Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!

SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Lens Tripod Collar?
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:22 am    Post subject: Lens Tripod Collar? Reply with quote

I want to buy the Minolta MD 300mm F4.5 IF (Internal Focusing) which does not have the tripod collar of its predecessor, and is supposed to be used hand-held. Is there a thirdparty tripod colalr that I can buy to fit the lens? Alternatively, if I decide to adapt the lens to a mirrorless camera, will an adaptor with built-in tripod socket be okay or could that result in strain and damage to the camera mount?


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Measure the diameter and look for that size on ebay.
You'll find something.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Himself wrote:
Measure the diameter and look for that size on ebay.
You'll find something.


I don't have the lens myself, and do not wish to buy it unless there is a solution.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 3:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Est modus in rebus.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Himself wrote:
Est modus in rebus.


I'm not sure what you mean.


PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as I heard, the lens diameter is about 3.1" http://www.subclub.org/minman/30045.htm . There are some third party tripod collar which is about 80mm width Click here to see on Ebay .


PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The problem is that it's just about impossible to find the right size mount, they are almost always listed for.a particular lens rather than by size. It's very frustrating , I've spent ages looking.
I have found one for this lens, when I get back to the man cave I'll post a picture of what I use.

No not this 300 lens, it's a 200 I was thinking of, too much wine at an early evening BBQ Rolling Eyes But I did struggle to find a tripod collar to fit the very heavy Rokkor QF 200 3.5, eventually I found an unbranded mount at the camera fair for a few pounds and used some 1/4" thick sticky back foam to make it fit, and it does a great job. I'll start a thread, I have a few that I've re-purposed.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

calvin83 wrote:
As far as I heard, the lens diameter is about 3.1" http://www.subclub.org/minman/30045.htm . There are some third party tripod collar which is about 80mm width Click here to see on Ebay .


I figured that value was for the largest part of the lens, at the front, considering the majority of the diameter appears to be less than the 72mm filter threading. I figured it's around 60-72mm and I found a generic mount here, with an internal diameter of 68mm: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281867002248?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It would possibly be adequate, but then I'm not sure how loose it will be, and the best way to fill that in would be with some foam/light rubber tape or strips. Anyway, it's another AU$40 to spend, plus more for the extra material required. After reading some more, it seems there is no consensus on which lens is optically better anyway.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lloydy wrote:
The problem is that it's just about impossible to find the right size mount, they are almost always listed for.a particular lens rather than by size. It's very frustrating , I've spent ages looking.
I have found one for this lens, when I get back to the man cave I'll post a picture of what I use.

No not this 300 lens, it's a 200 I was thinking of, too much wine at an early evening BBQ Rolling Eyes But I did struggle to find a tripod collar to fit the very heavy Rokkor QF 200 3.5, eventually I found an unbranded mount at the camera fair for a few pounds and used some 1/4" thick sticky back foam to make it fit, and it does a great job. I'll start a thread, I have a few that I've re-purposed.


Thanks for looking. It would be great if you could share your experience in another thread. Like 1 small


PostPosted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One cost as low as US $9.99 Click here to see on Ebay .


PostPosted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

calvin83 wrote:
One cost as low as US $9.99 Click here to see on Ebay .


It might work, but I just pulled the trigger on the MC I version in mint condition with its case and caps. Razz I was mostly worried about CA and while the LoCA's seem quite bad, the lens is otherwise very good I think. The cost is about the same anyway, as the MD is more expensive and of course I have to find and modify a tripod mount for it. Perhaps one day I will own both... but for now, the Minolta is a real upgrade to my 4-element Tamron F5.5 preset which is, surprisingly, not as awful as it sounds! Laughing


PostPosted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 11:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teemō wrote:
calvin83 wrote:
As far as I heard, the lens diameter is about 3.1" http://www.subclub.org/minman/30045.htm . There are some third party tripod collar which is about 80mm width Click here to see on Ebay .


I figured that value was for the largest part of the lens, at the front, considering the majority of the diameter appears to be less than the 72mm filter threading. I figured it's around 60-72mm and I found a generic mount here, with an internal diameter of 68mm: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281867002248?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It would possibly be adequate, but then I'm not sure how loose it will be, and the best way to fill that in would be with some foam/light rubber tape or strips. Anyway, it's another AU$40 to spend, plus more for the extra material required. After reading some more, it seems there is no consensus on which lens is optically better anyway.


I've got the MD300/4.5 (MDII version), the diameter of the barrel between the aperture- and focus ring is 63mm (circumference: 198mm). The flat empty section between the focus ring and the groove just above the aperture ring seems ideal,
the groove might be useful to keep the lens aligned when rotating it:


With an A7 and a Novoflex adapter, the center of gravity is almost exactly in the midle of that empty section. It'll be harder to fit a tripod collar on the MDIII version, the broader focus ring leaves less blank barrel to work with.

