[snostorm]

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Hi All,

Only today, I mentioned that I'd ordered a couple of tripod rings from China to try with the Pentax K2Q adapter, and as luck would have it, they both arrived in today's mail. Both were shipped on the same day ordered (12/12) and arrived in my Chicago suburb 12/18, so they came pretty fast, especially considering that this is only a week before Xmas.

Here are the listings for the two adapters:

The Plastic one -- $5.39 with Free Shipping
Tripod Ring Mount Collar for Canon EF 100mm F 2 8L Macro Is USM | eBay

The Metal one -- $22.95 with Free Shipping
iShoot Tripod Mount Ring Lens Collar Support for Canon EF 100 2 8 L Is USM Macro | eBay

The metal one is more nicely made, and includes felt tape inserts in the ring to prevent scratching. There are no such inserts in the plastic one, but that might actually be something of an advantage. . .

Both of them are a bit loose on the adapter when fitted so the aperture control ring is in front of the ring, so it still can be turned. Despite the descriptions that indicate that the plastic one has a 0.5mm larger inside diameter, it's actually a touch tighter, and can be more easily user modified to fit securely. Neither is rattle around loose, they're both just loose enough that the adapter can slip out, one a little more easily than the other.

The metal one has considerably better build quality besides the materials used. The catch uses a captive spring loaded pin that catches into a D shaped depression in the other side, then when tightened extends down a slight ramped surface to tighten the ring further. The Plastic one just has a captured screw that tightens the ring as it's screwed in further.

There are a few options to make these work. I've used the "electricians tape" method, which only took me a couple of minutes each, only needs a scissors, and costs next to nothing. I use 3M brand electricians tape because it's the best I've found -- thin and stretchy so it' easy to apply to non flat surfaces, stays very pliable over time, and uses adhesive that seems to be pretty water resistant, so it stays where it's supposed to under adverse conditions.

The Plastic one was easy -- only two pieces of tape, one on the inside of each of the ring halves. The only reason it took more than a minute was that the tape was a tiny bit wider than the ring, and I didn't want any of it sticking out. ..
Another, more permanent fix would be to take some of the material off of the face of the surface where the threaded hole is -- This would allow the ring to be tightened down smaller. I'd take it off of the surface with the hole as opposed to the surface where the screw sticks out because the latter would become too thin. A disk or belt sander would be best for this, but a sanding block would also work -- I'll probably do this some time in the future.

The Metal one was also easy, but took a couple of minutes more. I used three pieces of tape, 3 turns each on the "top" half and 4 turns on th bottom. I think with this design, spacing is the only way to do it effectively. Maybe one or two thicknesses of friction tape on the inside surfaces of the ring might be a better solution.

These are pretty much the minimum amount to secure the adapter. You may feel that you need to take up more thickness to make them tighter. I think that these will suffice for my use as there are only a few lenses that I'll use these with -- the heaviest are the Tamron SP 180 f2.5 and A* 200 f2.8, neither of which has any area that's wide enough to place a tripod ring on the lens. The heavier lenses that I'd use have their own tripod rings/collars, or I've found or adapted one. With either of these modded like this, I can slip the adapter into the loosened, but started ring, then just tighten it down. It's easier with a lens attached -- there's more to hang on to. . .

I used orange tape to make what I did more visible -- I'll replace these with black tape before I start using them outside -- or maybe not -- I have a habit of putting things down and then losing them. . . the orange will make them a lot more visible in the field when I put them down on the ground.

Here are some pics after the mods -- the iShoot is the metal one with the longer foot and the three pieces of tape. Please excuse the photography -- just snaps with the Q and popup -- I also used my not very photogenic A 50 f2.8 Macro -- not a looker, just a shooter. . .

Bottom line, I'd trust my lenses in either one of these, but if I were using heavier lenses, then I'd go with the metal one as I'd have more faith in the tripod socket screw in the metal foot over the plastic one -- with the ring located so far back, there's going to be more torque on the foot using longer, more front-heavy lenses. Using very heavy lenses, I'd always use a tripod ring on the lens rather than one mounted on the adapter.

Scott

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[LaurenOE]

Hmm.. interesting.

[snostorm]

I just rethought the fix for the metal ring, and with 8 thicknesses of tape at the bottom position only, it holds well. I'm also thinking of using self-stick Velcro (the loop side) to replace one or both sides of the felt tape on the inside of the ring. I know I have some around here. . . but exactly where it is. . . confused:

Scott:

[barondla]

Great info. Thanks for doing the research. Lot to consider here.
thanks
barondla

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Last edited by barondla; 12-20-2012 at 07:16 AM.

[crewl1]

Thanks for the info and pics Scott.

[Docrwm]

Outstanding post. Thank you very much.

