What is a Nodal Balance Rail?
Nodal Slides or Nodal Balance Rails are created to adjust a camera's position from front to back. It is used to find the nodal point on a lens while on its center of rotation. Shooting and stitching panoramas are easier with a nodal rail.
When shooting with a regular plate, panoramas will look wavy when stitched. That is because the nodal point is off-center. with a nodal slide, a panorama will look seamless once stitched.
What is a lens plate?
Lens plates are designed to fit long collared telephoto lenses. It balances the camera properly when mounted on a tripod. This reduces the risk of the lens mount breaking due to the lens weight.
Using a lens plate balances the camera on the center of the whole setup. Not just on the camera body. With a lens plate, you reduce the risk of the telephoto lens dragging the camera setup down when mounted on a ball head.
Why use a ProMediaGear lens plate?
ProMediaGear lens plates are made of CNC, aircraft-grade aluminum which is lightweight and durable. The company has tested the lens plates with telephoto lenses from different manufacturers. This ensures that there is no room for error with its measurements.
Which ProMediaGear lens plate should you use?
There are three types of ProMediaGear lens plates. All of them fit certain sizes of lenses. Pick one depending on your lens and setup.
The ProMediaGear PX4 is the shortest among the available lens plates. But its durability is not compromised. This 4.5-inch lens plate is made of T6061 aircraft-grade aluminum.
Just like other ProMediaGear lens plates, the PX4 has an SS2 or QD quick-release strap adapter port. This allows you to attach an SS2 or QD strap.
The PX4 and other lens plates come with anti-rotation pins. It prevents the lens foot from moving when mounted on a tripod.
The ProMediaGear PX6 is 6-inches long but similar in width and height to the other lens plates. Meanwhile, the ProMediaGear PX8 is 8-inches in length.
Both longer plates feature the same pins to stop the lens from moving. These two plates are slightly heavier than the PX4 but the difference is negligible.
The advantage of the PX8 is its compatibility with a C60 or C40 Arca clamp.
ProMediaGear PX4 Lens Compatibility
- Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS I
- Canon 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro
- Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS and non-IS
- Canon 180mm f/3.5 Macro
- Canon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
- Canon 35-350mm f/3.6-5.6 IS
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 non IS and IS
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II and IS III
- Canon 70-200mm f/4 non IS, IS, and IS II
- Canon 70-300m f/4-5.6 IS
- Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS and IS II
- Canon 200mm f/1.8
- Canon 200mm f/2.0 IS
- Canon 200mm f/2.8 IS II
- Canon 300mm f/2.8 non-IS and IS II
- Canon 300mm f/4 IS
- Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS I and DO IS II
- Canon 400mm f/5.6
- Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 E VR
- Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AF-S (I & II)
- Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR (I & II)
- Nikon 400mm f/3.5 (Manual Focus)
- Nikon 500mm f/4 AI P
- Nikon 600mm f/5.6 AI-S
- Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8
- Pentax 300mm f/2.8 AF SMC P-FA
- Pentax 300mm f/4 SMC-DA
- Pentax 400mm f/2.8 SMC A
- Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG
- Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS
- Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS
- Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary
- Sigma 500mm f/4.5 non-HSM
- Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS
- Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 FE G OSS
- Sony 300mm f/2.8 G SSM I and II
- Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 VC
- Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 VC G2
- Leica 90-280mm f/2.8-4
- Olympus 300mm f/2.8 Zuiko
- Panasonic 100-400mm f/4-6.3 OIS
ProMediaGear PX6 Lens Compatibility
- Canon 200-400mm f/4 IS ext. 1.4
- Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS I
- Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS II
- Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS III
- Canon 500mm f/4 IS I
- Canon 500mm f/4.5 non-IS
- Canon 600mm f/4 IS I, IS II, and IS III
- Canon 800mm f/5.6 IS
- Nikon 180-400mm f/4 FL VR TC1.4
- Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR I and VR II
- Nikon 400mm f/2.8 FL VR
- Nikon 500mm f/4 AF-I
- Nikon 500mm f/4 AF-S (I and II)
- Nikon 500mm f/4 FL VR
- Nikon 800mm f/5.6 FL VR
- Olympus 90-250mm f/2.8 Zuiko
- Pentax 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 D-FA AW
- Sigma (any lens with a TS-41 Collar and foot)
- Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO
- Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO
- Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports
- SIgma 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO OS
- Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS Sports
- Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS
- Sony 500mm f/4 G SSM
ProMediaGear PX8 Lens Compatibility
- Canon 400mm f/2.8 non-IS
- Canon 600mm f/4 non-IS
- Canon 600mm f/4.5 manual focus
- Canon 800mm f/5.6 manual focus
- Nikon 400mm f/2.8 AI-S and AF-I
- Nikon 600mm f/4 AI-S
- Nikon 600mm f/4 AF-I
- Nikon 600mm f/4 FL VR
- Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 APO
- Sigma 500mm f/4 OS Sports
- Sigma 500mm f/4.5 APO
- Sigma 800mm f/5.6 APO
- Pentax 250-600mm f/5.6 SMC P-FA
- Pentax 560 f/5.6 DA AW
- Pentax 600mm f/4 SMC P-FA
- Konica Minolta 600mm f/4 APO G
If you have a newer lens, you may check and compare it with the lenses of similar size included on this list. There are hundreds of lenses available today and it is difficult to list everything here.
However, if your lens has the same dimensions as the ones listed here then ProMediaGear lens plates will definitely fit it.