Canon 200-400 & 70-200 Low Foot and Lens Plate Tips

Canon 200-400 & 70-200 Low Foot and Lens Plate Tips

On Friday past, Mark Williams wrote asking how the various lens plates mount on the Mongoose M3.6 that I use and depend on every day. I brought some gear out to the pool deck and created the five images here at ISO 1600. The explanations are below each image.

Mounting the Wimberley P-20 Plate on an Intermediate Telephoto Lens

The image above shows how I mount the Wimberley P-20 Plate onto the tripod collar of the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom lens when I will be using either the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) or the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter). Note that I have mounted the P-20 plate backwards with the anti-rotation flange butted up against the front of the lens foot. If I am using the lens alone for scenics I need to reverse the plate else it is not possible to mount the camera on the lens.

Why mount the plate backwards? With the plate mounted backwards as seen above the lens will balance just fine with either teleconverter in place.

Important note: I have run across many folks either in the field or on IPTs who have their P-20 plates mounted improperly as they do not realize that the anti-rotation flange needs to be butted up against either the front of the back of the lens foot before tightening the single mounting screw.

Learn about all of the Wimberley Arca-Swiss Style Lens Plates that we carry here.

Mounting the 70-200 II onto the Mongoose M3.6

To mount the 70-200 II onto the Mongoose M3.6 follow these steps:

1-tighten the vertical panning knob (or use the locking feature)
2-raise the lever to loosen the jaws of the clamp
3-while holding the lens in your right hand slide the lens plate into the jaws of the clamp
4-pull the lever down with your left hand to lock the plate safely in place
5-check the front to back balance and adjust the position of the plate in the clamp as needed; while supporting the lens in your right hand raise the lever with your left hand to loosen the clamp, move the lens plate fore or aft as needed, and re-lock the clamp. I do that dozens of times each day. Working on any tripod head without having your lens balanced fore and aft leads to problems with image sharpness.

Note: some folks like to work the clamp lever by having it point towards the front of the lens rather than towards the back of the lens as above. I do it both ways for no reason at all.

Important note: we should have three Mongoose M3.6 heads in stock by Tuesday or Wednesday; as we are only getting a limited number it would be best to place your order with Jim on Monday as we will not be getting any more until at least the end of the month due to a manufacturing backlog.

The Forth Generation Design CRX-5 Low Foot on the new Canon 200-400mm

Above you see the Forth Generation Design CRX-5 Low Foot mounted in the farthest back position. This position makes it easy to balance the lens when working on a tripod and i best for hand holding.

The CRX-5 Low Foot can be mounted in one of the five positions to optimize performance with the following new Canon super-telephoto lenses:

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Super-telephoto lens.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Super-telephoto lens.

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Super-telephoto lens

The CRX 3.5 is best for the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Super-telephoto lens

Learn about all of the 4th Generation Design plates and low feet that we carry here.

Mounting the new Canon 200-400 onto the Mongoose M3.6

To mount the new Canon 200-400 onto the Mongoose M3.6 simply follow the directions above for mounting the 70-200 II onto the Mongoose M3.6.

This image gives a tighter, slightly better view of the clamp. Out-of-focus in the lower right corner you can see the lever for the internal 1.4X TC in the in place position.

Questions?

If you have any questions on plates or tripod heads please send them to me via e-mail.

Photographic Society of Chattanooga Seminar

Scroll down here for details on the Saturday seminar that Denise Ippolito and yours truly are doing in Chattanooga on October 12, 2013 and the follow-up Old Car City In-the-Field Workshop. Blog folks who sign up for both are invited to join us at a secret Urbex location in Atlanta on Friday morning October 11. Feel free to e-mail me for details after you are registered for both.

From Greg Clarkson via e-mail

Thanks so much for the awesome and inspiring weekend seminar that you and Denise put on in Brandon! It was greatly appreciated. Greg

Snow Goose composite, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. Click on the image for a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 26-DEC 2, 2013. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/25. Limit: 12.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches and the Thanksgiving Buffet at the Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque. I hope that you can join me for what will be an unparalleled learning experience.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance is due 4 months before the date of the IPT and is also non-refundable. If the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Images copyright 2012: Denise Ippoltio & Arthur Morris. Card design by Denise Ippolito. Click on the image to enjoy a spectacular larger version.

Holland 2014 7 1/2-Day/8-Night: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART/Tulips & A Touch of Holland IPT. April 17-April 24, 2014 :$4995 Limit: 12 photographers/Openings 9

This trip needs 8 registrants to run so please do not purchase your plane tickets until you hear from us; right now we need 5 more folks.

Join Denise Ippolito, Flower Queen and the author of “Bloomin’ Ideas,” BPN Photo Gear Moderator, former Nikon shooter, and technical expert Peter Kes, and Arthur Morris, Canon Explorer of Light and one of the planet’s premier photographic educators for a great trip to Holland in mid-April 2014. Day 1 of the IPT will be April 17, 2014. We will have a short afternoon get-together and then our first photographic session at the justly-famed Keukenhof. Peter who is originally from Holland, will be our local guide/interpreter/driver. Most days we will return to the hotel for lunch, image sharing and a break. On Day 8, April 24, we will enjoy both morning and afternoon photography sessions.

The primary subjects will be tulips and orchids at Keukenhof and the spectacularly amazing tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil bulb fields around Lisse. In addition we will spend one full day in Amsterdam. There will be optional visits the Van Gogh Museum in the morning and the Anne Frank House in the afternoon; there will be plenty of time for street photography as well. And some great food. On another day we will have a wonderful early dinner at Kinderdijk and then head out with our gear to photograph the windmills and possibly some birds for those who bring their longs lenses. We will spend an afternoon in the lovely Dutch town of Edam where we will do some street photography and enjoy a superb dinner. All lodging, ground transportation, entry fees, and meals (from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 8) are included.

For those who will be bringing a big lens we will likely have an optional bird photography afternoon or two or possibly three. The big attraction should be gorgeous Purple Herons in flight at a breeding marsh. We would be photographing them from the roadside. And we might be able to find a few Great-crested Grebes at a location near Keukenhof.

Click here for complete details and some previously unpublished images. And/or click here and see item one for lots more tulip photos and complete trip details.

Images courtesy of and copyright 2012: Bill Mueller. Card design by Denise Ippolito.

Old Car City Creative Photography In-the-Field HDR Workshop: Sunday, October 13, 2013/ 9am till 1pm.

White, Georgia: $250 plus a $15 entrance fee donation (cash only on the day of the event) that will go to charity. Limit: 16 photographers.

On October 13, 2013, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART and Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure will be conducting an In-the-Field HDR Workshop at Old Car City in White, Georgia. Old Car City is about an hour north of Atlanta, GA and an hour south of Chattanooga, TN where they will, as noted above, be doing a full day seminar for the Photographic Society of Chattanooga on Saturday, October 12th. Click here for complete details.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

If you are considering an item for purchase or comparison shopping be sure to place an item in your cart to see the too-low-to show the actual price. In many cases the prices are so low that B&H is forbidden from publicizing them!

If you are considering an item for purchase or comparison shopping be sure to place an item in your cart to see the too-low-to show the actual price. In many cases the prices are so low that B&H is forbidden from publicizing them!

Support the Blog

Amazon

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by typing in the little white box below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gitzo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.