[hnikesch]

Thanks for all the info Scott

Hans

[snostorm]

Hi All,

One more update --

The previous posts were done before I used the tripod ring on the adapter with a lens -- there is a downside --

For me, it's not a deal breaker, but the thickness and location of either tripod ring makes holding the camera in your right hand for handheld shooting awkward because the tripod ring on the adapter is pretty close to the camera body, and the thickness of the ring only leaves about 3/4" of the grip area to try to hold -- so I probably won't use these tripod rings as a palm rest for handheld shooting. Also, for some with very thick fingers, it might be challenging get to the lens lock button with the tripod ring in certain positions. This is not a deal breaker because you can dismount the ring with the adapter on the camera or rotate it around to a thinner point on the ring. This actually could be a bit of a problem for some people with just the Pentax adapter since it's wider closer to the body than the 3rd party adapters which taper much more. My not-too-thick fingers can get to the button reasonably, but I have a friend who has a problem getting his finger in far enough to press the button with his index or middle fingers.

Also, on the good news side, the Velcro self stick loop side (I finally found it) works perfectly to take up the space on either tripod ring. One long piece on the plastic ring, and two shorter ones on the metal ring seem to work fine -- better than the tape I was using -- loosen either ring and the Velcro rug allows the adapter to rotate pretty smoothly within the ring.

It's late, and I'll post some pics of all of this tomorrow. . .

Scott

[i_trax]

thank you Scott,

very informative, I have a metal one on order now.

kind regards
jack

[volosong]

Good research and nicely written. Thank you for your time and effort.

- - - - -

hk-ishoot should give you a commission. This morning, while getting ready for work, I checked the ebay listing and noticed that they had sold 6 of them with "More than 10 available". Now, about two hours later, they have sold 17.

[snostorm]

Hi All,

Okay -- one more downside -- With the tripod ring so close to the body, and since they're relatively thick, I can't mount my old style Extend a Sight and Red Dot Sight with either of these tripod rings mounted. This is not a deal breaker though since there are a number of ways to raise the shoe.

My first thought is to just get the Pentax Hot Shoe Adapter F that I've been meaning to get for my P TTL cord set (I only have the on-camera adapter that doesn't have the second hotshoe on the top).

Pentax Hot Shoe Adapter F 31022 B&H Photo Video

There are also some pieces that can be put together to raise the shoe since for use with the RDS, it doesn't have to function as a flash shoe

Pearstone Accessory Shoe Adapter with 1/4"-20 Stud 9041690

Dot Line Flash Shoe Mount Adapter DL-0694 B&H Photo Video

These would add up to about the same price, and the Pentax Adapter F would add some versatility to my remote cord setup. . .

Too dark and cold to get the shots I promised in the previous post -- I'll get some done with flash a bit later.

Scott

[snostorm]

hk-ishoot should give you a commission. This morning, while getting ready for work, I checked the ebay listing and noticed that they had sold 6 of them with "More than 10 available". Now, about two hours later, they have sold 17.

That's funny -- I can't imagine what they might be thinking caused this surge of popularity for this tripod ring. . .

Scott

[stormtech]

Thanks for posting your results Scott. While I don't have the Pentax adapter (yet) I am interested in these tripod rings for another selfish reason.

I'm trying to find the best tripod ring for my FA* 300 4.5 lens.

The links you provided show the actual inside dimension of the rings which is a good start for me. I'm going to have to do some serious measuring tomorrow to determine the exact outside dimension of my lens. I have an Opteka brand collar which is an all metal build, but is just a bit too tight though I can make it work which is listed as 67mm. Those you listed show as 68.5mm and 68mm respectively.

Anyone who has been trying these different rings and wants to sell the ones you don't want, let me know via PM.

You know, it really is a shame that Pentax can't provide the proper foot that the adapter was designed for. Even if it was quite expensive, I'm sure that some of us would pony up the money to have the one it was designed for.

Nice job with the comparisons - you sure are helping us all out by sharing your findings.

[volosong]

Just one more sold since this morning. Seems that we are opting for the metal ring. Don't think none of us who were prompted by your post went for the plastic one.

Thanks again. I'm looking forward to trying out my K300 and M200 with the ring. (My Sigma 70-200/2.8 and 100-300/4 have their own rings.)

[Docrwm]

Thanks for posting your results Scott. While I don't have the Pentax adapter (yet) I am interested in these tripod rings for another selfish reason.

I'm trying to find the best tripod ring for my FA* 300 4.5 lens.

The links you provided show the actual inside dimension of the rings which is a good start for me. I'm going to have to do some serious measuring tomorrow to determine the exact outside dimension of my lens. I have an Opteka brand collar which is an all metal build, but is just a bit too tight though I can make it work which is listed as 67mm. Those you listed show as 68.5mm and 68mm respectively.

Anyone who has been trying these different rings and wants to sell the ones you don't want, let me know via PM.

You know, it really is a shame that Pentax can't provide the proper foot that the adapter was designed for. Even if it was quite expensive, I'm sure that some of us would pony up the money to have the one it was designed for.

Nice job with the comparisons - you sure are helping us all out by sharing your findings.

Stan,
Didn't you see the post about Penax parts actually answering their phone and saying the foot will arrive after the New Year and will run $45-50?