PSA, check your mounting plate.

[Clovishound]

Went out to take some BIF and other wildlife pictures this morning. Shortly after dawn, I mounted up the trusty Z5 and 200-500 F5.6 lens to my new tripod and set off to get some nice images. AT the end of the session, as I was heading back down the trail to the car, I noticed something wasn't quite right with my setup. The Arca style mount was very loose on the gimbal head. I had very nearly slung the tripod over my shoulder with disastrous results. I guess I failed to fully tighten the mount when mounting it on the gimbal when I set up at the car. WOW.

Thought I would pass that along so that hopefully none of you will make that mistake. I also noticed a larger percentage of not quite sharp pictures today. This is possibly due to the camera not being as stable as usual with a loose mount.

I still managed to get a few decent shots, as well as getting home with all my gear intact.

 

[BF Hammer]

Sometimes going from warm car to cold outside also causes some uneven metal heat expansion situation. Not much required for a clamp-style attachment. Check and recheck as you work.

 

[Clovishound]

That is a possibility, I guess, but the most likely scenario in my mind is that I didn't tighten it down properly. I do remember thinking I felt a little bit of odd clunking while following birds, but was engrossed in what I was doing. I definitely won't ignore that in the future, and, hopefully, won't fail to properly tighten it when mounting up.