Kirk Photo 180-600 Replacement Collar

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Owney said:
How is your Kirk replacement collar is working out? Any comments/suggestions?
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I got the Kirk collar in late November. I did not get the additional lens support bracket.

I like it. It seems to fit well and work smoothly. It is the first Kirk collar/foot I’ve had. Generally had RRS ones before. Do have some Kirk plates I like.

I generally use the lens handheld, so have not yet tried it on a tripod with a ballhead or flexshooter pro. I have a BlackRapid stap that I attach a small RRS clamp to. The clamp then attaches to an Arca Swiss foot or plate. The clamp lets me vary the attachment point with lenses to get the best balance.
 
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BillW said:
I got the Kirk collar in late November. I did not get the additional lens support bracket.

I like it. It seems to fit well and work smoothly. It is the first Kirk collar/foot I’ve had. Generally had RRS ones before. Do have some Kirk plates I like.

I generally use the lens handheld, so have not yet tried it on a tripod with a ballhead or flexshooter pro. I have a BlackRapid stap that I attach a small RRS clamp to. The clamp then attaches to an Arca Swiss foot or plate. The clamp lets me vary the attachment point with lenses to get the best balance.
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Thank for replying. I was a RRS customer until I needed something and they were out of stock so I tried Kirk and now Kirk is my first choice. I use QD strap swivels on my Black Rapid double and Peak Design Slide as I shoot hand held 99 and 44/100’s of the time.
 
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Happy with the Kirk collar so far. Needed an Arca Swiss foot for my RRS ball heads and Induro gimbal. Decided against adding a plate to the Nikon foot. Wanted a longer foot since I like to rest the foot in my palm when shooting handheld and the Nikon foot is too short for that (for me at least). The Kirk rotates a bit smoother than the Nikon collar, but neither are great in that aspect. Wish they had 90 degree detents when rotating.
 
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I just went ahead and ordered the Kirk replacement collar/foot, reluctantly. I love the collar and foot, but after tax and the crazy $30 charge for shipping of this small unbreakable item, $300 was a hard pill to swallow since I just paid for the Z 180-600mm today. Especially since I just bought the Kirk replacement collar less than a year ago for the Nikon 200-500mm that I just traded in to partially pay for the 180-600mm. I'll never get that money back for such a lightly used Kirk collar for the 200-500.
 
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Dhelton said:
I just went ahead and ordered the Kirk replacement collar/foot, reluctantly. I love the collar and foot, but after tax and the crazy $30 charge for shipping of this small unbreakable item, $300 was a hard pill to swallow since I just paid for the Z 180-600mm today. Especially since I just bought the Kirk replacement collar less than a year ago for the Nikon 200-500mm that I just traded in to partially pay for the 180-600mm. I'll never get that money back for such a lightly used Kirk collar for the 200-500.
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That’s the game here, no use in fretting over it. Just enjoy your new lens and the replacement collar, will serve you well!
 
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sportmaster said:
Easy to get caught up in the hype to buy unneeded accessories everytime we get a new lens or body. I almost convinced myself I needed a new collar until I rememberedI hadn't touched a tripod in years. Got a whole box full of new, never used, lens collars, feet, plates, l-brackets, pano heads, etc.
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That’s me! I got the Haoge replacement collar. Reviewing my trips this year, I’ll use it twice! 🙈
 
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Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned one critical item. On the Z 180-600, the strap lugs are on the removable collar instead of the lens itself. The Kirk replacement has no lugs. If you intend to attach a traditional strap to the lens, the Kirk negates this possibility.
 
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MrFotoFool said:
Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned one critical item. On the Z 180-600, the strap lugs are on the removable collar instead of the lens itself. The Kirk replacement has no lugs. If you intend to attach a traditional strap to the lens, the Kirk negates this possibility.
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If you’re in the QD system, don’t think the lugs are necessary. All the weight is off the foot with the QD socket.

Whether folks are comfortable with that or not is another matter but it negates need for the lug straps IMO.
 
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I have used the QD system for years where it was originally developed and never had an issue any of my rifles falling. In fact (I am not going to take credit for anything cause I am sure I was not the only one who thought of it, but) many years ago, I reached out to Black Rapid (When I got their original strap and I did not like how it connected) and RRS to mention the whole QD system to them and how it would be perfect for photography.

So that being said, I fully trust it... BUT with my camera gear I do take one extra precaution of using the Black Rapid Safety Tether. It takes 1 extra second to "clip in" and I have that extra security.

I have the tether connected to the QD Sling Swivel at all times. On each of my long lenses that have replacement feet from Kirk with QD, I have adapted a D-ring, rubber washer, 1/4" screw, and a 3/8"-> 1/4" reducer bushing. screwed into the Kirk Photo replacement collar or foot so I can clip in the tether. When using the BR with short lenses, I QD into my L-brackets, the tether clips into the cameras strap swivel.

Again, I have NEVER had a QD "pop out" ever. BUT I don't want the first time being with a 5K+ camera & lens combo.

Here are some pics of the setup/mods.
 

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Even with the 200-500mm lens I shot hand held 100% of the time. I mounted the lens on a tripod to do autofocus fine tuning and for that the factory lens mount was more than adequate. I have not mounted a telephoto zoom lens on a tripod for shooting stills. There may be value in a smoother lens collar but even for video I cannot comprehend what it could be.

I cannot give serious thought to have an expensive lens and camera rig swinging around on a strap with a quick release mechanism. Even with the 200-500mm lens I had no difficulty carrying it with one hand gripping the camera.

With my heavy prime lenses I use the Kirk Security strap that is never going to accidentally release and have the camera and lens fall to the ground. That could put an end to my use of the lens and camera for the remainder of the trip. I see no compelling reason to trust a QD connection or what it provides that cannot be done in a less risky manner.
 
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Wade Abadie said:
I received my 180-600 last week and was pleasantly surprised by quality and feel of the collar. At this point I don't feel the need to replace it (especially at a cost of $250). Just my opinion.
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agree. The collar works well. In integrated Arca swiss foot would be nice ...
 
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NWGuy said:
Wondering how much a difference the lens support piece makes? Is it worth it?
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So I bought the package when I bought the Kirk collar. I did not try it when I first received it, BUT last week I remembered I had it and I wanted to try it. I had not tested to see if there was any droop when you loosed the collar to allow for rotation. I can definitely say that as you loosen the collar, there is a slight amount of droop. So, I setup the LS-1 and while in place the support definitely stops the droop. For my style of shooting, I am not sure if I will use it all the time. While on a tripod I may, but in my day to day, hand holding or on a monopod, I don't plan on it.

Edit: FIxed brand mistake
 
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madone said:
So I bought the package when I bought the RRS collar. I did not try it when I first received it, BUT last week I remembered I had it and I wanted to try it. I had not tested to see if there was any droop when you loosed the collar to allow for rotation. I can definitely say that as you loosen the collar, there is a slight amount of droop. So, I setup the LS-1 and while in place the support definitely stops the droop. For my style of shooting, I am not sure if I will use it all the time. While on a tripod I may, but in my day to day, hand holding or on a monopod, I don't plan on it.
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Thanks for followup. Just so no one is confused, they typed RRS collar but I am pretty sure they meant Kirk collar (RRS does not make one for this lens and LS-1 support is a Kirk product).
 
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