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Hello, I have a Canon EOS 30 and a Velbon CX 540 can anyone tell me how tight i should tighten the tripod bracket onto the camera please? It keeps coming loose but i dont want to damage my camera by tightening it too tight. The lens on it is an Canon
28mm-200mm (to give you an idea of the whole weight).
David.
Dave
I have an EOS 300 and the same tripod. using a Sigma 70-300DL (or my Bronica ETRS) I generally do it up finger tight and then just nip it up (a fraction of a turn) with a ten pence piece. No more than that should be necessary. It should be tight enough that you can't undo it with your fingers but can with the 10p
The thread on both the mount and the camera are metal so overtightening should be difficult.
Can you describe how tight you are doing it at the moment?
Collin
Hi Colin,
I've just tried tightening it up with a ten pence piece, I can see what you mean by a fraction more too, ill have a go with it like this.
Before my velbon tripod i had a miranda titan and that was forever coming loose, but with the velbon bracket its a wider gripper area. Both the camera and tripod are new and i must being too careful in tightening the bracket. Thanks for your help, Dave.
I had a similar problem with my 50E and the standard head on my Benbo Trekker. I found that I had to fix the tripod in such a way that the camera would tighten itself as the camera tries to move. This means that I have to swivel the camera the "wrong" way when taking portrait orientation pictures but it works fine for me.
I swapped the standard head for a Uniloc quick release model and have this fixed to the camera all of the time.
Hi Guys
I had a similar problem that got worse when I acquired even more substantial equipment. My tripod then was also a Benbo Trekker. I also found it hard (having small hands) to support my heavy camera and lens while loosening the bent bolt. For safety, I've recently moved to a Gitzo Explorer tripod and the off-centre ball head. It is terrific and doesn't slip at all. Going for a quick release head means you can attach a plate firmly to the camera and leave it there 90% of the time.
The other head I have used very successfully is the Slik 800 ball head. It's very sturdy and doesn't allow the camera to slip.
On the EOS 30/50E, you could always fit the inexpensive battery pack and if you are unfortunate enough to strip the thread, a new battery pack is cheaper than a visit to the Canon Service Centre. That's what I did with my EOS 30. I haven't done that with my EOS 3 as the power booster for that is big, heavy and costs 200. The battery pack on the 30 also gives you a nice vertical shutter button for taking portrait shots. It also helps the balance of the camera.
I hope this helps.
Jo
PS Happy New Year to you.
Jo, the battery pack for the EOS 3 makes all the difference in handling, but whilst it has all the controls in the vertical (not just shutter release) it isn't as comfortable in my hand as the EOS 30 grip.
Also, did you not find that leaving the QR plate on the camera meant that the vertical grip was too uncomfortable? As a result, I remove the plate from the camera if I'm not going to be using the tripod.
DP
Hi DP
The main reason I decided not to buy the PB-E2 (after careful consideration) was that it adds about 500g to the weight of the camera, and I don't want any more weight. My 100-400 is 1.5kg, the EOS 3 is just under 800g, and I'm rather petite. I don't need 7fps, so it was hard to justify the additional cost for something that might well have made things too heavy to handle comfortably.
I haven't found a QR plate too much of an issue, but there again, my small hands might suffer less than larger ones. I agree that the grip on the EOS 30 really makes the camera nicer to hold.
If weight hadn't been an issue the PB-E2 would probably have won the day. I do like the vertical shutter release, though with my New Year resolution being to use a tripod more than not, it's less of an issue.
Thanks for the useful feedback though - hearing the experiences of other photographers is always useful.
Jo
Hello,
I have difficulty holding my camera EOS 30E and before that my EOS 500 as im disabled (difficulties with my right hand) and im a left hander. But since ive put my camera on my Velbon CX 540 its as solid as a rock! I put the camera lens parallel with the handle of the tripod (so i dont have the tripod handle going into my neck!) and i grip tripod just under the QR fastening plate. The camera and tripod are light enough to hold steady off the ground while i snap away,
Dave
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