Anwank X-T2 Dovetail Baseplate with Grip & L-Bracket Review.

I was going to get a Really Right Stuff dovetail baseplate for my new X-T2, just like I have for my X-E2 and had on my other Fuji cameras. I'm not a fan of external grips and I have never used an L-bracket that I remember. So the RRS baseplate appealed to me because I could get just the baseplate for half the price of a Fuji baseplate that also includes a non-removable grip. But when I went to the RRS website, the user reviews for the X-T2 baseplate were quite negative, so I decided to pass and look elsewhere.

I found the Anwank X-T2 Dovetail Baseplate with Grip & L-Bracket sold on Amazon. This is one of several no-name Chinese made baseplate/grip/l-bracket combinations that Amazon sells and strangely they all look identical. I'm sure that you could find even more on Ebay. So I decided for $26.87, I would give it a try.

The plate arrived today. It comes in an unlabeled clear plastic bag along with a tripod mount screw and an Allen wrench. After quickly installing it on my X-T2 and testing it on my main tripod, I have really nothing bad to say about it. Like the Fuji and RRS dovetail baseplates, the Anwank baseplate forms a tray to hold the bottom of the X-T2 in place and is secured with the included tripod mount screw. The screw appears to be stainless steel and can be tightened or loosened with the included Allen wrench, a flat head screwdriver, or a coin. The baseplate, l-bracket, and grip are all made of aluminum and are finished in black. The finish on the Anwank is a near perfect match to the finish on the Fuji and there is no annoying brand name on it anywhere. I don't know how it will hold up over time but right now it looks as good the RRS baseplate sitting on my X-E2.

A cutout in the baseplate provide easy access to the battery compartment. There is also an opening to access the rubber cover over the vertical grip contacts but I'm not sure why you would need it. I verified that the baseplate does not interfere with the operation of the tilt screen LCD or the door to the SD card slots. I was also surprised that you could open the door to the cable connector compartment with the L-bracket in place. It is a little tight so I used a fingernail to get the door partially open and pointed the X-T2 downward so the door swung open on its own. The only other negative besides the tight access to the connector compartment is that to remove the grip requires an unsupplied Allen wrench to remove the two screws holding it in place. The L-bracket is held in place by a single Allen screw that uses the same Allen wrench supplied for the tripod mounting screw. There is also a tripod screw hole on the centerline of the lens so you can mount a different tripod plate without removing the Anwank plate.

As a final test, I mounted my X-T2 onto my Acratech Ultimate arca-swiss ballhead using both the baseplate and l-bracket. My ballhead has a quick release lever to open and close the jaws on the mount. Acratech says that the mount has been calibrated to be an exact fit for an actual Arca-Swiss brand plate and other brands of arca-swiss compatible. plates may require adjustments to the mount. The Anwank baseplate and L-bracket were a perfect fit and did not require any adjustment. Considering the quality and fit along with the price, I give the Anwank X-T2 Dovetail Baseplate with Grip & L-Bracket five stars