douter wrote:
Can someone explain to me, other than perhaps wanting the dovetail mount, why everyone wants to change their feet?
Stock foot is too short, I prefer to handhold with the lensfoot in my palm (I know many flip their lensfeet up when handholding but I don't) so a longer replacement foot like the Hejnar is what I like to have.
But other than that, I wouldn't ever mount the lens on a tripod as it is made for handholding IMO so I don't care about the Arca Swiss but usually that is why I buy a replacement foot for bigger lenses. Also for bigger lenses the replacement feet are also longer and usually more flush to the lens which also helps me handhold them.
If you're not going to mount on a tripod why have a foot at all? If you're going to use a tripod the vast majority of us use an Arca style mount. Why a multi thousand $ lens comes without an Arca compatible foot has been a mystery to me.
douter wrote:
Can someone explain to me, other than perhaps wanting the dovetail mount, why everyone wants to change their feet?
Bsmooth and Geoff hit on the two reasons I use it - the stock foot had a nasty tendency of working loose, and I wanted a longer more hand holdable one.
I use the original lens foot with Kirk arca-swiss compatible plate. I use the lens on a tripod and fluid head for bird photography. For mammals and sports subjects I hand-hold the lens, and for that I take the foot off as I find it annoying when I'm using the lens hand-held. With the original foot it is easy to take off and put back on as needed.
I don't carry the lens from the foot. It is too dangerous as witnessed by several people who have dropped the lens by carrying it from a strap attached to the foot (note that the strap can come off the foot also; I have heard those stories also, it's not always the foot coming off from the lens). I carry it either in both of my hands with camera strap around my neck or put it in my bag for transport. When using the tripod foot for its intended purpose (holding the lens on tripod or monopod), I have not seen anything that would suggest the lens / foot connection is about to come loose. But when I attach the lens on tripod, I check the foot locking screw anyway, as I tighten the quick release plate to the tripod, just to be sure.
I also purchased the Hejnar Photo foot and bought it direct. I must say it was an extremely tight fit to the point that I thought I would not get it on my lens and would need to return it. I eventually tightened the little screws on the foot base then was able to get the foot to fit with a little work. The foot has been updated with the mounting section shifted towards the front a little. The front shift makes it easy to carry the lens. It also balances nicely on a gimble with the shift. See photo below for the improvement.
psharvic wrote:
If you're not going to mount on a tripod why have a foot at all? If you're going to use a tripod the vast majority of us use an Arca style mount. Why a multi thousand $ lens comes without an Arca compatible foot has been a mystery to me.
I've never got on with handholding via the barrel of the lens. Although I recognize that many people do this even when they have a foot on the lens by rotating the foot to the top of the lens. I much prefer the ergonomics I get out of having a foot rest in my palm and between my thumb and index finger. That preference probably stems from my Canon lenses that I found too easy to touch the MF ring while handholding which always competes with AF. Of course with Nikon they have the setting which requires a larger turn of the MF ring before it does anything and with my Sony lenses I can turn DMF off so it was really a Canon problem. I also carry my lenses by the foot most of the time as I rarely use straps so they act as my handle (which is one issue with the stock 500PF foot as it is a bit short for a comfortable handle). So far I haven't invested in the Hejnar foot and sometimes I throw an Arca Swiss plate on the foot to make it longer and sometimes I just put up with the shorter foot.
AP-500 Quick Release Replacement Foot from Wimberley here. I did not use that roll pin that is supplied. I'm happy. Sure I'd been happy with the Hejnar.
I also use this updated Hejnar foot. I intend to use the lens handheld 99% of the time, but it's nice to have the option of mounting it when wanted. I also carry the lens by the foot, and as previously mentioned, the stock foot can work it's way loose. I feel more confident carrying it by the foot without a quick release. I will use a shoulder strap with QD connectors for longer hikes and the Hejnar has a QD connection point.
bbialik wrote:
I also purchased the Hejnar Photo foot and bought it direct. I must say it was an extremely tight fit to the point that I thought I would not get it on my lens and would need to return it. I eventually tightened the little screws on the foot base then was able to get the foot to fit with a little work. The foot has been updated with the mounting section shifted towards the front a little. The front shift makes it easy to carry the lens. It also balances nicely on a gimble with the shift. See photo below for the improvement.
I like the Hejnar foot because it bolts directly into the lens collar without a sliding mechanism. Even on the RRS or Kirk, there is a release lever that worries me, and people have dropped this lens.
I
It has a QD socket which suits my needs
It is longer, so the lens balances more easily in my Wimberley head.
Find or buy yourself a piece of 5mm thick balsa wood from any art shop or even Daiso if you have one nearby. It just a $1.50 or so.
What I got from Daiso is a piece of 450x5x24mm Balsa Wood under Building Material with a Bar Code 4 526324 063607. This makes it easy for one to work on with just a steel ruler and paper cutter.
The next thing is a piece of fine sand paper, also can be purchase from Daiso.
Now cut out a piece in the shape as this 凹 with a height of 21mm and the base of 18mm.
The two prongs on top are with a width of 4.5mm each and a length of 13mm. So cut and remove the middle piece of 9x13mm to get to the final shape we want.
Now, if you are not good at using the paper cutter to get to the exact shape you want. You will have to leave allowance for your cutting to allow sanding it down with sand paper.
But if you have patient, all you need is to make small and shallow cuts like drawing a line each time to get to the final depth.
One will also have to cut on both sides or even 3 sides if at the edge to make it look nice and professional.
Now, once you have it done. You can either use it right away or paint it Black using water based Acrylic Paint that you can also get from Daiso.
All you need to do is to slide this piece of wood under the latch to prevent it from being pressed.
If it can't be pressed, the pin that goes into the tripod collar will never be release and so the foot will never get to slide out unless the pin is damaged.
If the dimensions are correct it should fit snuggly under the latch and will not slip out, unless being pushed from the opposite ends where the two prongs are. And that will still require some force with a pointed tool to dislodge it.
Once you have that done, one can mount an ACRA SWISS plate of any length of your choice.
I used a Sunwayfoto DPG-76R with double screw to make sure that it does not shift when I am carrying it around。
But I also have the 100mm, 150mm and 200mm plates when I need more support. For example a front end support for the lens.
Now, with just less than $10 spent, one can use back the original foot and not have to worry about it sliding off.
Enjoy! While I am busy shooting this couple of weeks so I have to leave my article writing for a while.
What I have found to be the best is to attach a Wimberly P-30 plate to the Nikon foot. I can get the lens and a mounted camera better balanced on a gimbal head. With such a light lens I need more length to get the camera and lens in a neutral positiong on the head
95% of the time I shoot with it hand held and on a monopod the other 5%. I mount it on a tripod only to do an autofocus fine tune with my cameras. So after I am done with the AF fine tuning I remove the foot and leave it off the lens.
