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Lens Collar for Nikon AF-S 80-400MM F/4.5-5.6G ED VR

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by 06Honda on Fri Nov 27, 2020 7:18 pm

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The lense collar that came with this lense seems a bit on the filimsy side to bet used when shooting via a tripod. Do owners of this lense generally purchase a different collar or use the kit collar it came with.

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by Bill Chambers on Sat Nov 28, 2020 12:29 am

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You're correct, the Nikon lens collar is not high quality. I use an older version of the Kirk Lens Collar. I would rather use the Really Right Stuff lens collar but I don't think RRS makes it anymore. The Kirk collar is better than the original, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. When changing from horizontal to vertical and vice versa, it's not smooth transition at all; jerky and rough transition.

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by E.J. Peiker on Mon Nov 30, 2020 10:24 pm

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I use the Kirk as it offers much greater stability than the other options. A very light finger coating of silicone lubricant on the forward support eliminates the balkiness that Bill mentioned.

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by Kerry on Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:12 am

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I also use the Kirk collar for the 80-400. Will have to try the silicone trick as I too have had occasional issues with stiffness. It's not as bad as the original Kirk 80-400 collar. I had some major, major problems with that unit after a few years, to the point where I had to return it to Kirk for refitting. (To their credit, they fixed it quickly and without charge.) I haven't had anything like that kind of trouble with the current collar.

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