Looking for L Bracket for Multiple Cameras

[HDNitehawk]

I need some advice;

I am looking for an Arca-Swiss type L bracket to mount the camera portrait style to do panoramas and such.

The requirements would be that it be as sturdy as the head and tripod I am mounting it on, which is very solid.

At present my 5D II and 1D IV have a wimberley plate mounted on the bottom, what I would prefer is a bracket that mounts on the tripod and it be equipped with a clamp to attach the camera at the 90% angle.

With this set up I wouldn't need two new brackets for each camera, only one. And if it is universal in the future I can use it on whatever camera I buy and will not have to purchase another L bracket.

These are the two I found at B&H;

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...L_Bracket.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...L_Bracket.html

Your thoughts and recommendations are appreciated.

[Richard Lane]

With or without the grip for the 5DII?

[HDNitehawk]

With or without the grip for the 5DII?

Without on the 5D II, of course it needs to handle the 1D IV as well.

[Jonathan Huyer]

I have a L-bracket from Really Right Stuff for my 5D2, and it is custom made for that specific camera. I'm not sure about these universal L-brackets in terms of how solid they might be. The RRS bracket is perfect, and I like how they carefully design the cutouts so that you can still use your cable release (even when the camera is vertical on the tripod). That's a big plus in my books.

[Richard Lane]

I just realized that if you're using it for both than you'll need the taller gripped version.

I would think $250 is a lot for one L-Plate. You could almost get 2 custom ones for that price.

Disclaimer: I've never used this one, I have 2 separate L-Camera Plates for mine.

http://www.kirkphoto.com/Universal_Quick_Release_Tall_L-Bracket.html

[Richard Lane]

5DII without grip: $140

http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=B5D2-L&type=0&eq=&desc=B5D2-L%3a-L-plate-for-Canon-5D-Mark-II&key=it

http://www.kirkphoto.com/L-bracket_f...5D_MarkII.html


MKIV: $180 I have this RRS one! The Kirk L-plates are great too, though!

http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=B1DMkIII-L&type=0&eq=&desc=B1DMkIII-L%3a-L-plate-for-Mk-III-%26-Mk-IV

http://www.kirkphoto.com/L-bracket_f...D_Mark_IV.html

[thekingb]

Love my RRS L bracket for the 7D. Not inexpensive, but light and sturdy and well made.

[HDNitehawk]

I'm not sure about these universal L-brackets in terms of how solid they might be.

That is the one what concerns me, it doesn't do any good to spend a ton of money on a solid tripod and head then get vibration from a clamp on the L bracket.

Thanks Rich and Jonathan, I had already looked at the Kirk and Really Right Stuff brackets. I had two thoughts, one is that I will either upgrade to the 5D III or the 1D X in soon and I would rather have a clamp I can just switch to the new camera. The other thought is that I would end up leaving the bracket on the camera full time and it would add more mass to the body, which I would find undesirable. The 1D IV with Wimberley clamp is a tight fit in the camera bag now.

I am headed to Yellowstone in three weeks, I may just buy the Really Right Stuff bracket for just the 5D II if I don't find an alternative. The bracket is the one thing missing from my 5D II landscape kit, for the most part I have other alternatives to go 90% with the 1D IV.

[Jonathan Huyer]

Just wondering, do you really need a L-bracket for both cameras? The 5D2 will be your go-to camera for landscapes, I'm assuming. The 1D4 would be for longer lenses, where you are usually attaching the lens to the tripod (not the camera). I just have a simple base plate for my 1D3, and really, I hardly ever use it. I'm always clamping the lens to the tripod instead. But the L-clamp on my 5D2 I use all the time.

[Richard Lane]

Some panoramic heads, rails, and/or leveling bases also have their own quick release plates built in.

Check out the RRS panoramic components as well, spend more money here:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/Items.aspx?code=PanoComponents&key=cat

Helpful info here:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/WebsiteInfo.aspx?fc=108

I know you mentioned having it very stable for panoramic stitching, so I would think a separate custom plate for each camera would be better, as opposed to having your extra "standard camera plate" on your 7D and MKIV, mounted to a "universal plate" with another (it's own) "quick release", then all of that will be mounted to another QR on the tripod? I think that will make for a very unstable setting.


Also, when you switch from landscape to portrait view with the L-Bracket, you can maintain the same framing, and the RRS L-plates has marks for this. I would think that if you have your standard plate and a universal plate sandwiched on top of each other (makes it taller), and then switch from landscape to portrait, then that may throw off the composition.

I keep my L-Plate off all of the time unless I'm going out to use it on my tripod with a lens that doesn't have a lens collar, where I can just turn the lens/camera combo within the lens collar. As a matter of fact, I keep my L-plates and extra allen wrenches in a side pocket of my tripod bag, so it's always there when I need it. I don't need the L-plate with the gimbal head, nor do I use it on my monopod, so it stays off 90% of the time.