According to my friend mk2 does not need support lens for 70-200 . The mount is all metal and much more durable then c100 . Is it true ? Is that means that for my c100 I have to use lens support ? I own c100 and mk2 . I do not know what is difference in construction in this 2 camera . They looks almost identical .
C100: 70-200 f 2.8 lens support c100 & c100mk2
- Thread starter tom1
- Start date
Had a discussion about this on "another forum", and it came down to this. . .the lens may not be too heavy ITSELF for the lens mount on either camera (sorry I don't know the construction differences either), but, think about when you're walking around with that long lens on there, or moving the camera while it's on a tripod, basically anything that sends shocks through/jitters/jogs the tripod/camera. . .over time that can wear on the mount. That was concluded to be a bigger worry than just having the long lens mounted on there, period. Lens support + rods + base plate doesn't have to be that expensive, especially compared to the cost of either cam and/or repairs (my base plate + rods + support was about $255, and some of those parts you can find even cheaper used). It's the safer/surer thing to do, so why NOT do it?
You might get away with it, but I would second this: better safe than sorry, so I'm looking now for a base plate + rods.
I wanted to keep a low profile for some reasons, so at first I tried to mount a 100-500 on a naked body... - it didn't really work.
You could see the plastic body wobbling, it even could not handle it's own weight - even if the body would survive the exercise (and I highly doubt this), there is no way to achieve stable shots outdoor during windy conditions for example.
Personally I am not that happy as I have not found a (semi)pro DSLR with such a weak body jet. While the mount itself is fine (or ok'ish), the body around is all plastic
I wanted to keep a low profile for some reasons, so at first I tried to mount a 100-500 on a naked body... - it didn't really work.
You could see the plastic body wobbling, it even could not handle it's own weight - even if the body would survive the exercise (and I highly doubt this), there is no way to achieve stable shots outdoor during windy conditions for example.
Personally I am not that happy as I have not found a (semi)pro DSLR with such a weak body jet. While the mount itself is fine (or ok'ish), the body around is all plastic
deltoidjohn
Veteran
The 150-500mm/600mm lenses from Sigma and Tamron are fairly easy to mount with rails on a C-series cam because of their large feet. Most baseplates will put the rails at a height where any 1/4" lens support bracket is a good height for the lens' tripod foot. I particularly like the Ikan EV2 for this purpose as it is affordable and has adjustable height.
For OP's 70-200, I've found it a bit harder because the lens usually ends up sitting so high above the rails due the C-series somewhat tall design. When I couldn't get any other lens support to work, I simply used a basic (1/4" threaded) 15mm rails block and used a long bolt with some washers to give it the correct height to pair up with the tripod foot on the 70-200.
For OP's 70-200, I've found it a bit harder because the lens usually ends up sitting so high above the rails due the C-series somewhat tall design. When I couldn't get any other lens support to work, I simply used a basic (1/4" threaded) 15mm rails block and used a long bolt with some washers to give it the correct height to pair up with the tripod foot on the 70-200.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
You're making this more difficult and expensive than it needs to be.
C100 Smallrig baseplate $33.00 https://www.amazon.com/Smallrig-Pro...29&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Canon+C100+baseplate
C100 Smallrig 12" Aluminum Rods $16.00 https://www.amazon.com/SmallRig-Alu...rd_wg=38bXj&psc=1&refRID=CFP34VJTXTAJ881CR2N6
Neweer Lens Support for 15mm Rods $8.56 https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Profe...8&qid=1487343228&sr=8-3&keywords=Lens+support
$57.00, you are in business. Bam.
C100 Smallrig baseplate $33.00 https://www.amazon.com/Smallrig-Pro...29&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Canon+C100+baseplate
C100 Smallrig 12" Aluminum Rods $16.00 https://www.amazon.com/SmallRig-Alu...rd_wg=38bXj&psc=1&refRID=CFP34VJTXTAJ881CR2N6
Neweer Lens Support for 15mm Rods $8.56 https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Profe...8&qid=1487343228&sr=8-3&keywords=Lens+support
$57.00, you are in business. Bam.
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Thank you very much
This is what I am looking for . Small , light weight and cheap . Lanparte Tele-Lens Support V2 seems to be very nice , integrated Rubber Ring Adds Stability is very interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbUzIcye5WQ
But I will go with cheap lens support and add rubber ( DIY )
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I have that cheap lens support, works great. The longer I am in this business, the less I care about image and name. If it works, it's reliable, I use it. I like Zacuto stuff but it's massively overpriced for little bits and bobs like this stuff. I have the Zacuto lens grip relocater, it's been okay, it broke, then Zacuto fixed it. So I am happy I bought Zacuto for that. But for a lens support, cheap Chinese is fine for most of us. That cheap lens support is ringed with rubber BTW or at least mine is.