The closest tripod collar I could find is the Canon "Tripod Mount Ring A" with 65-66mm inner diameter. I just ordered a cheap copy with decent reviews (branded "MENGS") and a little arca plate with a raised edge ("MENGS PL-62"):


I'll need something to pad the ring, it should be about 1.5mm thick when compressed. A bit of cellular rubber/ebonite with the right thickness should do. The collar and plate cost me <30, the padding shouldn't be more than another 5.

I'll report back when I'm done (or when I've quit in frustration).


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alternatively, since this lens will be used on a mirrorless camera, I can recommend going with an adapter that has the tripod mount. I own two -- one for Canon FD and one for Nikon. They are very stoutly made and they work great. I'm thinking about ordering a few more, ones for Pentax K, Minolta MC/MD and also M42.

I also bought one of the adapters something like what's shown above. The one I bought was advertized to fit some Canon EF lens. I took a gamble and bought it to use with my Nikon 200mm Micro-Nikkor. It was quite a bit larger in diameter than what I needed, so I just folded up a paper towel and wrapped it around the lens, then clamped the mount down on it. Although this was a temporary solution, I've still got the paper towel folded up in there, mostly because it works adequately. One of these days I'll replace it with some more permanent material.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had two Fotodiox NEX adapters with tripod mounts, and the mount came off one of them - luckily I was holding the camera and lens. The tripod foot is held on to the adapter by two tiny screws that just stripped the thread out of the adapter.
The second adapter, the foot kept coming loose. so it also went in the bin. I just blanked the holes in the adapter and use them without the tripod foot.

To make an oversize coller fit I use the sticky back foam from a craft shop that comes in A4 sheets and 1.5mm thick, I found some 4mm thick as well, but haven't seen it in the craft shop recently. Ebay is bound to have it.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you Boris for the diagram and to others. Hopefully this thread will be useful for owners of the lens. I'm still waiting on the delivery of my MC lens but I think my initial assumptions about its quality were a bit harsh. Besides using it on my SRT and GM1, I've mainly bought it for a clearer and brighter view with my ocular converter.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 11:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lloydy wrote:
I've had two Fotodiox NEX adapters with tripod mounts, and the mount came off one of them - luckily I was holding the camera and lens. The tripod foot is held on to the adapter by two tiny screws that just stripped the thread out of the adapter.
The second adapter, the foot kept coming loose. so it also went in the bin. I just blanked the holes in the adapter and use them without the tripod foot.

Yeah, I considered one of those adapters but I feared exactly what you described...

I could buy the matching tripod collar for my Novoflex adapter:

I wouldn't worry about that one breaking but it's just as overpriced as the original tripod collars for CaNikon lenses.



Lloydy wrote:
To make an oversize coller fit I use the sticky back foam from a craft shop that comes in A4 sheets and 1.5mm thick, I found some 4mm thick as well, but haven't seen it in the craft shop recently. Ebay is bound to have it.


I'll be trying sealing tape made from EPDM rubber, that stuff comes in various widths and thicknesses.
I'm not sure what amount of compression will give me the best fit (should be around 30-50%) so I'll try a few different thicknesses.

I'll probably have to buy a 10m roll of each thickness (that's the smallest amount I could find), I wonder what else I could use this stuff for...


PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A little update:

I played around with the padding and quickly found that compressible padding is a bad idea. The lens starts to wobble as soon as I loosen the collar a bit but there's still too much resistance to easily turn the lens.
Incompressible padding works a lot better, I'm just using a couple layers of paper (glued together with double-sided tape). Some sort of thin smooth plastic should work better.





I slipped a couple of rubber O-rings over the lens to keep the lens aligned, it's working alright but the rubber is causing a bit too much friction.




I'll post another update when I've found better materials.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check out my piece here:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/114-maintenance-repair-articles/238879-modding-chinese-other-tripod-mounts-fit-eg-adaptall-lenses.html


PostPosted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for that link! That table gives just the sort of information I've been searching for pertaining to those Chinese mounts. I have one that I bought for some Canon zoom that I've sort of adapted to work on my 200mm f/4 Micro-Nikkor. It is too big and, as a temporary method to get it to work at all, I used a wad of paper towels, wrapped around the lens. Too squishy, but it works . . . sort of. The solutions for gap filling discussed in that thread has given me some new ideas, though. I've got some sheets of cork around here somewhere . . .

Oh, and about the Chinese adapters for Sony's E-mount cameras and such: I have bought two, one in Nikon and one in Canon FD, and both have the tripod foot held onto the adapter with two philips screws. One thing I've learned the hard way when it comes to unknown metal that's probably cheap is not to overtighten screws. I checked them for snugness -- they were snug on one mount, but loose on the other. So I just snugged them down, but no further. So far, neither mount has required retightening of those screws.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you want some thin plastic, have a look at trimming down the caps from aerosol cans. Some have a decent diameter.