Rollei 6000 Series Quick Tripod Coupling

[richard_gostt]

I have recently bought a Rollei 6008i and are considering purchasing

the Rollei 6000 Series Quick Tripod Coupling in the process of

upgrading my tripod / head. I will only be using the Rollei on my

tripod so that fact the quick release is camera specific isn't a

problem for me. Does anyone have experience with the Quick Tripod

Coupling? Does it provide a stable connection to the tripod head?

Is it more or less stable than an Arca Swiss style quick release? Up

to what lens size could I use without vibration becoming a problem?.

Thanks for your help!

[martin_reekie]

Richard,

 

The Rollei Quick Release Adapter covers the SL66, SLX as well as the 6000 Series Cameras. I have one for my SL66's as you need it to use the camera's drop front. It provides a rock solid connection to the tripod - I use mine on a Benbo. I use it with anything up to a 250mm lens, most of my work is landscape with exposures of more than 1/4 sec, it is a very stable platform.

 

Down side is it can be a little tight to get off. Other downside is with time (I've used mine for over 20 years) they can fail, once you know how they are put together it is very easy to repair as long as you have the tools (small Allen key and watch makers screw driver).

 

As the 6000 series don't need the drop front I'm not sure of any great advantage over any other form of quick release. 6000 users may prove me wrong.

 

Regards,

Martin

[erik scanhancer]

I mostly use the Rollei coupling when travelling light. The

greatest advantages are found in the fact that it is extremely

compact and that it leaves your 6008i's good handholding

properties intact. No obtrusive plate that always sits where your

left hand wants to be. (I do not use it in the studio. There I prefer

a modified Manfrotto quick release plate, that leaves room for

exchanging the battery without removing it from the body (just like

the Rollei coupling, btw).)

 

I bought mine for the very modest price of 1 Dutch guilder (half a

dollar) from a broken parts box in a camera shop. It was very

easy to open up the thing and repair it. I used a good nutfixer, so

since then it has always worked flawlessly. It always travels with

me on mountain hikes.

 

Have a look at second hand camera markets. You often see

them there (in Europe at least).

[richard_gostt]

Thanks Martin and Eric for your replies. The main reason why I want to use the quick tripod coupling is for the reason Eric states - it leaves the good hand-holding characteristics of the 6008i intact - no mounting plate to get in the way of my left hand when hand holding the camera.

 

Has anyone used a larger lens than the Zeiss 250mm Martin has used? For example, the Schneider 180/f2.8, Schneider 300/f4 or Zeiss 500mm/f8. Is the quick coupling still stable with lenses of this size? Also, my Rollei brochure doesn't state the size of the mounting bolt hole on the underside of the quick tripod coupling. Is it a 1/4" or 3/8" hole? Thanks!

[erik scanhancer]

Richard,

 

No problem using the Schneider 180/f2.8. The Schneider 300/f4

even has its own built in coupling part for the Rollei coupling for

better balance! I have used both with good results. The Rollei

coupling has a 3/8" thread.

[jim_chow]

I used the coupling for about 1 yr for up to 180mm lenses. It worked well for those lenses. However, after I got the schneider 300/4 (built-in coupler adapter mount), I found the mount between the lens and Rollei coupler flexed way too much. I could stick my finger at the juncture w/ one hand supporting the camera body, then remove that hand and feel the flex in my finger. It was really a combination of the tripod head mounting (gitzo 1228 carbon) and the lens' coupling adapter. When the 300/4 is mounted, the mount isn't close to the center of mass of the lens/body unit, even more so when you have a 1.4x tc mounted. So when you frame your shot and lock the tripod head, then remove your hand that's supporting the bottom of the body, the framing changes a lot! I found that too annoying. So, first thing was to get a tripod w/ no center column...gitzo 410 w/ Linhof profil 3 head. Still, same problem. Next, I replaced the coupler w/ the RRS plates w/ 3/8" bolts. On the 300/4, I use a RRS (I think B74n or something like that). So when I have the body w/ 300/4 only, I directly couple the lens to the RRS adapter on the ballhead. When I have the 1.4x w/ 300/4, I use the RRS macro slider, then mount the 300/4 to that. What this does it get the center of mass of the body/lens/tc unit above the ballhead. The connection point is not at this ideal point, but since the mass is above the head (you can adjust the slider to make it so), the hand that supports the body when framing the shot and adjusting the ballhead really doesn't have to support much weight. So when you've got the shot framed and ballhead locked and release the hand that supports the body, the framing really doesn't change.

 

There are a couple of more elegant solutions to this problem. One, get a custom, CNC-machined aluminum collar made for the teleconverter. This will put the center of mass pretty darn close to the top of the head, but doesn't support the 300/4. Two, have a custom mount made that's kind of like a Arca Swiss monorail rail, but with a RRS clamp on both ends. Then you use something like the macro slider between the lens and one end of the rail, and have a collar on the teleconverter connect to the other RRS clamp (need some shims to get the heights correct). It needs to slide up front since the 300/4 doesn't focus internally like a Nikon 200mm tele lens; instead the entire lens move on the helicoil. Since both of these are kind of complicated, I just live with my macro slider solution...so far, it's worked for 5 yrs.

[serge_korolev]

I've been wondering if somebody could advise me a reliable online shop in Europe that stocks Rollei Quick Tripod Coupling. <br>

Google search provides me with a lot of links to american stores only and Germany is so close to me that I am confused by the idea by ordering a product manufactured there from overseas.<br><br>

Serge<br>

Brescia, Italy