I have the C100 Mk1 and 70-200 2.8 (non-IS) combo, and have run into this same quandary. My work is very run-and-gun and I try to keep a low profile, so I really don't want to have to jack around with a base plate and support, especially when I'm usually only using the 70-200 on a few isolated shots before swapping it out. Most of my work is on sticks, and for me, I've found that the best option is to mount the lens by it's support directly to my tripod with the C100 (and my Ninja Blade) hanging off the back. The center of gravity and weight balance is about evened out in this scenario, and the whole rig feels pretty secure. Where you get into trouble, as someone stated above, is when you have the (very heavy) lens just hanging on the front of the C100 and you're moving and shaking things around a lot. Don't do that.
For a little extra "support," I wedge a piece of packing foam between the camera and the back of the tripod body when using my jerry-rigged scenario. Works like a charm.
I'd probably seek out a more stable option if I used the lens more often. What puredrifting recommends above sounds great.
For a little extra "support," I wedge a piece of packing foam between the camera and the back of the tripod body when using my jerry-rigged scenario. Works like a charm.
I'd probably seek out a more stable option if I used the lens more often. What puredrifting recommends above sounds great.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I used to do this, mount the 70-200 by the tripod foot. But only having one tripod on location, when I wanted to change lenses, back and forth, that became a pain because I would have to mount the tripod plate to the lens foot, use it, then detach it and re-mount it on the camera. Then for the next shoot, I bought an extra tripod plate, one for the body, one for the lens, but it was still a PITA as I needed a place (like some 15mm rods) to mount my Ninja Blade to so I ended up just getting the cheap base plate and rods and it's fine for handheld and shoulder work. I can still swap out the 70-200 for a much shorter lens that doesn't need the lens support, like the 17-55 2.8 IS and I just ratchet the lens support down a half an inch out of the way. I use a an Ultralight Control Systems arm setup http://www.filmtools.com/ulcosy.html that I pieced together that clamps the Ninja Blade to either a 15mm rod or to the old Zacuto knock off handle that I use opposite of the Zacutogrip relocater to give my left hand a grip to support the front of the rig. The UCS arm is superior to any Israeli arm, which are much longer and more designed to fit onto larger motion picture type rigs and setups. The UCS setup I made is really compact and keeps the Ninja Blade very close and tucked into the rig. I hate having pieces sticking out on my rig where they can snag on light stands and rigging as I prowl around sets shooting BTS footage.
I have two extension arms for the UCS system. In the image below, shot at Milk Studios in Hollywood, I was shooting a commercial for a Korean cosmetics company, I was using the longer UCS arm as the talent was standing so I had my tripod at full extension. The beauty of having rods and a baseplate is that here I was able to mount my Blade low so the client, who was short, could see it over my shoulder as I operated. I like having my camera up high on sticks but instead of craning my neck to see the Blade screen up high, I was able to mount it low, even to the tripod leg with the UCS bracket. You can also see my cheap Neweer lens support here and I am using the 17-55 2.8 IS so the lens support is lowered out of the way. Overall, I am pretty happy with my rig, I have it to a place where it works well for my shooting style which is about 40% tripod and 60% handheld shooting.
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puredrifting
Major Contributor
That looks as if it could work but it will raise your camera height up a bit which could make some things a bit awkward.
Thanks I was looking for something like this too
puredrifting
Major Contributor
You are more than welcome. Glad my cheapness can benefit others ;-)
control4userguy
Well-known member
Yeah, just use lens support. If you use manfrotto/sachtler long plates, try the Ace baseplate. It's basically a manfrotto long plate with rod ports attached: https://youtu.be/9TgfiGhwqjI
Eric Coughlin
Veteran
I got this really cool lens support from my mom (Dad helped make it too, but Mom did most of the work). I call it my human hand. Useful for a lot of other purposes too and it didn't cost me a dime. Even works with a 1.4x teleconverter.
Sometimes my hands are otherwise occupied though so I don't use lens support.
Sometimes my hands are otherwise occupied though so I don't use lens support.
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control4userguy
Well-known member
It's a choice. I bought mine used for $25. It also allows for some fore/aft balance adj.. For the record, the 70-200 does sag on a C100/II. Just laser it if you don't think so... Is it an issue, I surely don't know as I use it 80 % of the time and my left hand the other.