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It looks like I may have lucked out and will be getting a new Nikon 500 f5.6 PF lens next week. I see that a lot of people are swapping the tripod collar foot. What's the deal with the stock foot? Are there problems with it? Should I be preparing myself to get a replacement foot? 

Also, looking at the Kirk and Wimberley replacement feet. they appear different. Is one a quick release and the other a firm non-release foot. Why would anyone need a quick release foot? I would prefer a solid foot that cannot come off. Is that what the Wimberley does?

Cheers
Tim

Tim, I don't have the lens but I'm sure that many swap out the foot to get the arca swiss dovetail quick release.
I've done that on a few lenses, so much better if you're a tripod user.

Thanks Don. Yeah I have done that for bigger/heavier lenses, but for this much lighter lens, I think an Arca plate should work just fine, as there wouldn't be much weight (torque) to loosen the foot.

I've seen reports of the stock Nikon foot coming off unexpectedly. Not sure if the Kirk is more secure. The Wimberley looks like it's very securely attached.

Tim Zurowski wrote:It looks like I may have lucked out and will be getting a new Nikon 500 f5.6 PF lens next week. I see that a lot of people are swapping the tripod collar foot. What's the deal with the stock foot? Are there problems with it? Should I be preparing myself to get a replacement foot? 

Also, looking at the Kirk and Wimberley replacement feet. they appear different. Is one a quick release and the other a firm non-release foot. Why would anyone need a quick release foot? I would prefer a solid foot that cannot come off. Is that what the Wimberley does?

Cheers
Tim

  Congrats on getting the 500mm f/5.6 lens!  I am sure you will love it as much as the rest of us who are lucky enough to have one.
There were at least 3 reasons I had for swapping the foot.  The first, as noted by Don, is to have the Arca rapid release grooves.  I realize not everyone wants/needs this.  Also one can attach a plate (ie. the Wimberly plate) onto the foot (which I did at first).
  Another reason was to have a longer foot (the Nikon foot is quite small).  And the third was so that I would not accidentally release it
by hitting the lever that releases it.  As far as I am aware, both the Kirk and Wimberley retain this feature though I believe they may more securely tighten than the original Nikon foot.  The one I ended up getting and using is the Hejnar:

https://www.hejnarphotostore.com/produc ... erisk-.htm

 It screws directly into the collar so cannot be rapidly released, deliberately or accidentally.  I am not sure why anyone takes it off, maybe to save some weight?  Not having the tightening knob is, for me, more comfortably when I hand hold it (as well as having the longer foot).  There are plenty of other choices as well.

 Enjoy your new lens!
 

Tim Zurowski wrote:Thanks Don. Yeah I have done that for bigger/heavier lenses, but for this much lighter lens, I think an Arca plate should work just fine, as there wouldn't be much weight (torque) to loosen the foot.

  Hi Tim, I wrote my response (below) before I saw this second post of yours.  Yes putting an Arca plate would work, however I found that I kept hitting the release lever (I used a Wimberly plate that I had previously purchased for other reasons).  This would be fine if the tightening knob was fully tight.  However, I worried that in travel, etc it would loosen and I wouldn't necessarily notice and tehn wouldaccidentally release the lens from the foot as others had reported.  So I found I was always checking the knob and worrying about it.  Part of this was that my tightening knob on the collar does not tighten very well, so I can still turn the lens even with this knob fully tightened by hand.  So replacing the foot (for $60) seemed worthwhile.

The Hejnar Photo foot is probably the best on the market for this lens if you do not need to remove the foot.

Thanks very much for those responses Ricardo. Exactly what I needed to know. I will look at that Hejnar foot and probably get that one. Like you, I do not want (or need) any kind of quick release foot.

By the way, don't hesitate on Hejnar because you may not have heard of it. These guys are the exclusive manufacturer of lens feet and lens stabilization gear for Phase One.

I have two. One is a Winberley and other one is made by Kirk.
Both of them are good, it just happened that I prefer the Wimberley that I bought later, as it can be removed only by a tool therefore it is safer.
The Kirk one is prettier.
I had some problem with ordering Hejnar, I guess shipping was not available to Canada, or it was expensive, the shipping, that is.

Thanks Karl. If I have trouble getting the Hejnar because I am in Canada, I will get a friend in the US to order it for me and ship it to me. After a bit more research and info, I definitely want the Hejnar.

