Canon 24-70L tripod ring

Never heard of a tripod ring for the 24-70 but i can't think of a reason why to use it. Rebel d's are quite sturdy and the lens isn't so long.heavy.

The lens mount will not warp just as long as you don't violently jump up and down all the time. You only really need a lens mount for big tele albeit it's nice for flipping between vertical and horizontal.

Jim, I had the 24-70L on my 50D (with battery grip) on a tripod in my living room and used the timer to take a family photo in front of the Christmas tree. I pressed the shutter release and ran over to the tree, but to my horror the weight of the lens caused the camera to pivot on the tripod mount screw, and the whole thing fell down. The camera struck the coffee table and the hotshoe was damaged. I had to send it off to Canon for repair, which cost me a couple hundred (and worst of all I had no camera for Christmas/New Years).

Sure, it was entirely my own fault. I had tightened the tripod head to the battery grip with a screwdriver, but it wasn't absoultely 'wrenched' on there because I don't want to crack the plastic. It would have been more stable if I had removed the battery grip, but who has time to do that inbetween shots? My living room floor is flat and my tripod is reasonably sturdy, so I sure wasn't expecting this.

Lesson learned. The newly-announced 24-70L Mark II is lighter and shorter, so hopefully this will cease to be an issue for those who buy the new lens. I can't afford to upgrade, so I'll contuinue to exercise greater caution with this lens, and keep using lighter alternatives (like the 17-40 L) for self-timer shots. I hope that people can learn from my mistake and avoid a similar accident.

With a decent tripod and ball head used properly there should never be a problem with the weight of the 24-70L.
I use mine on a 7D and 5DMk II both with grips.... never a problem.
Richard

I've used much heavier and longer lenses on a tripod a zillion times and they haven't fallen over, even in fairly brisk trade winds. When I use a larger tele I spread the legs one more notch for more stability. If strong gusts are present I drop it even lower and/or hand a bag of rocks on the hook beneath the tripod.

Cory-
I certainly understand what happened, but if the tripod plate is made of plastic (preventng you from torqueing down the mount point), it may be more advisable to replace the tripod -Or at least the plate. IMO, that's a component that should never be plastic - an opinion you have reconfirmed for me, but apparently we forgot to cc China.

The last time I went shopping for a tripod was several years ago, but I was surprised at how difficult it was to find an all metal tripod head (and plate) in the major retailers. Some of them looked pretty beefy, but the plates were all still plastic (or FRP). I ended up finding a great Manfrotto for ~$150 which has served me well since, and it has never dropped my camera, despite being loaded w/ some pretty hefty gear (for example a 70-200/2.8 on a 5D w/ BG, mounted to the BG) - best of all, I can leave the screwdriver at home, since the plate has a loop to hand tighten (and I don't have to worry about breaking FRP)

As to the OP's question, I've never heard of a ring for the 24-70, and you can be certain Canon doesn't make one. You may be able to find one that will work, but it's better to find a high quality tripod, as the only place to mount an ring is over the range finder, and you wouldn't want to do any damage to the lens with your jury rigged solution. The safety of your rig though depends on the tripod you are using - specifically the mounting hardware. The cheaper the tripod, and mounting hardware, the more likely you are to have a problem.

Thanks to all. Cory: sorry about your accident. My main concern was not so much stability, but the fear that with all the weight the lens mount could be bent. It is my understanding that the Rebel bodies don't have the lens mount integrated into a metal camera frame as do the higher end models. Am I incorrect in this? jw

I actually did once use the 100-400 (a 3lb lens) on a tripod without the included tripod ring (lens fully extended). The camera mount was fine although i'm not comfortable with it (it's not balanced very well on my tripod). The lens mount was not damaged in any way.

Cory, I have Bogen 410 minigear head. Its all metal construction and the mounting plate screw can be set really tight The even you had will not happen on my tripod head and I have used it every way possible. Most good quality tripod heads are like that. But today you seldom find any good quality tripods at regular stors. Most basic photography stores also don't carry quality tripods. You will typically only find them at mail order photography stores such as B&H and Adorama or a specialty photography store that caters to prophsional or hobbyiest photographers

Don't worry about the lens mount. They are very, very robust. I've used lenses much, much heavier than the 24-70 and have never had a problem... you really have nothing to worry about.