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08-09-2021, 08:03 AM   #1
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Why the heck Ricoh didn't include a tripod collar with the D-FA 70-210?

I had a quick look again at the D-FA 70-210, which would be a light weight option for travel. It looks like it's a good lens, with decent optics and quick focusing . But why Ricoh didn't include a tripod collar is beyond me , the collar would have made the Pentax an improved offer compared to the Tamron version.

08-09-2021, 08:38 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
I had a quick look again at the D-FA 70-210, which would be a light weight option for travel. It looks like it's a good lens, with decent optics and quick focusing . But why Ricoh didn't include a tripod collar is beyond me , the collar would have made the Pentax an improved offer compared to the Tamron version.
The DA*200 also doesn't have a lens collar. My DA*60-250 has a place to attach a tripod mount.

DA* 60-250 1040 grams. Has a tripod mount
DA* 200 ----825 grams. Doesn't have tripod mount.
D-FA 70-210 819 grams.

My suspicion is the weight of the D-FA doesn't exceed the technical spec. that represents the weight that can be safely supported by the camera mount. But apparently the one from the Tamron version of the lens fits it if you need it for balance.

It's just so hard to line up your subject with a travel tripod, with a lens with no collar for balance.

Last edited by normhead; 08-09-2021 at 08:57 AM.
08-09-2021, 09:28 AM - 1 Like   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
the collar would have made the Pentax an improved offer compared to the Tamron version.
+1
I think for most uses of this lens it is not needed but it would have made the additional cost of the Pentax branded one a little more acceptable. For me I would likely have used the tripod mount only rarely but I would have used it in some cases. But not enough to buy the Tamron one at the price they are asking. The 70-210 is a lot lighter than the 60-250 but is just as long so the tripod collar would make balancing it a little easier when used on a tripod. But to be honest I've had it for 6 months now and never used it with a tripod............
08-09-2021, 09:29 AM - 1 Like   #4
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It's not hard to find an inexpensive slide rail that makes it easy to mount and adjust any lens-camera combination so that the center of gravity is right on top of the tripod's center. As a bonus, it can also be used for nodal-point tiling for panoramic and Brenizer photography that avoids tiling artifacts in foreground subjects.

Whereas a collar only provides good balance with cameras of a specific weight, a slide can work with lighter or heavier camera bodies as well as any added teleconvertors, extension tubes, or adapters.

08-09-2021, 09:41 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by photoptimist Quote
It's not hard to find an inexpensive slide rail
For example?
08-09-2021, 10:23 AM - 3 Likes   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by jumbleview Quote
For example?
An example (that I've never tried so can't vouch for) is:
amazon.com : Neewer 200mm Professional Rail Nodal Slide Metal Quick Release Clamp for Camera : Camera & Photo?tag=pentaxforums-20&

See also Amazon's "similar items" and "Customers who viewed this item also viewed" offerings for other options.

What I use is even more basic: a 30-year-old cold-shoe flash bar that has a 1/4-20 screw hole on one end (that the tripod quick-release plate attaches to) and a long rubber-coated metal bar with long slot and a knurled tripod screw (that provides an adjustable slide position for the camera body).
08-09-2021, 10:31 AM   #7
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I have the attachment for the DA*60-250, I almost never use it. IBIS makes it unnecessary.

08-09-2021, 10:49 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by photoptimist Quote
It's not hard to find an inexpensive slide rail
I already have one (180mm) rail that grips onto the L bracket on my K1. I use the rail mounted on a gimbal head for making image mosaics (vertical + horizontal stitching) with the DFA28-105, the camera L bracket point isn't far from the lens, so it's quite a steady setup. I'm not sure how stable the camera+lens would be with the rail attached to the L plate and the DFA 70-210 hanging on the camera mount without direct support on the lens.
08-09-2021, 11:22 AM - 2 Likes   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
I had a quick look again at the D-FA 70-210, which would be a light weight option for travel. It looks like it's a good lens, with decent optics and quick focusing . But why Ricoh didn't include a tripod collar is beyond me , the collar would have made the Pentax an improved offer compared to the Tamron version.
Given the Tamron version is not available in K-mount, I fail to see the basis for comparison. That said, I think it is shame that the tripod collar was not included or even offered as a accessory. Thankfully, Tamron is not picky who they sell collars to.*

FWIW, while the D-FA 70-210/4 is lighter than the D-FA 70-200/2.8, it is solidly within the weight range where I, personally, appreciate a tripod collar option.


Steve

(...not in the market...already own too many (3) 70-210 zooms...)

* $129 USD at B&H.
08-09-2021, 12:21 PM - 3 Likes   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Given the Tamron version is not available in K-mount, I fail to see the basis for comparison. That said, I think it is shame that the tripod collar was not included or even offered as a accessory. Thankfully, Tamron is not picky who they sell collars to.*

FWIW, while the D-FA 70-210/4 is lighter than the D-FA 70-200/2.8, it is solidly within the weight range where I, personally, appreciate a tripod collar option.


Steve

(...not in the market...already own too many (3) 70-210 zooms...)

* $129 USD at B&H.
A couple of 15 pound weights and some working out will fix that dealing with the weight thing.
08-09-2021, 02:43 PM - 4 Likes   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by biz-engineer Quote
But why Ricoh didn't include a tripod collar is beyond me
A similar case from my perspective is the marketing that went around the 'lens warmer' ring grove thing for the DA* 11-18mm, but was not followed up with a Pentax-branded warmer (?)
I would have bought one!
08-09-2021, 02:46 PM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
A couple of 15 pound weights and some working out will fix that dealing with the weight thing.
Kidding aside, I recall a thread on an old lens forum where a guy in Indonesia/Malaysia had some fantastic bird photos, despite handholding telephoto lenses in forest conditions. His secret: arms like a blacksmith.
08-09-2021, 03:01 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by normhead Quote
A couple of 15 pound weights and some working out will fix that dealing with the weight thing.
Plot twist: carrying the camera *is* the workout

I think what I'm more miffed by is the fact that the tripod foot is 130 bucks (and not even sold by Pentax) for a, frankly, quite pedestrian piece of metal. That said, on the K-1 my Sigma 400/5.6 is roughly the same size/weight, and using the tripod foot is objectively a bad idea on that combo... The K-1's too heavy.
08-09-2021, 03:20 PM - 1 Like   #14
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I bought the cheapest tripod collar I could find (about $50AUD, as I recall) shortly after acquiring the 70-210, thinking I might need one, but the need hasn’t yet arisen. You never know when, of course, and it’s no great trouble to keep it in the bag with the lens.

I think I may have used the tripod mount on my (heavier) FA*80-200 once.

Nevertheless, if I could find a (as it turned out, perfectly good quality) tripod collar that cheap, I’m sure Ricoh could have done better and included one, at very little reduction in profit.

The lack of a window in the lens hood is probably more significant.
08-09-2021, 03:22 PM - 3 Likes   #15
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There are plenty of Chinese knock-off versions on ebay for about £20, just search for the Tamron equivalent part A034. OK you don't get a magnesium alloy, just aviation aluminium whatever that is.
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