Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 200mm f/2.8

gabbar · Joined: 18 Dec 2013 Posts: 4

I bought this for a very good deal on ebay.
It had a M42 mount and I used it with my EOS 7D.

A few pictures I took came out good. But indoor, the
Pictures are very tough to be called good.

However the problem I see is, the lens is 3 pounds and the
7D is about 2 pounds. Trying to hand hold a six pound weight
While trying to take good pictures is difficult.

This lens does not come with a tripod collar or a tripod mount.
I am considering getting a Manfrotto 293 lens support.

Has anyone else tried a different option to support this lens?

If so, then please provide some information. As to what worked for you.

Thanks Gabbar

Oldhand · Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:59 am Post subject:

For heavy lenses without a tripod mount, I use a bean bag.
You can buy them, of course, but they are easy to make.
I used an old small laptop case and some split-peas.
I dried out the split peas in the oven to stop them going mouldy ........
voila!
OH

tao · Expire: 2015-03-12

M42-EOS adapters with integrated tripod mount are available. It might help moved the center of gravity forward a bit. I have never used one so I have no idea how good the construction is.

gabbar · Joined: 18 Dec 2013 Posts: 4

Thanks Guys for your reply.

@ Oldhand:
Using a bean bean bag is a neat trick. However, I believe it requires that you may have to shoot indoor most of the time under lights/ strobes. I am trying to figure out how you could use the bean bag if the camera is mounted on a tripod and you are trying to shoot pictures outdoors?

One DIY idea is on this webpage: it is a very nice DIY project.
http://www.diyphotography.net/diy-lens-support-bracket

I am looking for additional options as bending a metal bar as in the DIY project requires a Vice grip which I dont have.

Thanks Oldhand for your idea.