Arca-Swiss Foot..

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viper699

viper699

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I was at a camera show recently, and Tamron reps had their lenses out. I don't recall which lens it was, it was one of their telephoto, I believe for Z bodies. Well the lens comes with an Arca-Swiss foot!

I asked the rep if Japan told the local employees how Tamron made that happen- not a single piece of info was communicated back when they contacted Japan.

Nikon, cmon, already!
 
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viper699 said:
I was at a camera show recently, and Tamron reps had their lenses out. I don't recall which lens it was, it was one of their telephoto, I believe for Z bodies. Well the lens comes with an Arca-Swiss foot!

I asked the rep if Japan told the local employees how Tamron made that happen- not a single piece of info was communicated back when they contacted Japan.

Nikon, cmon, already!
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Personally, I find the Nikon feet are too small to be comfortable to handhold and hate the rapid release button. So even if Nikon added the Arca-Swiss groove to their current foot that comes with say the Z600mm, I would have replaced it with a longer one that attaches without a rapid release mechanism.
 
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ricardo00 said:
Personally, I find the Nikon feet are too small to be comfortable to handhold and hate the rapid release button. So even if Nikon added the Arca-Swiss groove to their current foot that comes with say the Z600mm, I would have replaced it with a longer one that attaches without a rapid release mechanism.
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When did Nikon design lens feet to be handholds?
 
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No matter what the manufacturers do, there will always someone who isn’t happy. As has been stated elsewhere, there is no standard for Arca Swiss and it’s probably too late to start now.
That aside, there are people being employed to make new lens collars and feet for those who have different requirements. I’m sure they’d be happy to maintain the status quo.
 
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Tamron and Sigma have made their lens feet Arca-Swiss for years. It is a common complaint that Nikon, Canon, and Sony do not do the same.

I am surprised to learn from some here, though, some that do not fit lever style Arca-Swiss heads. I thought the fitting was the same for all Arca-Swiss plates and heads? Apparently not. I have a Really Right Stuff lever style ball head and the three Arca-Swiss plates I have purchased over the years have all fit perfectly (Really Right Stuff for Nikon F lens, Kirk Enterprises for Nikon Z lens, Oben for universal attachment).
 
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MrFotoFool said:
Tamron and Sigma have made their lens feet Arca-Swiss for years. It is a common complaint that Nikon, Canon, and Sony do not do the same.

I am surprised to learn from some here, though, some that do not fit lever style Arca-Swiss heads. I thought the fitting was the same for all Arca-Swiss plates and heads? Apparently not. I have a Really Right Stuff lever style ball head and the three Arca-Swiss plates I have purchased over the years have all fit perfectly (Really Right Stuff for Nikon F lens, Kirk Enterprises for Nikon Z lens, Oben for universal attachment).
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I think the mainstream companies fit will be OK but the cheaper you go the worse is the problem from what I've read.
 
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ricardo00 said:
Don't you ever handhold the camera/lens?
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I don't bother with replacing the OEM foot, as I attach a long light AS plate. A replacement long 3rd party AS foot is costly and often hard to find IME. Instead the Sirui PH180 lens plates are the ideal length for at least 3 reasons:

1. Sirui dovetails have the correct dimensions to fit the various tripod/gimbal clamps;
2. Handholding and safety in handling the rig by the lens foot, especially when positioning a heavy rig on a tripod;
3. Sufficient freedom of travel to balance a rig.

I've learned that lighter telephotos rarely end up on a tripod, very occasionally a monopod. Nevertheless a long tripod foot has become essential for handling and carrying the likes of a 500 PF or 400 f4.5S, especially with a shoulder sling. The AS plate grooves on the foot or plate rarely see use in fact.
 
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grnqvst said:
:) Don't you think "the big three" are reluctant to commit to Arca Swiss when there are others, like Manfrotto on the market?
As long as there are replacements to buy, I'm not too bothered. 🙂
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I hope if "Arca-Swiss" were invented now it would be more than half an inch wider to provide extra security between the camera tripod foot and the "Arca-Swiss".

Gitzo Arca-Swiss is a half-way solution with Arca-Swiss beneath and a 2.26 inch wide surface on top.
Unfortunately the Gitzo plates seem a slightly different profile to Arca-Swiss own, together with the safety pins (to reduce the risk of accidentally coming out) different to many others brands.

My preference remains a tripod collar foot with 1/4 and 3/8 screw fittings and a 5.5 inch two screw fitting long plate to comfortably carry heavier lens with a body attached in one hand.
If a list of separate individual preferences were compiled - would it reach 99 :)
 
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Not sure if I should post it here or a new thread, but recently "treated" myself to a new foot for my 800mm f/6.3 to save some weight since this lens is close to my limit for handheld shots. I bought the Zenelli foot, the only carbon fiber lens foot I believe. So much lighter than my Hejnar foot and supposed to absorb vibrations better than the original Nikon foot. It is very well made and fit my RRS clamp on my ball head perfectly. Not sure it is worth $329 (yikes!) but so far am really enjoying it.
 
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FYI the only RRS lever clamp that is width adjustable is this one.


1734641537796.png

Upside down shot (sorry), showing the push-out width adjustment wheel.

It is a very nice clamp.

While I love RRS stuff, their previous clamps’ (and still sold new!) lack of width adjustment was/is boneheaded. Even their own plates will wear after continued use, causing them to slide. And c’mon, why not made them width adjustable?

A minuscule reduction in manufacturing costs and possibly an effort to shepherd users to their own plates are my only guesses.
 
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Wes Peterson said:
Nikon 600mm f4E comes with rubber on top of tripod foot for comfort and grip. If it wasnt designed to be carried by the foot why would they put a grip there that could only be utilized by carrying the lens by the foot?
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The 180-400 and 800 PF have similar rubber padding. There are likely several others.

I regard a tripod foot as dual purpose.
 
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carbon said:
FYI the only RRS lever clamp that is width adjustable is this one.


View attachment 103088
Upside down shot (sorry), showing the push-out width adjustment wheel.

It is a very nice clamp.

While I love RRS stuff, their previous clamps’ (and still sold new!) lack of width adjustment was/is boneheaded. Even their own plates will wear after continued use, causing them to slide. And c’mon, why not made them width adjustable?

A minuscule reduction in manufacturing costs and possibly an effort to shepherd users to their own plates are my only guesses.
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Acratech have adjustable clamps, although the jaws are too shallow in height. I have SmallRig and Leofoto clamps, which are adjustable

Quick release for large lens on monopod

The 800mm PF can be easily used with a monopod but the quick releases I have found so far use 1/4" posts and are designed for use with a camera body. As such there are only 2 threads exposed and so not much holding power for a lens foot. Has anyone come across a quick release that will work...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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All of which keeps me squarely in knob clamp camp.

I’m another that’s happy to spend $20-$60 on a good 5-6 inch Arca plate to attach to my lens foot.

If Nikon included an Arca dovetail on the foot, then I’d want them to make it 6” long to better serve as a handle and for balance adjustment.

What can I say? If you give a mouse a cookie.
 
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