A reader sent me an email about this lens collar/tripod mount option for the Nikon NIKKOR Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens:
“Unfortunately, the current Nikon Z 105 does not have a tripod collar. However, it is indispensable for my photographic work. That’s why I thought about it and developed one with a technician. I wrote a few lines about this on my website and named a reference address for those who are interested.”
Google translation:
The lens series for the mirrorless Nikon Z system is continuously being completed. I am very pleased with the NIKKOR Z MC 105 mm 1:2.8 VR S. This means that a newly calculated macro lens is available for the Z system. After the lens arrived, I made two main observations:
After the first shot I found that the optical quality is outstanding. With a close-up limit of 0.29 m, an image scale of 1:1 can be achieved. A very fast and precise autofocus is a very helpful support. The lens is very light with only 630 g. I find the worm gear when focusing to be very pleasant, so that manual focus can also be done smoothly. However, there is also sufficient resistance that supports intuitive and precise work. What really fascinates me is the vibrant and interesting bokeh. So far I have taken macro and portrait shots with the lens and I was amazed by the exciting naturalness of the image results.
Mistakes of the past were repeated. Again, the lens has no tripod collar. It is beyond me how the designers of the lens could work past such an important element of a macro subject. In my opinion, every macro lens should always have a tripod mount with an Arca-Swiss compatible foot. How else are you supposed to switch from portrait to landscape format without destroying the entire image structure? Incidentally, all previous 200 macro lenses naturally had such a device. And CANON also offers such a clamp as an optional accessory for its current RF 2.8/100 Macro.
So it’s good that Rainer Burzynski ( http://rainer-burzynski.de) are. Rainer the “Swiss Army Knife” for all seemingly unsolvable tasks in nature photography. So I called Rainer and discussed with him how the wonderful new lens could be expanded with a practical tripod collar. After a detailed exchange of ideas and a few sketches, Rainer said: “First of all, I’ll build something like this”. A prototype arrived a few days later. It fulfills the desired purpose, but still bumped a little on the camera handle. After another “update” the construction was perfect. The camera can now be rotated from portrait to landscape format without changing the image structure. In addition, the lens-camera unit can be wonderfully balanced on the ball head with the approximately 10 cm long tripod plate. And last but not least, the tripod plate can be used like an adjustment slide. You can easily change the distance to the object by a few centimeters at close range without having to adjust the tripod.In terms of construction, the Nikon Z6/7 can be used just as easily as the Z9. The device costs around €180 and can be obtained directly from Rainer Burzynski.
Check the Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens pricing and availability at:
- US: Adorama | B&H Photo | Amazon
- UK: WEX
- DE: Calumet | Foto Erhardt
- CA: Camera Canada
