DaveyDitzer wrote:
My current heavy duty tripod is an old (like 1980s) Bogen 3021. It has only a 1/4x20 threaded bolt to fasten to a tripod foot. Is there any presently available head system that would improve stiffness for mounting a Nikon 200-500 f5.6 lens? I know cameras but am a tripod neophyte.
That tripod is not going to hold a 200-500 steady at all. I used to have a 3051 with a 3047 head and it was awful with anything longer than 200mm. That line of tripods was intended to be used in a studio, and due to the ridiculous weight and large collapsed size, it is unsuitable for field use.
If you are bent on trying to make this work with your lens, the best solution is to swap out the entire collar (better, but more expensive) with a Kirk or Really Right Stuff collar ($210 or $250). Or you can just unbolt the foot and replace it with a new foot, or at the very least, you should purchase a lens plate for around $40-$50 to bolt onto the Nikon foot. This will give you an Arca-Swiss compatible mount.
Then you can get a Gimbal. I like and use the $180 Manfrotto 393. I modified it with an Arca-compatible screw-style clamp from Hejnar Photo. The bolt pattern is the same as the hole pattern on the Manfrotto quick-release plate. I leave this on the gimbal all the time, using the Arca clamp to mount the lens.
If you are using a crop sensor camera, your field of view will be the same as a 750mm lens, making it very demanding for a tripod. At the very least, a carbon fiber tripod with a top leg section that is no less than 37mm would make a stable platform. The least costly tripods that I am aware of would be a Feisol CT-3472, (4 lbs, $600), or a LeoFoto LN-404C (7.5 lbs, $650). Anything less will diminish the number of shots that you will get without blur due to camera movement.
I own a Feisol C-T3472 and have used it with a 600mmF4 + 1.4X TC on a crop sensor camera with good results, but it is better suited for use with shorter lenses on full frame cameras.
Before you go through all of this, have you considered using the lens without a tripod at all? I purchased a Sigma 150-600 Sport (6.5 lbs) and use it all day long attached to a D810, no tripod. The flexibility of not using a tripod makes for more interesting shots that would be hard to get with a camera/lens attached to a tripod.