Things to get when you purchase a 600mm?

[TexasBadger]

I am thinking a Sherpa would be useful. ;D

 

[Canon1]

Go with the Gitzo and Wimberley, but make sure you also consider a RRS leveling base. This is the one accessory I could not live without. Getting your setup perfectly level is critical to smooth action with the gimball and it is really a PIA if you need to adjust the legs every time you move your tripod. With a RRS leveling base you will have your setup perfectly level in less then 10 seconds. (I went with RRS over Gitzo because I like how easy it is to loosen and tighten the knob with gloves on) Happy shooting.

 

[Morlin]

Hi Morlin,
Just wanted to chime in regarding buying RRS in Europe. I live in Denmark and have bought various stuff including the LCF-53 replacement foot for my Canon 200-400 which I am really satisfied with btw. I went with a German based dealer which has pretty much all the accessories you can think of getting for wildlife and nature photograhy. They are not cheap, but I recommend them highly for fast delivery and restocking of soldout items. Check them out for yourself: http://www.augenblicke-eingefangen.de/catalog/index.php

Big thank you for the link. I´ve been looking around on most of the biggest camera gear stores here in Sweden but at least on their websites they don´t have as much gear as this one. From this site I can buy all except the lens itself instead of looking all over Sweden stores to find them. Here I have leveling base, leg warmers and more stuff that I have been looking around a lot to find.

The tripods from RRS are very expensive and I guess I will go with a Gitzo anyway because there are limits on how much I want to spend. Most of all because I want more lenses and so on in the future as well and what I spare on a Gitzo instead of a RRS I can spend on other gear instead.

I´m getting more and more clear what to look after. A whole RRS setup might be the best but very expensive.

So with other words:

Gitzo Systematic series 3 the XLS because of the flexibility.
Wimberley gimbal head. Might go with the side mount (not the sidekick).
Leveling base. Might be the RRS leveling base.
RRS lens replacement foot.
Leg warmers
Lens coat
Quick release plate. Not sure which one to buy. Suggestions?
Teleconverter 1,4 mkiii
Drop in polarizing filter.


As mentioned earlier this is really new to me so I´m not to sure about all the stuff yet. One question.. The quick release clamps you can buy is that something that needs to be added or is the clamp on the gimbal head good enough?

Also been thinking a while of a better beamer but not sure yet. Not that much of a investment so I can look at that one later. It will also take a couple of month more for me to save some more money before I start pressing buy-buttons. The lens itself I think I actually will look for the best price in the local stores and go and get myself instead of order on the web. Like carrying your baby home for the first time. Haha.

Thank you all.

 

[East Wind Photography]

Honestly I use quick release for everything BUT my 600. I can't come to feel comfortable relying on it to keep that much weight attached. The wimberly accepts the rrs foot or other arca style plate and I don't find it too inconvenient to just release the plate and slide it out. I would work without it first to see if it's something you really need on the 600. It's a lot of money riding on a spring loaded catch.

Hi Morlin,
Just wanted to chime in regarding buying RRS in Europe. I live in Denmark and have bought various stuff including the LCF-53 replacement foot for my Canon 200-400 which I am really satisfied with btw. I went with a German based dealer which has pretty much all the accessories you can think of getting for wildlife and nature photograhy. They are not cheap, but I recommend them highly for fast delivery and restocking of soldout items. Check them out for yourself: http://www.augenblicke-eingefangen.de/catalog/index.php

Big thank you for the link. I´ve been looking around on most of the biggest camera gear stores here in Sweden but at least on their websites they don´t have as much gear as this one. From this site I can buy all except the lens itself instead of looking all over Sweden stores to find them. Here I have leveling base, leg warmers and more stuff that I have been looking around a lot to find.

The tripods from RRS are very expensive and I guess I will go with a Gitzo anyway because there are limits on how much I want to spend. Most of all because I want more lenses and so on in the future as well and what I spare on a Gitzo instead of a RRS I can spend on other gear instead.

