Puzzling heavy lens question...

In the next couple of weeks I will be ordering a 70-200/2.8L IS lens.

From what I gather it's fairly hefty (3.2# w/o collar, 3.5# with)

compared to the lenses I've been using to date. I will be using it on

my Elan IIe and Digital Rebel bodies.

 

It seems kinds of like a dumb one, but here is my question: How

exactly do you hoof this thing around when it's on the camera? With

my current lenses it's easy enough with the neck strap, my heaviest

lens isn't all that bad. But I am a little concerned about the 3.5

pound monster on the plastic mount on the 300D. I know to support the

lens while shooting so as not to torque the lens mount, but what about

when moving around or using your hands for something else? Will

having the lens hanging off the body which is hanging off my neck do

bad things to my equipment like I think it will?

 

I'm thinking if you are shooting somewhere where you move about a bit;

outdoors or at the zoo for example. Moving a couple of hundred yards

from the zebras to the cheetahs, do people take the lens off? Or find

some way to have a strap attached to the lens so it's weight is on

your neck instead of hanging off the body? Or just carry the lens

around like a football under your arm when you're not shooting?

 

This is just a logistical issue which has been puzzling me; I'd rather

NOT learn the answer the hard way...

I have EOS 3, and whenever this lens is on my camera, I have got one hand constantly supporting the lens reguardless of what I am doing. But what I like to do, when I am not shooting, and just standing around. Is take the camera strap from around my neck, and hang the camera/lens combo from my belt by it's(the lens') tripod mount. From the way the tripod mount is shaped on the lens, it can hang from a strap. It works well, it can support a EOS3 w/ PB-E2 and 550ex flash. I kind of like carrying this lens around though, it builds your arm strength, after a while it feels light as a feather.

I faced the same situation and I made the choice to go with the 70-200 f4L instead, the extra stop of light was not worth the extra weight for me. The 70-200 f4L is probably as sharp as it's bigger brother so you lose nothing in the image quality department, decide on whether you need a f2.8 lens and go from there. All that being said, I would love to have a 70-200 F2.8 but not as my only lens in that focal length. Also I do not know how much DOF difference you will see, but DOF is as much a result of lens distance to subject/subject distance to background as it is just the f stop.

If you're getting the tripod collar, perhaps a monopod would be a useful support device? It might not be ideal in all cases, but I would think it could cover many of them.

About half the time I haul mine around on a monopod slung over my shoulder.

 

The other half I just let it hang from the lens mount on my DRebel. In 6 months I've spent probably 30 hours walking with the lens hanging from the mount and have had no issues. When doing this I also use a quick release chest strap to prevent the lens from swinging about while walking.

 

Regards,

 

Paul

<P> <i> But I am a little concerned about the 3.5 pound monster on the plastic mount on the 300D</i> </P>

<P> Pardon my ignorance but I thought the lens mount of the 300D is made of metal, not plastic. Are you sure it's plastic? Anyway, when you are not shooting, this <a href="http://www.adorama.com/LPSCDJ.html?searchinfo=chest%20strap&item_no=1">Chest Strap</a> seems like a good idea. </P>

 

 

<P> Happy shooting , <br>

Yakim. </P>

The mounting ring appears to be metal, but it screws into the body, which is pretty much plastic. Weakest link and all that...if the ring doesn't bend but pulls out from the plastic it seems that the end result would still be unhappy.

 

Chest strap may be a workable alternative to take a little weight off the body.

Not a "real" PJ in the bunch!{G}<br> You guys bellyache about a little weight while I served more than 20 years hauling two "Pro" 6 pound+ rigs and a 40 pound camera bag from here to Katmandu.<p>I would use the widest camera strap you can find that is comfortable <i> to you</i>.<br> Also, the over the shoulder carry with (collapsed) Monopod attached balances well, especially since you can hold on to the monopod for aditional stability.<br>Hitching it onto your belt as suggested works too.<br>Tamrac makes a belt-hip holster/backpack kind of setup that would carry that rig too.

BJ,

 

Caution is a good idea with this lens and body combinations for exactly the reasons you are concerned. The lens mounts on your cameras are sturdy for the normal kind of use with the lighter lenses normally used on these bodies. The EF 70-200 2.8L IS lens is not usually seen on these bodies and the body and mount structure is likely to be marginal in this application.

 

You may want to try one of my old tricks and mount a strap to the tripod mount of your new EF 70-200 2.8L IS. I've had to do this once due to a broken lens strap mount on an EF 300 2.8L when I could not be sure of getting the lens back from Canon in time for the trip. I used an appropriately sized SS allen bolt with a stainless steel tab with two holes drilled in it that I found at a ship's chandlery and a regular wide camera strap that I looped through the hole of the steel tab. This gave me a shouldererable lens that did not stress the camera's lens or strap mounts and was very handy and secure.

 

I don't know what the big deal is with the weight of the EF 70-200 2.8L IS except that for most buyers whinning about weight this lens it's their first fast zoom tele or they have never extensively used fast long lenses before. The EF 70-200 2.8L IS not very heavy and compared with what you can get out of it with MODE 2 IS vs. the EF 70-200 4L on film or digital it's well worth the trade off if this is your only good lens.

 

When I used to shoot CART or NHRA races, events that required walking many miles (loaded up for bear), over the course of 3 maybe 4 days I routinely carried a standard set of equipment and mine is not all that heavy compared to guys shooting with an EF 400 2.8L or EF 600 4L tele. I usually carried a couple of EOS 1n bodies w/boosters with an EF 70-200 2.8L and EF 300 2.8L/EF 1.4x lenses mounted (I carried my EF 300 2.8 on my trusty old Manfroto HD 3216 'pod), on them along with a J2 Domke (medium sized to me but large to many people), bag loaded with lots of stuff including: 540EZ flash (sometimes with Quantum Turbo Battery), EF 2X, EF 50 1.4USM (shade), EF 85 1.8USM (shade), EF 28-70 2.8L (shade), EF 17-35 2.8L (shade), EF 15 2.8, Minolta IVF meter, 2-3 spare E1-NiCad packs for the boosters, more than a brick of mixed tranny films and all the usual stuff spare AA's, lens cleaning stuff, gaffer's tape, notepad, sharpies, spare towel, sunscreen etc.

 

HTH

I'm pretty sure the 300D has a metal lens mount connected to a metal frame.

 

I thought it was only the skin of the 300D that was plastic.

First thing I did when I received the lens was to remove the tripod collar, because I use the lens handheld 99% of the time, thanks to IS.

 

I carry the lens on my 10D with the standard Canon camera strap around my neck, but with the lens sideways on my arm, somehow like you carry a baby. This doesn't put any strain on the lens mount, and is easy on the neck.

 

Pierre

I've used a LowePro SF #3 lens case on my belt to accept a similar sized lens letting the tripod collar hang and the body stick out leaving the body strap over my shoulder for safety. Great when I'm juggling another body with a wider angle lens or hauling a tripod and long tele as well. Also makes for a great place to leave the lens when switching lenses quickly, just cap it and zip the top around to the collar.

If you invest in "Arca Swiss" (or RRS etc etc) style clamps and plates, Kirk sell a shoulder sling with a clamp, it was designed to carry the big telephoto lenses safely