Max weight without lens support?

Stu Siegal

Stu Siegal

Well-known member
Any guidelines at to what the max weight limit is? I've got an old minolta af 70-210 that I was thinking of picking up an adapter for, but if it needs rails, won't fit my shooting style. Better safe than sorry of course, but if there are fixed guidelines, that would help me decide if this lens is headed to ebay.
 
Maybe my understanding of supports is off, are they camera mounted to accommodate eng, handheld, or run & gun, or do you need to be on sticks?
 
DrHST said:
Maybe my understanding of supports is off, are they camera mounted to accommodate eng, handheld, or run & gun, or do you need to be on sticks?
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No, you do not need to be on sticks. In fact, theres actually camera support kits that are specifically designed for run & gun type work.
For example: http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/microShoulderMount

You can than get a Lens Support that goes onto the rods.
Here is an example: http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/Accessories/microLensSupport

Look up more info on lens support and see whats best for your way of shooting.

Good luck!
 
I think it would still be good to know the max weight of a lens/adapter combo before it would be necessary to use a support. This should be a spec Panasonic provides since the stress would be put on the camera housing and m4/3 lens mount, no?
 
Mike@AF said:
I think it would still be good to know the max weight of a lens/adapter combo before it would be necessary to use a support. This should be a spec Panasonic provides since the stress would be put on the camera housing and m4/3 lens mount, no?
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It also has to do to where the weight is, if it is close or further from the camera body, the further out the weight the more leverage will occur stressing the lens mount more. A short heavy lens may cause less stress that a lighter long lens.
 
Barry_Green said:
The recommended max weight of an unsupported lens is 1kg.
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So that's about 2.2 lbs - and if you're doing the opposite, i.e. using a heavy lens with a tripod collar, then hanging the AF100 off the lens would probably not be recommended either since that weighs 2.64 lbs. Right? I ask because it seems to me that the stress factors may be a little different with that scenario - or not. That's weight wise - I'm also wondering about general stability considerations with it rigged like that since I've never had anything heavier than a GH1 hanging off a tripod supported lens.

I suppose you could remove the top handle and the side grip and that might help with the weight.
 
I think a supported lens means it is attached to rods and a camera baseplate which is mounted on the tripod. That kind of support prevents stress on the camera's lens mount. Tripod collars were designed for still camera use where the weight of the camera is less than the weight of the lens. Ideally the collar should be positioned so that the overall weight is evenly balanced on the tripod head.
 
tflak said:
So that's about 2.2 lbs - and if you're doing the opposite, i.e. using a heavy lens with a tripod collar, then hanging the AF100 off the lens would probably not be recommended either since that weighs 2.64 lbs. Right?
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Uh oh, that sounds right, and I don't like it. It means that even a small-ish lens like the Canon 70-200 2.8 L IS is well over the limit, and would require support :Drogar-Shock(DBG):
 
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