300mm af-i collar issue

[angry.coconut]

Hi guys, if you remember, i've been in the market for a 300mm f2.8 for a long time. Well i finally picked one up. I got the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 af-i. I realize that compared to the af-s the AF is loud and sluggish, but from what i've seen its working just fine for me needs on my d2h. I just have two questons. As you can probably figure, this is a VERY heavy lens, so mounting it to a tripod is a must. The issue im having is that with my manfrotto ballhead, the bottom grip of the d2h wont let it mount on horizontally. so, does anyone know of any tripod collar extenders, or a replacement collar i could use? the other question, since it's af-i, if i put a TC on it, will it kill my AF? I dont want to drop any more large amounts of money on this lens unless I KNOW it wont cause any more issues.

Thanks

[wcrosman]

I don't know of anything specific but can think of a few places to check. On the cheap end are http://www.gadgetinfinity.com (http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/) and http://www.dealextreme.com (http://www.dealextreme.com/) . They both sell knock off stuff. Perhaps there is some knock off that will suit your needs. On the really high end is http://reallyrightstuff.com (http://reallyrightstuff.com/). They are pricey but they essentially make custom camera mounting brackets.

[angry.coconut]

Thank you. Do you have any idea about what hood i can put on it? i know its supposed to be an hk-19, but they dont make them anymore. i'm considering buying the new $200+ 300mm 2.8 vr hood, and maybe velcro-ing it on

[wcrosman]

Thank you. Do you have any idea about what hood i can put on it? i know its supposed to be an hk-19, but they dont make them anymore. i'm considering buying the new $200+ 300mm 2.8 vr hood, and maybe velcro-ing it on

Deal Extreme carries a bunch of knock off hoods. I've purchased from them for my canon 70-300 IS and my EFS 60 2.8.

[angry.coconut]

I've checked them before, I can't find anyone that makes a knock-off for such a long lens