I´m getting more and more clear what to look after. A whole RRS setup might be the best but very expensive.

So with other words:

Gitzo Systematic series 3 the XLS because of the flexibility.
Wimberley gimbal head. Might go with the side mount (not the sidekick).
Leveling base. Might be the RRS leveling base.
RRS lens replacement foot.
Leg warmers
Lens coat
Quick release plate. Not sure which one to buy. Suggestions?
Teleconverter 1,4 mkiii
Drop in polarizing filter.


As mentioned earlier this is really new to me so I´m not to sure about all the stuff yet. One question.. The quick release clamps you can buy is that something that needs to be added or is the clamp on the gimbal head good enough?

Also been thinking a while of a better beamer but not sure yet. Not that much of a investment so I can look at that one later. It will also take a couple of month more for me to save some more money before I start pressing buy-buttons. The lens itself I think I actually will look for the best price in the local stores and go and get myself instead of order on the web. Like carrying your baby home for the first time. Haha.

Thank you all.

 

[candc]

You mentioned the lens is more expensive in Sweden than in the u.s. camera Canada is selling it for $10,959 USD, that's 1300 less than here in the states.

http://www.cameracanada.com/eNet-cart/product.asp?pid=5125B002

 

[Morlin]

You mentioned the lens is more expensive in Sweden than in the u.s. camera Canada is selling it for $10,959 USD, that's 1300 less than here in the states.

http://www.cameracanada.com/eNet-cart/product.asp?pid=5125B002

WOW!! That is a good price. If that was the price in Sweden I could get one tomorrow. Here it costs 16,641USD. If it was not for VAT and so on I would go and order one directly! So sad!

 

[WPJ]

You mentioned the lens is more expensive in Sweden than in the u.s. camera Canada is selling it for $10,959 USD, that's 1300 less than here in the states.

http://www.cameracanada.com/eNet-cart/product.asp?pid=5125B002

WOW!! That is a good price. If that was the price in Sweden I could get one tomorrow. Here it costs 16,641USD. If it was not for VAT and so on I would go and order one directly! So sad!

but with bat its 13,152 or there about. That's 3489 USD difference, in my books that would be a ok done deal. That's what 20-25% savings?

 

[takesome1]

Honestly I use quick release for everything BUT my 600. I can't come to feel comfortable relying on it to keep that much weight attached. The wimberly accepts the rrs foot or other arca style plate and I don't find it too inconvenient to just release the plate and slide it out. I would work without it first to see if it's something you really need on the 600. It's a lot of money riding on a spring loaded catch.

Wimberly provides the release on the head. Nothing else would be needed.
As far as sliding it out, I use Wimberly's plates and they have two set screws, one on each end of the plate. You can slide the plate back and forth if the clamp is slightly loose. You can not remove it. I find it secure for making sure you do not push the plate completely out of the clamp when making adjustments.

There is no way I would use one of the lever type quick releases on this lens. For me it just doesn't feel as secure and there is to much invested, I do not mind the extra 2 or 3 seconds to tighten a knob.

 

[candc]

I looked up the Ontario sales tax and its 13%, you would have to pay that in person but you could call them and make some arrangements. Take a trip to a neighboring province have it shipped to you there, have a nice holiday, take some photos and bring it back with you. No shipping, no sales tax or duties?

Edit: you might have to pay the sales tax of the province you are staying in but British Columbia is only 5% vancouver and surrounding area has lots to offer and then there are the Canadian rockies close too?

 

[WPJ]

I looked up the Ontario sales tax and its 13%, you would have to pay that in person but you could call them and make some arrangements. Take a trip to a neighboring province have it shipped to you there, have a nice holiday, take some photos and bring it back with you. No shipping, no sales tax or duties?

