slipping. Tom mentioned here a while back that the body of the 350D is plastic and in extreme heat there maybe a sag in the camera lens mounting frame because of the plastic housing. I have never experienced such, mainly because I ususally use the Canon 60mm macro on my 350D,mostly, plus the fact that temperatures in my area of the world rarely get high enough for heating of the camera body to be of any concern.
_________________
Ken Ramos
Rutherford Co., Western North Carolina

[DaveW]

There are a few long lens supports Darren, but most require a tripod bush on the lens. Here are some:-

http://www.adorama.com/NVFLS.html

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/non-nikon_articles/manfrotto_393/393_1.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&Q=&is=REG&O=productlist&sku=5545

http://www.zgc.com/zgc.nsf/product/7C0BB96781BFE97985256F5F0056671E

However, if there is no tripod socket on your lens there are less available.

I suggest you get some strip metal (aluminium) about 1/4" thick and drill a hole in one end to go under your camera and take a tripod screw through it, you can sometimes buy tripod screws as an accessory, or if not it's just use a 1/4" Whitworth bolt, making sure it is not too long for the cameras socket.

Then under some non extending, or rotating part of the lens, drill another hole and tap it to take a headed bolt. You can insert a bolt into this with it's head towards the lens and just screw it in and out like a screw car jack to get the correct height to support the lens, cover the bolt top with a bit of felt or something to save marking the lens.

After you have done that find the point of balance of the whole assembly and drill and tap another 1/4 Whitworth hole at that point to mount the assembly on your tripod head. Your camera and lens will then both be supported and fixed on your tripod at their point of balance and can easily be removed when required.

DaveW

[rjlittlefield]

I'm a little confused. You write that "the lens drops ever so slightly under weight"? Do you mean that you set up the shot, get everything apparently locked down tight, but some time later the framing has shifted? If so, then over what period of time, and can you tell what mechanical parts are shifting? Or is the problem that the framing shifts when a weight shifts somehow? If so, then what weight is shifting, and how, and why?

Thanks,
--Rik

[puzzledpaul]

In this instance / example am also curious re what's happening.

Dave - made a slightly more 'up market' solution for when I was using a 100-300mm L zoom + extn tubes with a D30

Attached a 6mm ali plate (with overhang) to one end of (top) of a Pentax bellows rail (after removing upper rack)
Drilled hole for 1/4 bsw cam screw in plate
Removed nylon slider from one of bellows mount standards
Attached appropriate dia plastic drain pipe clip (inverted, clip hold-down lugs 'free floating') to nylon slider
Fasten cam. to plate, non-rotating bit of lens in pipe clip ... with elastic band around clip 'lugs' to 'clamp' lens in situ.

With this lot mounted on the tripod, allowed me to use either lens zoom ring to zoom - or push / pull slider with clip on it, taking lens with it.

pp

[DaveW]

Ah Paul, if your going to use high tech solutions like elastic bands my low tech one obviously can't compete!

DaveW