How do I mount a long zoom lens with a built-in tripod collar to my tripod?

Asked 6/6/2012

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I have a long Opteka zoom lens with a built-in tripod mount/collar. My tripod already has a three-way head, and I’m not sure how the lens should attach. Should the lens mount connect directly to the tripod head so the camera hangs from the lens, or do I need some extra part to support both the camera and lens together?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

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You're assuming that the camera would be mounted to the tripod, and that there ought to be a way to mount the lens as well. That's not the case. When you're using a large, heavy lens with its own tripod mount/collar, you only mount the lens to the tripod. The camera simply hangs off the lens. Don't worry -- the lens mount will be able to support the camera.

There are cases with extremely long lenses (long as in focal length as well as long physically), you might want to use two tripods to make the setup as stable as possible. When the focal length is a meter (1000mm) or more, it doesn't take a whole lot of camera motion to create a great deal of blur in the image. As you've intuited, that's a fussy, awkward undertaking, so it's not something you'd do for the heck of it, or if you need to be able to move the point of aim; it's much more common to use the photographer as the secondary anchor point if the shutter speed can remain reasonably high (that is, you'd mount the lens to your tripod/stand but still hold the camera).

Originally by user2719. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user2719

14y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

With a long, heavy lens that has its own tripod collar/foot, you normally mount the lens—not the camera—to the tripod head. The camera then hangs from the lens via the camera’s lens mount, which is the intended setup.

So yes: the lens’s tripod foot should attach to your existing tripod head, typically using the head’s quick-release plate or mounting screw. This keeps the camera and lens moving together as one unit and gives better balance than mounting the camera body alone.

The main reason these collars exist is to support the weight of a large lens closer to its center of gravity, reducing strain on the camera mount and improving stability.

Only in very extreme cases, such as exceptionally long super-telephoto setups, might people add extra support or use unusual multi-support arrangements—but that’s not typical for ordinary use.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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