iShoot Lens Collar for Nikon Z 180-600

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RockvilleBob

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I received the iShoot lens collar for the Nikon Z 180-600. Works fine, solid. Seems to have a better screw mechanism than the one supplied by Nikon - the Nikon screw could be 1/4 50 screw that you keep winding. An added feature is the safety mechanism to remove the collar, you need to pull the screw knob out to release the collar. Last but not least - made for ARCA. I use a Cotton Carrier with the lens on my chest so I do not need a QD connection. For $50 it is hard to ask for anything more. I am sure collars costing five to six times the price of this one will be as good or better.
https://www.amazon.com/iShoot-Compa...=ishoot+180-600&qid=1699556820&s=photo&sr=1-1
 
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Nimi said:
Non Chinese junk = $200
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As much as I would like (and do) support American and other freedom loving countries' products, not all Chinese products are junk. Many lenses and bodies are made in China including the 186. As soon as someone manufactures a collar at a reasonable price with a QD connect, I'm in. Until then, I'm on the sidelines and the Kirk and iShoot are out. Even with design, material and shipping costs, it should be able to be made profitably for less than $100.
 
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ajrmd said:
As much as I would like (and do) support American and other freedom loving countries' products, not all Chinese products are junk. Many lenses and bodies are made in China including the 186. As soon as someone manufactures a collar at a reasonable price with a QD connect, I'm in. Until then, I'm on the sidelines and the Kirk and iShoot are out. Even with design, material and shipping costs, it should be able to be made profitably for less than $100.
Click to expand...

Having tested iShoot products, I can tell you it's junk. Which happens to be made in China.
 
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OK. I'm looking at the Z 180-600. I've seen reports but not on different collar/plate options. Does anyone have good reviews I can look at? Being an Aussie our exchange rate is.... bad. Just how bad are the existing collar/plate and Kirk Arca swiss? It obviously would be and availability in Aus would be ebay.
 
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ajrmd said:
As much as I would like (and do) support American and other freedom loving countries' products, not all Chinese products are junk. Many lenses and bodies are made in China including the 186. As soon as someone manufactures a collar at a reasonable price with a QD connect, I'm in. Until then, I'm on the sidelines and the Kirk and iShoot are out. Even with design, material and shipping costs, it should be able to be made profitably for less than $100.
Click to expand...

Under $100 while competing against Chinese owned companies that may steal intellectual property while using cheap labor that may be working under abhorrent conditions. Junk or not I choose to pay a premium to companies that compete fairly, do their own R&D and offer quality products. Especially when the foot or collar is a fraction of the overall lens price in most cases.

I had never heard of iShoot. The Amazon link doesn't list anything about the company and doesn't even include the country the product is manufactured in. I thought that was a requirement. Are they a Chinese owned and based company like Leofoto? I'd prefer products that are not manufactured in China as I type on my MacBook Pro but make a distinction between companies based in other countries that choose to have products manufactured in China vs. Chinese owned companies.

Christopher Wray: The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation this era. There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our-- our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security. We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data-- all across the country. We're talking everything from Fortune 100 companies, all to smaller startups. We're talking about agriculture, biotech, health care, robotics, aviation, academic research. We probably have somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information.

www.cbsnews.com

China stealing technology secrets -- from AI to computing and biology, "Five Eyes" intelligence leaders warn

Intelligence leaders from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are issuing a stark warning on the danger of China's global espionage campaign.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
 
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wassa1957 said:
OK. I'm looking at the Z 180-600. I've seen reports but not on different collar/plate options. Does anyone have good reviews I can look at? Being an Aussie our exchange rate is.... bad. Just how bad are the existing collar/plate and Kirk Arca swiss? It obviously would be and availability in Aus would be ebay.
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no reviews per se though I was considering Chris Hejnar’s plate which has a QD and pins for stability. It’s around $42 on fleabay. If QD and machining aren’t important then any AS like a Hoage would work. I doubt that my 100-600 will ever see a tripod, so it’s just an issue of carrying it and the cheapest solution is to use some straps on the collar.
 