Edit: you might have to pay the sales tax of the province you are staying in but British Columbia is only 5% vancouver and surrounding area has lots to offer and then there are the Canadian rockies close too?

you don't have to pay it for,out of country, unfortunately even leaving the province won't get me a 20-25% discount

 

[dolina]

In HK my dealer quoted me 90,000 HKD for a 600mm. I have a feeling given enough time you can find one going for 86,000 HKD somewhere.

Get a lenscoat. My preference is black as there is a rebellion problem in the Philippines. You dont want them to think you're military. No more need for a hoodie the Series II Super Teles has a great lens cap.

Get a replacement lens foot from shops like RRS, Kirk, 4th Gen Design, Naturescapes, etc

Get a proper tripod head and tripod legs like those from 4th Gen Design half gimbal, Whimberly full gimbal and Gitzo Series 4

 

[Loswr]

RRS lens replacement foot.

Quick release plate. Not sure which one to buy. Suggestions?

The replacement foot is the quick release plate - the dovetail is part of the foot. You'd only need a lens plate if you're using the Canon foot.

 

[Jan van Holten]

Everyone seems to use a Wimberley. I bought a Sachtler FSB 6 Fluide Head and never had any complain about it.
It even works in very low temperatures ( -25 Celsius ) and you can set the resistance for all directions.
Really great tool.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

Sorry out of the topic, but a few days ago the same topics are on the homepage CR. Is it just me, or is the site having problems? Always appear the following topics:

Things to get when you purchase a 600mm?
Canon 40mm f/2.8 Lens: Thoughts? Reviews? Is it worth getting?
Canon Suspends Downloading of New C300 Firmware
Comet ISON = ISOFF?
Any reason to choose a 7D over a 70D?
Deal: Everyone Needs a Pancake
Comparing 16-35 to Nikon 14-24 and Zeiss/Leica primes
Sony A7-A7R pre-ordered @ 200% bigger than expected
Handheld vs. tripod with the Great Whites
Lots of New Lenses Coming in 2014 [CR2]

 

[Methodical]

I can't tell you what to buy, but I will provide a list of my setup. I have a 500, but this setup works with anything from 300-800mm.

Tripod legs: RRS tripod because I've read too many issues about Gitzo being slow on repairs and issues with customer service.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=TVC-33&type=4&eq=&desc=TVC-33-Versa-Series-3-Tripod&key=it

Gimbal: Jobu Design Gimbal because it's a really nice piece and it includes the locking tilt arm, which is good when changing bodies, tcs etc. Plus, I tend to not do what the mass do.

http://www.jobu-design.com/Jobu-Pro2-Gimbal_p_8.html


Lens Foot: RRS replacement foot. I can go from shooting football to wildlife without having to remove a lens plate.

Hiking/carry bag: Kinesis Bag/Back pack for hiking with your gear and carrying it around (one for your lens though)

http://www.outdoorphotogear.com/store/kinesis-l511-compact-long-lens-case-500.html

Traveling Roller: Think Tank Airport International roller bag

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-international-v2-roller-camera-bag.aspx

Raincover: Think Tank Hydrophobia® 300-600 V2.0

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/hydrophobia-300-600-v2.aspx


Note: I tend to go against the grain, so my setup may not be as popular as most, but it's a strong and very sturdy set up.

 

[dppaskewitz]

Sorry out of the topic, but a few days ago the same topics are on the homepage CR. Is it just me, or is the site having problems? Always appear the following topics:

Things to get when you purchase a 600mm?
Canon 40mm f/2.8 Lens: Thoughts? Reviews? Is it worth getting?
Canon Suspends Downloading of New C300 Firmware
Comet ISON = ISOFF?
Any reason to choose a 7D over a 70D?
Deal: Everyone Needs a Pancake
Comparing 16-35 to Nikon 14-24 and Zeiss/Leica primes
Sony A7-A7R pre-ordered @ 200% bigger than expected
Handheld vs. tripod with the Great Whites
Lots of New Lenses Coming in 2014 [CR2]

I get the same thing and have been wondering about it. Anyone know?

