Hate the RF100-500 Lens Collar

[tangogal]

Does anyone else hate the lens collar on the RF100-500 lens? If it's somewhat loose, it frequently breaks open potentially spilling the lens to the ground. It is very hard to tighten enough so that it doesn't slip around when on a tripod. I have owned many of Canon's telephotos before I switched to the mirrorless system. I never had a problem with their lens collars. What genius in engineering came up with this awful lens collar design????

[CodeTHR33]

Same problem. Same lens. Basically new. No damage ever. On the tripod, especially using my Wimberley gimbal head, it will rotate in the collar very easily. The issue is that it is not possible to tighten the collar beyond a certain point because of the design. I’ve had to put a piece of masking tape on the lens under where the collar mounts to add material and add more friction to keep it from spinning. I’m definitely not sending my lens and collar back to Canon when it’s obviously a design issue. It just doesn’t work well. People in this thread keep saying that you’re wrong and that it’s broken or whatever. I doubt that. Mine is the same. And I doubt those people have this lens because if they did, they would see what we’re talking about.

[tangogal]

so glad someone finally understands this is a bad design. Thank you for posting.

[Danfaz]

I used to think it would never tighten properly, but discovered you don't just turn the tightening knob, you have to push it in, then turn, and it tightens up very quickly and securely. 

[CodeTHR33]

Oh, I can get the knob to thread and can engage and tighten the knob in the threads until it won’t turn anymore (knob is fully tight), but the collar still isn’t tight on the lens. I can then hold the collar and, with enough force (not much), I can still rotate the collar (or lens—same thing). This isn’t that big of a deal while hand holding the lens, but it’s a big deal on a tripod because I’m on a gimbal and trying to move the camera body to swivel and tilt the lens and it ends up rotating the body/lens while the collar stays fixed to the gimbal. One piece of masking tape is enough thickness to stop it from happening, but that just shows that the collar can’t get tight enough on its own.

[MikeSowsun]

Here is a video that shows the problem. I think the solution is to always expect the lens to fall out if the the lock knob is not FULLY and FIRMLY  tightened.

[tangogal]

So true. If it's even slightly loose, it can open and you'll possibly drop the lens. The other problem is that it is very hard to tighten it enough so it does not allow the lens to rotate when on a tripod. So there you are out at night trying to capture moonrise behind a lighthouse, and your darn lens keeps moving and you get a blurry image after all that effort. This is the worst lens collar I have ever encountered. Canon should be made to replace it with one of its old type lens collars that worked just fine and give one free to every customer who purchased the (otherwise excellent) 100-500.

[tangogal]

It tightens but never securely.

[tangogal]

Please use gaffers tape, not masking tape. Easy to remove and won't leave a residue on the lens.

[Waddizzle]

Is there a part or model number on the tripod collar, to compare with what others have?

If you experiencing issues with the tripod collar, are certain the ring if getting fully inserted?  

If you can loosen the lock knob and the collar comes off, then that is a red flag for a problem.  It appears to be a “double-action” mechanism, which means it takes two separate and concurrent actions to attach it, as well as release it.

You are supposed to able to loosen the knob and be able to rotate the lens without the collar coming off of the lens.  

[CodeTHR33]

Yikes! I haven’t had that happen. I always have it as tight as I can get it by hand (without forcing it and stripping it out). Regardless, because of the design it reaches a limit of how tight the actual collar is to the lens and the lens can still spin in the collar with enough pressure.

I thought it was designed to not fall out unless you pulled back on the knob after unscrewing it, but I guess, after seeing this video, it looks like that design element doesn’t work correctly either. Thanks for sharing and I’ll watch out for that.