This is about as niche as they come. But if you’re in need of it, it’s a good solution.
It’s a replacement foot for the collar of the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Sports lens. On the one hand, the one I’m focusing on here is a specific replacement part for a specific lens. On the other hand, the same principle can apply to many other lenses — they just need a different model replacement part.
Some long telephoto lenses have collars that are removable. The tripod collar on the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G, for instance, can be removed. You can also swap it out with an aftermarket alternative. And that’s what I did to change the foot to be compatible with Arca-style tripod attachments.
On other lenses, like the Sigma 150-600mm Sports, you can’t remove the collar. The Contemporary version is different — its collar does come off, and Sigma includes a rubber sleeve to cover the screw heads it leaves exposed. But what you can do is remove the foot and replace it with a different one.
The lens comes standard with a foot that has three tripod screw holes. That’s basically a universal approach — it’ll work with anything, from tripod to monopod to gimbal — but it’s also a compromise. It means that to use it with an Arca-style attachment, you’ll need to add a quick release plate to the bottom. The most important negative of that is that it adds a potential weak link in terms of stability. In particular, the quick release plate can easily come loose when using with such a heavy lens, and that adds the risk of unwanted lateral rotation.
A much better alternative is to turn the foot itself into an Arca-style foot. Sigma has enabled this option by making the foot a bolt-on affair. Sigma does make its own longer Arca-compatible replacement for this lens, the TS-81 tripod socket, but it’s not the only option — the other route is finding a third-party maker who does a replacement foot.
A Canadian company, Jobu Design, specializes in machined plates and specialized mounts. They make exactly the kind of foot I was after. Its model number is LF-S156S. It’s not inexpensive — it’s close to a custom accessory, after all — but in the context of the cost of the lens, it’s not that much.
Going Arca-style doesn’t mean giving up the threaded holes. The Jobu foot has both 1/4″-20 and 3/8″-16 tapped holes, so you can still bolt it straight onto a head or plate that isn’t Arca-compatible, or use them for a lens strap.
Here are some photos to show how it works.
The swap itself only takes a couple of minutes. Four hex screws hold the original foot to the collar — back them all out, lift the foot off, and bolt the Jobu foot on in its place with those same screws. The two small safety screws that stop the foot sliding out of an open clamp are already fitted underneath when it arrives.
In use
Overall, I’ve found it to work well. It’s stable and solid.
My only quibble with it is that because it’s so long, it can require some working around to rotate the zoom ring. That’s not really an issue if you have it on a tripod or monopod. But if you’re shooting handheld with your left hand under the lens, it’s a bit of extra reach with your fingers around the foot to reach the ring. It’s not a big issue, but it is something added by the foot.
Comes with
- Replacement Foot (LF-S156S)
- 2 x 4-40 Safety Screws (pre-installed)
- 3/32″ Hex Wrench
- M3 Hex Wrench
- Limited 5-Year Warranty
It’s made in Canada.
It does not come with new screws to use to attach the foot — you have to reuse the ones already on the lens.
Where to buy
I bought mine directly from Jobu Design and had it shipped from Canada. It was only later that I realized they’re also available at B&H Photo.
It’s sometimes possible to find them used.
Hello, great article. Now Sigma has a replacement foot, the TS-81 which is very expensive, big and heavy. Also you have other brands like the SUNWAYFOTO lf-m1, which is the cheapest, but a bit short.
For the last, there is the Wimberley AP-608, which seems to me a good solution, not so large or small, intermediate pricing too, but heavier than I would have liked.
If you put the Jobu showed in the pictures, you have a lot of options for the Sigma 150-600 Sport lens. All of them are also compatible with the new Sigma 500 f4 Sport lens.
I’m curious about the Jobu… wonder if it would allow to reverse the hood using a lenscoat on. And if it is comfortable to use with a monopode when you try to operate the zoom ring.
Thanks for sharing this!