 

[brad-man]

Sorry out of the topic, but a few days ago the same topics are on the homepage CR. Is it just me, or is the site having problems? Always appear the following topics:

Things to get when you purchase a 600mm?
Canon 40mm f/2.8 Lens: Thoughts? Reviews? Is it worth getting?
Canon Suspends Downloading of New C300 Firmware
Comet ISON = ISOFF?
Any reason to choose a 7D over a 70D?
Deal: Everyone Needs a Pancake
Comparing 16-35 to Nikon 14-24 and Zeiss/Leica primes
Sony A7-A7R pre-ordered @ 200% bigger than expected
Handheld vs. tripod with the Great Whites
Lots of New Lenses Coming in 2014 [CR2]

I get the same thing and have been wondering about it. Anyone know?

I get the same thing in Chrome. IE10 works normally.

 

[jasonsim]

I'm late to this thread and sure many have covered this well, but here is what I have for my 600mm II:

1. Lenscoat
2. RRS replacement foot
3. Don Zeck from cap
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/676288-REG/Don_Zeck_C10_C10_Lens_Cap_for.html
4. Thinktank Glass Limo - http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/glass-limo.aspx
5. Gitzo Series 4 GT4542LS beefy tripod and more stable than series 3. Get series 5, if weight is no concern to you.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/846215-REG/Gitzo_GT4542LS_GT4542LS_6x_4_SECTION_SYSTEMATIC.html
6. Aquatech leg wraps
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/676050-REG/Aqua_Tech_1741_Tripod_Leg_Wraps_Set.html
7. RRS universal leveling base with clamp
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=TA-U-LC&type=4&eq=&desc=TA-U-LC%3a-Universal-Leveling-Clamp&key=it
8. Wimberley Full Gimbal
http://www.tripodhead.com/products/wimberley-main.cfm
9. RRS cradle clamp for Wimberley head
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=PG-CC&type=0&eq=&desc=PG-CC%3a-Cradle-Clamp-for-Pano-Gimbal-Head&key=it

 

[Morlin]

Have read a lot of testresults and reviews of RRS tripods and must say the more I read about them the more I want one. I actually think I will go with the RRS TVC-34L Versa Series 3. I want a high tripod for the flexibility. And to buy a RRS tripod from US will not cost that much more than a Gitzo in Sweden. Ofcours the difference is pretty big if you compare the price tags directly but it´s a product you will use for so many hours and hopefully many years so with that in mind it can be worth it. What is one more month of saving money compared to years of use!? =)
Will the TVC-34L Versa be good tripod for the 600mm?

Have not find a video or instruction that clearly show how you remove the top plate though. On the Gitzo you don´t need any tools. That is appreciated.

 

[Loswr]

Will the TVC-34L Versa be good tripod for the 600mm?

Have not find a video or instruction that clearly show how you remove the top plate though. On the Gitzo you don´t need any tools. That is appreciated.

I'd say the TVC-34L would be excellent for the 600 II. The main reason I went the TVC-33 is that I'm ~18cm shorter than you, so the TVC-33 gives me the height that I need.

Removing the top plate of the RRS Series-3 tripods requires a hex key. There are three set screws that hold the plate (or whatever you replace it with, such as a leveling base) in place. I suspect that design decision was made in response to the notorious Gitzo top plate issue, where under a heavy load (like a supertele) carried at an angle the plate could come loose resulting in your gear falling to the ground. An add-on fix was developed by NSN for those tripods, and Gitzo fixed the issue with a redesign a few years ago.

While the new tool-free ratchet design of the Gitzo top plate fastener looks interesting, I should ask...how often do you plan on changing out the top plate? I swapped out the top plate for the clamping leveling base when I first got my TVC-33, and the original plate has sat in my closet ever since.