Replacement tripod foot for Olympus 40-150 Pro with Arca-Swiss flanges

[Holoholo55]

Hi all,

Scott Bourne mentions a 3rd party tripod foot replacement for the 40-150 f2.8 Pro that has built-in Arca-Swiss flanges. Saves mounting an Arca-Swiss plate on the original foot that could come loose. I wished Olympus had put Arca-Swiss flanges on the foot like they did for the 300 f4 Pro and 100-400 f5-6.3 IS. What interests me is the possibility (judging from the photos) that I could reverse the plate so it's facing backwards so that the lens + teleconverter could balance better on my Wimberly mono-gimbal. I have to slide the lens forward on the mount and it doesn't go far enough to balance properly. I guess that I might not know whether it could unless I buy one, but I sent a question to Scott and hope he answers. I also emailed Haoge. I'll post whatever reply I get.

https://picturemethods.com/2021/02/07/great-hack-for-olympus-40-150-f-2-8-pro-lens-users/

Images borrowed from Amazon.

 

[ac12]

At first I thought not, but I was thinking of what I do on my Nikon 70-200/4, where I reverse the tripod collar on the lens.
If you look at the pics, the grove on the mount is not in the center. That is because the pins on the lens is forward. If you reverse the mount, I likely could not install on the lens.
BUT . . . if as you said you just reverse mount the FOOT, leaving the collar the same way, it may work.
An alternate is to mount a longer AS rail on the foot, that sticks out back of the foot.

 

[RichardC]

At first I thought not, but I was thinking of what I do on my Nikon 70-200/4, where I reverse the tripod collar on the lens.
If you look at the pics, the grove on the mount is not in the center. That is because the pins on the lens is forward. If you reverse the mount, I likely could not install on the lens.
BUT . . . if as you said you just reverse mount the FOOT, leaving the collar the same way, it may work.
An alternate is to mount a longer AS rail on the foot, that sticks out back of the foot.

The three screws are offset, so I'm guessing reverse mounting the plate isn't an option.

 

[Holoholo55]

The three screws are offset, so I'm guessing reverse mounting the plate isn't an option.

Actually, that third screw is the safety-stop. The screws that mount the plate to the collar are the two bigger ones. However... Scott Bourne responded and said...

Walter on February 7, 2021 at 12:26 pm
Reply
Hi Scott, can the plate on the Haoge foot be mounted backwards so that it faces toward the rear? I was trying to balance my 40-150 Pro+MC-14 on a Wimberley Mono Gimbal and I couldn’t slide it far enough forward. If the plate can be mounted backwards, I could get it balanced. Thanks, Walter
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  Scott Bourne on February 7, 2021 at 2:58 pm
  Reply
  Unfortunately Walter it cannot be reversed. If this product has a shortfall, it’s that the plate part could be longer.

Shucks. :-(

 

[ac12]

Get one of these, and attach it to the regular foot.
https://www.amazon.com/HITHUT-Unive...ywords=arca+swiss+rail&qid=1612740588&sr=8-11
That should get the CG over the gimbal mount.

If too long, trim to fit with a hack saw.

 

[Holoholo55]

Get one of these, and attach it to the regular foot.
https://www.amazon.com/HITHUT-Unive...ywords=arca+swiss+rail&qid=1612740588&sr=8-11
That should get the CG over the gimbal mount.

If too long, trim to fit with a hack saw.

That's an idea. Thanks.

Here's one that's probably long enough.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4CD2ZV/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_04RY96H3BJWZAP2WVK70

 

[Holoholo55]

Here's an interesting note about the foot from Haoge, via Amazon. If I understand what they said, the plate is removable and reversible. That is, one could mount it facing backward! Hmm... the only way I can try it is to get the foot and see for myself.

Has anyone bought this and can affirm that the following is true?

Question:
Can the Arca-Swiss plate be removed and reversed? I need that so the lens will balance on a gimbal.
Answer:
You Can the Arca-Swiss plate be removed and reversed
By Haoge SELLER on February 11, 2021

I already bought a longer Arca-Swiss plate, so I'll try that first. But, I'm keeping this in mind.

 

[Holoholo55]

That's an idea. Thanks.

Here's one that's probably long enough.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4CD2ZV/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_04RY96H3BJWZAP2WVK70

OK, here's a test using the 100mm Arca-Swiss plate to move the CG of the 40-150 Pro+MC-14+EM1 III and balance it on the Wimberley Mono Gimbal. This is the balanced position.

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You can see how far off the placement of the OEM tripod foot is with relation to the CG of the rig. The CG is at the rear edge of the lens collar. The foot isn't even close. YMMV depending on what body you mount the lens on and whether you use a teleconverter.