Tim Zurowski wrote:It looks like I may have lucked out and will be getting a new Nikon 500 f5.6 PF lens next week. I see that a lot of people are swapping the tripod collar foot. What's the deal with the stock foot? Are there problems with it? Should I be preparing myself to get a replacement foot? 

Also, looking at the Kirk and Wimberley replacement feet. they appear different. Is one a quick release and the other a firm non-release foot. Why would anyone need a quick release foot? I would prefer a solid foot that cannot come off. Is that what the Wimberley does?

Cheers
Tim

Lucky you! Where did you manage to score one? Have been waiting forever for one here in Canada.

I decided about a month ago to email every major camera store in Canada. Of my many questions; two were, when do they expect to have them in stock, and how long is their wait list. Some would not tell me (like Henry's) but most did. One store had over 30 on the wait list, but McBain Cameras in Alberta said they only had one person ahead of me, so I put my name on their list. I emailed them again yesterday to see if they had any updates and all they could say was Nikon Canada are not able to give them an ETA. But then he said they did have one come into their Red Deer store that was ordered previously, but the person decided they did not want it, and he asked me if I wanted it. He said it had never been out of the store and was only opened for that customer to view it and give it a try. It is brand new in the box with the standard 5 year Nikon Canada warranty. Strangely enough, he said the customer's reason for not taking it was that "it was too heavy"!!  It is not a "done deal" for me yet, but he is having it shipped to their Edmonton store for mid next week and he said it is mine if I want it. Very lucky . . . . . YES! Not one other store in Canada has one and they all said they had no idea when they would be available.

So did you switch over to Nikon?

Tim Zurowski wrote:I decided about a month ago to email every major camera store in Canada. Of my many questions; two were, when do they expect to have them in stock, and how long is their wait list. Some would not tell me (like Henry's) but most did. One store had over 30 on the wait list, but McBain Cameras in Alberta said they only had one person ahead of me, so I put my name on their list. I emailed them again yesterday to see if they had any updates and all they could say was Nikon Canada are not able to give them an ETA. But then he said they did have one come into their Red Deer store that was ordered previously, but the person decided they did not want it, and he asked me if I wanted it. He said it had never been out of the store and was only opened for that customer to view it and give it a try. It is brand new in the box with the standard 5 year Nikon Canada warranty. Strangely enough, he said the customer's reason for not taking it was that "it was too heavy"!!  It is not a "done deal" for me yet, but he is having it shipped to their Edmonton store for mid next week and he said it is mine if I want it. Very lucky . . . . . YES! Not one other store in Canada has one and they all said they had no idea when they would be available.

So did you switch over to Nikon?

Very enterprising of you. Hope you get it.

Have not switched but am needing something lighter for certain applications yet with good reach. So the 500 PF looks promising along with maybe a D850 so I could crop if needed rather than use an extender since the lens is already a stop slower than I am used to with my 500 f4. Also like a lot of the features in the new Nikons. So if I can get a 500 PF and find it works well for me, I might switch eventually. But in some of the dark places I shoot like the Great Bear Rainforest, f5.6 is not ideal. 

Tim
Congratulations.....really glad that you are getting it. When I can get the lens (I'm on 2 lists now) I think I'll be switching. I need the weight change. Glad to know which foot is the best. I'll be anxious to see what you think.

Thanks Lana . . . . . . will do I was originally going to hold off on the 500 PF and wait for a 600 f5.6 PF, but time is running short, and we may not see that lens for many years yet. So I jumped on the band wagon.

Tim Zurowski wrote:Thanks Lana . . . . . . will do  I was originally going to hold off on the 500 PF and wait for a 600 f5.6 PF, but time is running short, and we may not see that lens for many years yet. So I jumped on the band wagon.

Petty good chance you will never see that for a DSLR, perhaps for a Z series down the road - maybe 2022 or beyond.

Tim................quite simply, get the Wimberley. If you want a foot that won't come off or twist that's your best choice.

Thanks Brian. Here's the video that explains this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G42DuIJ_FA I am now likely going to get the Wimberley

With this lens I added a Wimberley P-20 foot and have it mounted so the rear of the plate is 0.8 inches past the rear of the Nikon lens foot. This provides for good balance with the D850 using the grip and the eN-EL18a battery. The replacement foot from others adds no length where it is needed to balance the lens on a gimbal head.

Another advantage besides the adjustment range with the P-20 plate is that it has a double dovetail so I can mount a flash bracket to it as well.