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settling on tripod
Jul 12, 2015 08:10:37 #
I feel foolish asking this as I have taken photos for years but not always with a tripod. I have a CF tripod with a good ball head but when I position my a6000 on it and tighten the knob after creating my composition the camera settles down. I have looked carefully and it isn't the ballhead settling but the camera baseplate that allows for some movement. Is there a solution to this?
Jul 12, 2015 08:41:36 #
I'm not entirely sure what you mean - is the movement between the camera and plate or between plate and ball head?
Either way, is it possible to cut a small piece of felt to fit between ball head and plate, or between plate and camera?
It will fill up the space and because of the "spongy" nature of wool felt, it will be squished together if need be.
Either way, is it possible to cut a small piece of felt to fit between ball head and plate, or between plate and camera?
It will fill up the space and because of the "spongy" nature of wool felt, it will be squished together if need be.
Jul 12, 2015 08:45:14 #
You didn't mention lens size. If your using a heavy lens, look into a long lens tripod support.
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Jul 12, 2015 09:05:33 #
It seems like the baseplate of the camera itself has some "give". The ball stays steady but the camera and lens drops a bit. The lens is a very light 55-210 on this mirrorless camera and isn't at all heavy but after further checking it does seem to drop more if I have the lens extended to the max so it must be the leverage away from the base pulling it down. Any solution? On my old Nikon 80-200 2.8 it had the tripod collar but this isn't anything close to that size or weight.
Jul 12, 2015 09:09:54 #
As suggested, some felt or perhaps a thin piece of rubber might settle things down. Have you checked if the tripod mount on the camera is loose? If it is I would send the camera out for repair. ;)
Jul 12, 2015 09:11:37 #
TB4 wrote:
It seems like the baseplate of the camera itself has some "give". The ball stays steady but the camera and lens drops a bit. The lens is a very light 55-210 on this mirrorless camera and isn't at all heavy but after further checking it does seem to drop more if I have the lens extended to the max so it must be the leverage away from the base pulling it down. Any solution? On my old Nikon 80-200 2.8 it had the tripod collar but this isn't anything close to that size or weight.
It is possible for tripods and ball heads and plates to go bad or have flaws just like any equipment. I have had a similar experience with a fairly expensive ball head that just didn't work properly any more, and I was getting better stability with a cheap little travel tripod. Try to isolate a culprit by changing out things or borrowing a friends equipment to see where the problem really is.
Jul 12, 2015 09:25:34 #
Thanks to all of you for your ideas and suggestions. I think that since the actual contact area of the camera on the QR plate is only about 1/2 inch wide it just doesn't have enough surface area to properly support the extended lens without a little give. The base of my D90 is in contact with the whole plate. Looks like something I am going to learn to live with.
Jul 12, 2015 09:36:06 #
Don't give up so easily. I've seen arca compatable "GRIP" style plates for mirrorless cameras. You might investigate this possibility.
Jul 12, 2015 13:19:03 #
I'll do a Google search! Thanks for the insight.
naturepics43 wrote:
Don't give up so easily. I've seen arca compatable "GRIP" style plates for mirrorless cameras. You might investigate this possibility.
Jul 12, 2015 13:30:40 #
RRS has a base plate for the a6000 that may solve the problem but costs $60. Was that what you were thinking of?
TB4 wrote:
I'll do a Google search! Thanks for the insight.
Jul 12, 2015 21:06:03 #
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Jul 13, 2015 06:24:56 #
Manfrotto quick release plates have to be orientated a certain way. If it's a Manfrotto quick release plate look at the bottom carefully. You'll see an arrow on one of the long sides with the word "lens" next to it. You need to mount the plate so that the arrow is pointing towards what you're photographing. The two long sides have a different shape. Other manufacturers may have this design also. I'm not sure.
Jul 13, 2015 07:31:09 #
This could be the solution! Thanks for the guidance.
Jul 13, 2015 07:33:11 #
I know what you are talking about as a different QR plate I had has that but this one doesn't. Thanks for the suggestion. It would have been the cheapest solution if it worked!
CO wrote:
Manfrotto quick release plates have to be orientated a certain way. If it's a Manfrotto quick release plate look at the bottom carefully. You'll see an arrow on one of the long sides with the word "lens" next to it. You need to mount the plate so that the arrow is pointing towards what you're photographing. The two long sides have a different shape. Other manufacturers may have this design also. I'm not sure.
Jul 13, 2015 08:13:37 #
TB4 wrote:
This could be the solution! Thanks for the guidance.
That should add some rigidity to the mix. If nothing else a functional L bracket is well worth $15. I wouldn't hesitate trying it.
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