More shots here. https://www.flickr.com/gp/92624968@N02/0uTpvu

IMO, I think the extended plate isn't really a workable solution. However, if I drilled and tapped the OEM tripod foot to take another mounting screw, two screws might be secure enough to use an extended plate. I might get the Haoge foot and see if I can reverse the plate so that it's right over the CG.

 

[Holoholo55]

Woo hoo! I got the Haoge foot today and immediately reversed the foot/plate and tested it. It's sweet! It balances perfectly now!



More images and commentary here. https://www.flickr.com/gp/92624968@N02/77q0i7

My previous attempt with a longer Arca-Swiss plate and the OEM foot is linked in an earlier post.

 

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Woo hoo! I got the Haoge foot today and immediately reversed the foot/plate and tested it. It's sweet! It balances perfectly now!

View attachment 874166

More images and commentary here. https://www.flickr.com/gp/92624968@N02/77q0i7

My previous attempt with an longer Arca-Swiss plate and the OEM foot is linked in an earlier post.

I like the way that the Haoge attaches the foot to the collar clamp, it takes most of the sheer load off of the mounting screws.

 

[Holoholo55]

I like the way that the Haoge attaches the foot to the collar clamp, it takes most of the sheer load off of the mounting screws.

Yes, I was impressed by the engineering and construction. All the parts fitted together neatly with very little play. It feels really solid, and yet if you loosen the collar, the lens rotates easily. It looks like it was designed to be reversible. That was smart. Anyway, I'm very pleased with it.

 

[RAH]

I'm confused - the Amazon page for this Haoge collar says it is unavailable.

 

[Holoholo55]

I'm confused - the Amazon page for this Haoge collar says it is unavailable.

It is now. It was in stock when I bought it. Sorry.

I saw that it's on eBay, with shipment from China, with all the ifs and buts associated with that.

Or you could hope and wait for Amazon to get it back in stock.

 

[Holoholo55]

I was just on Amazon US. They said it'll be in stock soon.

Update: just checked again tonight (2/27) and it's unavailable again. :-(

 

[Holoholo55]

Some updates on the reversed Haoge foot. My friend who has an EM1X found that the reversed foot bumps into the body when he mounts the 40-150 Pro lens alone on the body. However, it clears the left side when he uses an MC-14 or MC-20. It still bumps into the bottom and right grips. On my EM1 III, the reversed foot barely clears the left and bottom of the body with the naked lens, but clears it easily with the MC-14 (or MC-20). It won't clear the right-hand grip, but it doesn't need to, as I would mount the lens to the Wimberley Mono-Gimbal on the left side of the body. No problemo.

 

[Holoholo55]

One more thing I found out. I was using the collar with my 40-150 Pro today and found to my dismay that when I tightened the knob on the collar, it wouldn't stay in position. The lens could still revolve. A couple of reviewers had complained about this on Amazon, but I hadn't noticed it until today.

I took the collar off and examined it closely. In the gap in the collar where the thumbscrew clamps I could see that there was a washer that kept the clamp from closing all the way. I unscrewed the thumbscrew to expand the gap, and could see that there was a C-clip on the screw that got in the way. I was able to slip a small screwdriver into the gap and pop the C-clip off (careful, it'll fly, so watch out where it goes). After I removed the C-clip, the clamp will now close all the way and the collar clamps down tightly on the lens. But, without the C-clip, the thumbscrew could fall out if loosened all the way, so you'll have to keep an eye on it.

The C-clip removed. Now the collar clamps down tightly.

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YMMV. My friend said his Haoge clamp tightens securely.

And as of today, Amazon has it in stock.

 

[jbinco]

Haoge may have fixed this issue. I just received the Haoge LMR-OM415 and mine closes securely with the C-clip in place. Same with the LMR-OM300 for the 300mm.

Both are excellent and save significant weight versus attaching separate plates to the OEM collars. I realize the 300mm collar comes with dovetails. But I prefer attaching my strap to the lens foot and the Haoge allows for that. And it's 100g lighter!

 

[Merak75]

I bought mine in May of 2023 and had to take the c-clip off as it wouldn't tighten enough.

 

[jbinco]

I bought mine in May of 2023 and had to take the c-clip off as it wouldn't tighten enough.

Could just be sample variance. The gap on mine is so tight that I can't see any daylight when it's closed. But it is tight on the lens. Thinner C-clip? Thinner anodizing or paint (not sure which it is)? Either could do it.

If you're adventurous, you might remove the screw and run some sandpaper through the gap. Could be metal burrs or paint/anodizing build up in the way too.

You could even sand down the C-clip a bit.