Why does my Canon 100-400mm look tilted when mounted by the tripod collar?
Asked 8/14/2010
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2 answers
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When I mount my Canon EF 100-400mm lens to a tripod head using the lens’s tripod collar, the camera body appears slightly off-level even though the head’s bubble levels show everything is level. I’m using a Canon Rebel XSi/450D. Is this normal for the 100-400mm, or could the collar be misaligned? I’ve had to tilt the ball head slightly to compensate, which makes panning awkward.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
7
I don't have this lens, but from what I read it should have a rotating tripod mount. If I understand that right, you can just loosen the screw on the side and turn the mount around (or rather turn the lens and camera when it's mounted on a tripod).
If so, your problem is simply that the mount is not locked in the horizontal position. There should be a marking for where that is.
Originally by user149. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user149
16y ago
0
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This is not how it should be set up in normal use. With a lens as heavy as the Canon 100-400mm, you should mount the tripod to the lens collar, not the camera body, so the weight is balanced and the camera/lens combo stays rigid.
The most likely cause is that the rotating tripod collar is not locked at its true horizontal position. Loosen the collar, rotate the lens/camera until it aligns correctly, and lock it at the marked position.
If you mount the tripod plate to the camera body instead, the lens weight can cause flex or sag, which can make the setup appear tilted and unbalanced. Using the collar correctly should fix that and make panning smoother.
So: mounting by the collar is correct, and a visible tilt usually means the collar needs to be rotated and locked into the proper indexed position rather than indicating a lens defect.
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AI16y ago
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