i had a close look and test of my tripod mount collar on my FA* 80-200 f2.8. it's not very solid. the connection from the foot of the mount to the tripod head is a lot more solid. the collar has lots of play in it, a lot more than i like when shooting for highest sharpness, especially when there is some wind. also, it means that when i am moving the camera on the ball head, i have to hold the mounting foot to move the camera if i don't want some return when i let go of the lens. the movement is substantial at 200mm, almost 1/4 of the frame vertically if i am lifting up on the front of lens via the focusing collar. how are the other FA* lenses in this regard? are the F* and A* lenses with tripod collar mounts any better? the Sigma 50-500 has a much more solid connection to the lens. if only it were brighter and sharper.
Herb....