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Midway said:
Under $100 while competing against Chinese owned companies that may steal intellectual property while using cheap labor that may be working under abhorrent conditions. Junk or not I choose to pay a premium to companies that compete fairly, do their own R&D and offer quality products. Especially when the foot or collar is a fraction of the overall lens price in most cases.

I had never heard of iShoot. The Amazon link doesn't list anything about the company and doesn't even include the country the product is manufactured in. I thought that was a requirement. Are they a Chinese owned and based company like Leofoto? I'd prefer products that are not manufactured in China as I type on my MacBook Pro but make a distinction between companies based in other countries that choose to have products manufactured in China vs. Chinese owned companies.

Christopher Wray: The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation this era. There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our-- our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security. We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data-- all across the country. We're talking everything from Fortune 100 companies, all to smaller startups. We're talking about agriculture, biotech, health care, robotics, aviation, academic research. We probably have somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information.

www.cbsnews.com

China stealing technology secrets -- from AI to computing and biology, "Five Eyes" intelligence leaders warn

Intelligence leaders from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are issuing a stark warning on the danger of China's global espionage campaign.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
Click to expand...
I appreciate good intellectual discussions and while it may assuage you that you’re buying from a foreign company such as Apple or Nikon who assembles in China (under questionable labor and environmental conditions), how are they fundamentally different than buying from a Chinese company? Look, I wish I didn’t have to buy anything from China and generally try to source elsewhere if possible, but if possible is the operating principle. I’ll purchase from Chris Hejnar because he designs and manufactures in the U.S. over Leofoto or another company, though his products are both quality and value. Likewise, I say the same for optechusa,’s stuff versus PD who manufactures in Vietnam. I can’t say the same for Kirk, who is taking a 200-500 tripod collar tweaking it, branding it 186, and charging $250.
 
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ajrmd said:
I appreciate good intellectual discussions and while it may assuage you that you’re buying from a foreign company such as Apple or Nikon who assembles in China (under questionable labor and environmental conditions), how are they fundamentally different than buying from a Chinese company? Look, I wish I didn’t have to buy anything from China and generally try to source elsewhere if possible, but if possible is the operating principle. I’ll purchase from Chris Hejnar because he designs and manufactures in the U.S. over Leofoto or another company, though his products are both quality and value. Likewise, I say the same for optechusa,’s stuff versus PD who manufactures in Vietnam. I can’t say the same for Kirk, who is taking a 200-500 tripod collar tweaking it, branding it 186, and charging $250.
Click to expand...

I think Apple, Nike, and many other companies should find other countries to manufacture their products. The difference is they at least design and develop the product while as the article I linked to reports, Chinese owned companies may steal and use others design and intellectual property. They don't compete under the same rules. BIG difference.
 
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Midway said:
I think Apple, Nike, and many other companies should find other countries to manufacture their products. The difference is they at least design and develop the product while as the article I linked to reports, Chinese owned companies may steal and use others design and intellectual property. They don't compete under the same rules. BIG difference.
Click to expand...
Intellectual property is one component of the equation while the more concerning issues are fair labor practices, human rights, and environmental impacts. There is no evidence that international companies are any better/worse than domestic Chinese operations.
 
Member's gallery
Midway said:
Under $100 while competing against Chinese owned companies that may steal intellectual property while using cheap labor that may be working under abhorrent conditions. Junk or not I choose to pay a premium to companies that compete fairly, do their own R&D and offer quality products. Especially when the foot or collar is a fraction of the overall lens price in most cases.

I had never heard of iShoot. The Amazon link doesn't list anything about the company and doesn't even include the country the product is manufactured in. I thought that was a requirement. Are they a Chinese owned and based company like Leofoto? I'd prefer products that are not manufactured in China as I type on my MacBook Pro but make a distinction between companies based in other countries that choose to have products manufactured in China vs. Chinese owned companies.

