I recently purchased the 80-200/4 ROM to be used with a R6. Since I'm afraid that the weight of the lens can be tough on the mount, I would like to know if any of you has ever used it on a tripod with any kind of tripod mount that can move the center of gravity ahead toward the lens front. (Maybe the collar made for the 100 APO? Can it be fitted?) Thanks Alex

-- Alex Ferraris (alcav@tin.it), May 16, 2001

Answers

I wouldn't worry about the stress on the lensmount, the lens isn't *that* heavy. A greater concern is elmininating camera shake with the lens cantilevered off the camera's tripod bush. Bogen/Manfrotto used to make a "universal" tele lens cradle, perhaps they still do. It was a little ungainly but it worked. You could also try contacting Kirk Enterprises (www.kirkphoto.com)who makes tripod collars for various lenses and might be able to adapt one to fit if you sent them the lens to measure. Using a beanbag on the tripod yoke and an articulated arm from a tripod leg to the camera, is another possibility. Then there's always the Tim Taylor approach: some aluminum stock, a couple hose clamps lined with rubber, and a tap-and- die set from Sears (grunt-grunt-grunt).

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 16, 2001.

Beware, the Kirk adapted mounts chew up the barrel on the lenses pretty good. I had one on a 300mm f4.0 Pentax 645 lens, and it made the barrel UGLY where it contacted it. Hate to see you scar up your nice Leica zoom.

-- Andrew schank (aschank@flash.net), May 16, 2001.

> Maybe the collar made for the 100 APO? Can it be fitted?

Alex,

I used the 80-200/4 with the STA-1 made for the Apo-MAcro. It work with it, except that I had to cut a little bit the inside where the little red ball is covered by the STA-1. And the STA-1 is really close of the aperture ring.

I'm using it now with the APO 180/2,8. It's on that lens that it works the best. Better than on the Apo-Macro.

The STA-1 (#14 636) is not available from Solms since a few years.

Lucien

-- lucien (lucien@ubi.edu), May 17, 2001.