Michael Tiemann
Well-known member
After an initial disappointment, I found that indeed a Touch-and-go 16 plate can be connected to a Komodo wearing a KipperTie chinstrap, if you thread the screws in the right order. The fit is so tight that you have to get the threads of the 3/8-16 screw all the way past the plate in order to then start treading the 1/4-20 screw into position. Great!
What's not great is that tasty lenses like the Tokina 11-20 and 50-135 cannot be used, because the Komodo lens profile is so low that the zoom and focus rings touch the top of the tripod head before the plate is fully inserted into the receiver. And no, you cannot win by first inserting the receiver with a lensless camera and then attaching the lens after the fact. The rings don't fit.
So now I guess I'm on the prowl for a spacer. Unfortunately, a 5mm spacer (in the form of a second Touch-and-go plate) costs $90, and extra-long screws from Wooden camera to reach the extra 5mm code $25 each. Which means spending $140 just to get 5mm of camera elevation. Surely somebody sells a kit that's not $500 to get enough elevation to use these lenses with an industry-standard tripod. Maybe I do need to spend $500 just to de-compactify the Komodo after all...
What's not great is that tasty lenses like the Tokina 11-20 and 50-135 cannot be used, because the Komodo lens profile is so low that the zoom and focus rings touch the top of the tripod head before the plate is fully inserted into the receiver. And no, you cannot win by first inserting the receiver with a lensless camera and then attaching the lens after the fact. The rings don't fit.
So now I guess I'm on the prowl for a spacer. Unfortunately, a 5mm spacer (in the form of a second Touch-and-go plate) costs $90, and extra-long screws from Wooden camera to reach the extra 5mm code $25 each. Which means spending $140 just to get 5mm of camera elevation. Surely somebody sells a kit that's not $500 to get enough elevation to use these lenses with an industry-standard tripod. Maybe I do need to spend $500 just to de-compactify the Komodo after all...