Christopher Wray: The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation this era. There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our-- our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security. We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data-- all across the country. We're talking everything from Fortune 100 companies, all to smaller startups. We're talking about agriculture, biotech, health care, robotics, aviation, academic research. We probably have somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information.

www.cbsnews.com

China stealing technology secrets -- from AI to computing and biology, "Five Eyes" intelligence leaders warn

Intelligence leaders from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are issuing a stark warning on the danger of China's global espionage campaign.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
Click to expand...
iShoot, Photoloving and Duomianshou are both brands of ShenZhen Photoloving Photographic Equipment Company Ltd. There equipment is probably sold under other brand names as well. The Shenzhen, Guangdong area is also home to Yongnuo, Haoge and many others.

it can be a mistake to dismiss all Chinese products as rubbish, you just need to evaluate carefully what you’re getting for the price compared to other, better known manufacturers. Remember that many of you known brands will be made anywhere from Taiwan to Ecuador and badged to suit. I won’t mention iPhones and China.........

Historically, it’s been above the technological evolution of various countries. There were times when “made in Japan” & “made in Taiwan” were associated with rubbish..... look now.
You‘ll find that the likes of China and Korea have various tiers of manufacturing ranging from those producing among the best out there, down to the bottom feeders where the warranty expired 10 minutes after it was packed.
 
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Steve W said:
iShoot, Photoloving and Duomianshou are both brands of ShenZhen Photoloving Photographic Equipment Company Ltd. There equipment is probably sold under other brand names as well. The Shenzhen, Guangdong area is also home to Yongnuo, Haoge and many others.

it can be a mistake to dismiss all Chinese products as rubbish, you just need to evaluate carefully what you’re getting for the price compared to other, better known manufacturers. Remember that many of you known brands will be made anywhere from Taiwan to Ecuador and badged to suit. I won’t mention iPhones and China.........

Historically, it’s been above the technological evolution of various countries. There were times when “made in Japan” & “made in Taiwan” were associated with rubbish..... look now.
You‘ll find that the likes of China and Korea have various tiers of manufacturing ranging from those producing among the best out there, down to the bottom feeders where the warranty expired 10 minutes after it was packed.
Click to expand...

I have not said products made in China are rubbish. My concern is with potential intellectual property theft and other unfair competitive practices highlighted by the "somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information".
 
Member's gallery
ajrmd said:
Intellectual property is one component of the equation while the more concerning issues are fair labor practices, human rights, and environmental impacts. There is no evidence that international companies are any better/worse than domestic Chinese operations.
Click to expand...

No argument from me on your concerns, I share them, but that doesn't minimize Intellectual property theft.
fair labor practices, human rights, and environmental impacts. There is no evidence that international companies are any better/worse than domestic Chinese operations.
Click to expand...
 
Member's gallery
RockvilleBob said:
I received the iShoot lens collar for the Nikon Z 180-600. Works fine, solid. Seems to have a better screw mechanism than the one supplied by Nikon - the Nikon screw could be 1/4 50 screw that you keep winding. An added feature is the safety mechanism to remove the collar, you need to pull the screw knob out to release the collar. Last but not least - made for ARCA. I use a Cotton Carrier with the lens on my chest so I do not need a QD connection. For $50 it is hard to ask for anything more. I am sure collars costing five to six times the price of this one will be as good or better.
https://www.amazon.com/iShoot-Compa...=ishoot+180-600&qid=1699556820&s=photo&sr=1-1
Click to expand...
Heads up for gimbal head users. The way the iShoot collar works you can not use it effectively with a gimbal head or other head where you want the collar loose so the lens can be left loose to rotate smoothly in use. It is only designed to be used when locked in place in vertical or horizontal orientaton. See @Steve video on using a loose collar on a gimbal head. I still have an iShoot collar for a Tamron 100-400 that I no longer own.
 
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Midway said:
I have not said products made in China are rubbish. My concern is with potential intellectual property theft and other unfair competitive practices highlighted by the "somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information".
Click to expand...
I didn’t imply that YOU said products made in China were rubbish, but it is a generalisation held by many.
The theft of IP is another issue, lots of companies and countries are doing it, it’s just that China seems both more aggressive and successful at it than many.
 
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