The Canon 70-200 2.8 tripod collar is in my opinion a necessary accessory. Many Canon photographers use the Canon 70-200 f4 lens without a tripod mount ring.
Changing the balance from a front-heavy situation not only makes your tripod easier to adjust, it also makes it more stable. Tripod collars help to spread the weight of a heavy lens off of your camera as well.
There are no manufacturer's weight specifications (that I know of) for when it is appropriate to need a lens collar for mounting a camera/lens combination. There is one rule of thumb that I've heard that says if the lens is heavier that the camera body, you should use a tripod collar.
I am not so sure about that one.
Many photographers don't bother with a collar when using the Canon 70-200 f4 unless they are also using a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter. The Canon f4 by itself weighs about half of the f 2.8 lens. I like the more balanced feel when handling a tripod with the tripod collar attached.
Using a collar is also very helpful with macro photography. A good part of your time is spent making very minute adjustments and it's much less of an adjustment when the lens is directly attached to the tripod instead of the camera.
A nice feature to have in a tripod collar is a hinge and the ability to fully unscrew the tightening knob and remove the collar when you are sure you are only going to shoot hand-held photos.
One of the chief benefits of using a tripod collar is the reduction in lens droop. You can see how this happens in the Youtube video below.
One of the least talked about advantages of using a Canon tripod mount ring is the ease at which you can rotate your camera. This makes it easy to switch from a "landscape" shooting mode to a "portrait" orientation.
Here is a short video that shows the two major advantages of using a lens collar to mount your camera to a tripod, the increase in balance and sturdiness; and the ease of switching from a horizontal to a vertical composition.
Both the Canon 70-200 f 2.8 and the Canon 70-200 f4 zoom lenses have incredibly high customer review ratings. I base a lot of my camera and accessories buying decisions on the reviews and opinions of everyday photographers on Amazon.
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The decision then comes into play whether you want a Canon 70-200 2.8 tripod collar or a tripod mount ring made by another manufacturer.
A tripod collar adds a basic functionality to a long lens. Another important area of 70-200 accessories are safeguards to cushion your lens from damage. Here are some thoughts on protecting your Canon 70-200mm lens.
Have a blast! Keep shooting your Canon
Bruce Lovelace is the publisher of Canon Camera Geek. Read more about him on the About Page. He also publishes how to articles and camera gear reviews at the Photography Tips website.
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