L Bracket Recommendation - Kirk - Really Right Stuff or Manfrotto?

[medwyn]

I would like to buy an L bracket for landscape photography and I am having trouble working out which will be best.

I have a Canon 5d Mark II and a gitzo Quick release head - link below.
http://www.gitzo.co.uk/series-5-mag-off-center-head-quick-release

Kirk - how does this work with gitzo quick release head
http://www.kirkphoto.com/L-bracket_for_Canon_5D_MarkII.html

Really Right Stuff - how does this fit the gitzo quick release head
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=B5D2-L&eq=

Manfrotto - does fit the head, but is the bracket any good?
http://www.manfrotto.com/l-bracket-q2

Any advice on the one that "just works"would be most welcome.

Thanks
--
Adrian Wray
Gallery at http://www.wrayphotography.com

 

[Press Correspondent]

Kirk and RRS use the Arca Swiss system. Gitzo does not. If you want to use Kirk or RRS on a Gitzo head, you must replace the Gitzo clamp with the Arca Swiss type clamp. Both Kirk and RRS make such clamps as well as some others (Arca Swiss itself - the best head, but not the best clamp, Markins, not sure about Wimberly). I have a Kirk clamp installed on a Gitzo ballhead and on Arca Swiss Z1. I am not sure if the clamp on your Gitzo head is removable. Sorry, no experience with the Manfrotto L plate.

I have an L plate from RRS, but use the camera plate instead and drop the camera into the head slot if I need to shoot in a portrait mode. An L plate, no matter how well made, does not provide a solid support in the portrait mode. It springs a little compromizing the stability of the camera support system. It may be a small enough motion to worry about on a Series 1 tripod, but it would be a waste of my Series 3 Systematic to use an L plate. Series 2 is probably marginal. It is probably OK with MLU and no wind.

 

[RS_RS]

As Press Correspondent said, the issue is not with the L-bracket (I have the Kirk version for the 5DII and it works fine) but with the Gitzo clamp. Gitzo actually use several different designs of clamp on a rather more robust scale than the Arca-Swiss design, and whilst these are good for some purposes they are over-engineered for most still camera applications excluding LF/MF and very big lenses.

The good news is that it is uusually possible to remove Gitzo clamps and replace them with alternatives. You will probably have to undo a locking screw before you can unscrew the clamp. I did this with a Gitzo G1178M. I bought a Kirk 2-inch Arca-Swiss clamp, re-tapped it to 3/8-inch and added a locking screw. Works fine. Gitzo do actually make an Arca-Swiss clamp (GS5360AS) but it looks very clumsy in design. They also make an adapter GS5160CDT designed to slip over an Arca-Swiss foot and allow it to be secured in a Gitzo clamp. The documentation for this is full of caveats about whether or not it will actually work, and in my experience it is far too tight a fit with every Arca-Swiss foot I have tried.

If you cannot actually remove the clamp on your Gitzo device, then the alternative is to mount an Arca-Swiss clamp on a Gitzo plate. With the right choice of plate and clamp this can produce a perfectly solid setup, if a bit clumsy.

 

[kevindar]

I have a markins head, and a markins L plate speically designed for 5d2. while I had my 5d2, I was very happy with it. I kept it to use with my 5d3 but does not fit perfectly. the markins is a little thinner and smaller.

The L plate is very nice if you are shooting landscape panorama. I found it also quicker over all than just dropping the head in to the side notch and more stable.
--
http://razzi.me/kevindar/photos

 

[Press Correspondent]

The L plate is very nice if you are shooting landscape panorama. I found it also quicker over all than just dropping the head in to the side notch and more stable.

The L plate is sure quicker and more convenient, but is not more stable. The plate springs a bit under the weight of the camera. Although it may be stable enough with MLU and no wind.

 

[Steve Grodin]

I have the RRS "L" bracket and RRS ball head. They are rock steady on my Gitzo tripod.

Steve
--
http://vette74.smugmug.com

 

[prohidium]

Don't forget to order the correct one depending if you use a grip or not. I use the Kirk L and do not us a grip. Very solid.

 

[Damon Lynch]

The L plate is sure quicker and more convenient, but is not more stable. The plate springs a bit under the weight of the camera. Although it may be stable enough with MLU and no wind.

Which brand of L bracket did you test it with? With or without a battery grip? Can you share the results of your tests?
--
http://www.pbase.com/dflynch/
http://www.damonlynch.net

 

[Ross Murphy]

Kirk is great and will work, they make a QR plate that will go on your Gitzo head, I have an extra Kirk L-bracket now, Ill sell you if in US, e-mail me if interested.
--
Image's In Light
http://rossmurphy.zenfolio.com/
http://imagesinlightnw.blogspot.com/

 

[Press Correspondent]

The L plate is sure quicker and more convenient, but is not more stable. The plate springs a bit under the weight of the camera. Although it may be stable enough with MLU and no wind.

Which brand of L bracket did you test it with? With or without a battery grip? Can you share the results of your tests?

The test was done by someone else and published on the net with images. It got me curious. I mounted my 5D (no grip) with the RRS L plate on Gitso 3541LS and pushed the camera a little from the top. I could clearly see the bracket yielding as the weakest link in the support chain. Again, it is probably just fine with MLU and no wind, but otherwise the test I've seen clearly showed blurr. I no longer have the link. Google is your friend

 

[Damon Lynch]

I remember viewing this link several months ago: http://www.scottbideauphotography.com/mini-review-really-right-stuff-l-bracket-unacceptable-flex/

Obviously that kind of performance would be completely unacceptable if it were the only option. However I have no idea why he configured it so badly. On the same set up on my 5D Mark II the L bracket is touching both the battery grip and the left side of the camera, and there's consequently no flexing. The remote cable release fits without any problems, so no worries there.

One of these days I'll do the test myself to see the difference between vertical and horizontal. Viewing a video like that doesn't incline me to automatically trust other people's judgment!
--
http://www.pbase.com/dflynch/
http://www.damonlynch.net

 

[proudfather]

I use a RRS L-bracket with this Sunway adjustable clamp attached to a RRS BH-55 ballhead. I really like the clamp, which allows for quick release and adjustable tightening. Plus, it's cheaper than the RRS clamp, which I had used prior.

For some reason, my RRS clamp began sticking with the camera in the vertical position, not sure why. No problems with the Sunway after more than a year of use.

Check it out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunwayfoto-Duo-Lever-Customizable-Adjustable-60mm-Clamp-Arca-Comp-DLC-60-Sunway-/190588524980?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c5ff619b4

.

They also make a generic L-bracket but I'm not sure how well it work work on the 5dII or 5dIII, if it would work at all: http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUNWAYFOTO-DPL-02-Universal-Camera-L-QR-Plate-Arca-Compatible-Sunway-NEW-/360423825998?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53eaef224e

-proudfather

 

[MisterPootieCat]

I would like to buy an L bracket for landscape photography and I am having trouble working out which will be best.

I have a Canon 5d Mark II and a gitzo Quick release head - link below.
http://www.gitzo.co.uk/series-5-mag-off-center-head-quick-release

Kirk - how does this work with gitzo quick release head
http://www.kirkphoto.com/L-bracket_for_Canon_5D_MarkII.html

Really Right Stuff - how does this fit the gitzo quick release head
http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=B5D2-L&eq=

Manfrotto - does fit the head, but is the bracket any good?
http://www.manfrotto.com/l-bracket-q2

Any advice on the one that "just works"would be most welcome.

I've been using the Manfrotto Q2 L bracket with the 498RC2 ball head for about a week now and find that it is much better than using the quick release plates (200PL-14). The quick release plates were not preventing vibration caused by mirror slap, at least not for me. The L bracket is a huge improvement in that respect. I'm guessing the much expanded contact area between the camera body and the bracket are the main reason.

The Manfrotto bracket is a one size fits all solution so some might not appreciate that. With limited funds I just couldn't see buying custom L brackets for all of my DSLR's not to mention having to purchase more of them as I upgrade DSLR's over time. And I like that the Q2 is plug and play with my existing heads.

They also make brackets for the 410PL and 501PL plates.

 

[bfarwell]

I have a RRS L-Plate on my 5d2 w/o the grip, and I can't get it to flex at all; the thing is rock solid. I can't speak for the one in the video, but without a battery grip, it just isn't an issue.

--
---
http://www.bradfarwell.com