Triplets wrote:
I'm considering getting an L-Bracket for my Nikon D750 but I have a few questions:
1. I also occasionally use an MB-D16 battery grip. Would I have to remove the grip to use the L-Bracket?
2. Is the bracket easy to remove and re-attach or is it best to leave it on at all times?
Thanks,
Dennis
1. Yes, you will need to remove the L-bracket to attach the battery grip. The L-bracket screws into the same hole on the bottom of the camera that's used to attach the battery grip.
2. Most (if not all) L-brackets use an Allen head bolt to attach, so in that case you will need an Allen key or similar to attach and remove the L-bracket. There may be some that use a D-ring and require no tool, but that would likely make the L-bracket larger than most people would like. Another possibility is that the grip uses a bolt that has a slot for a coin... but I've never seen one set up that way and not sure I'd trust it to fasten securely.
If you want to also use an L-bracket with the battery grip you will probably need a second one. In other words, one bracket for the camera alone and a different one for the camera + grip. Most L-brackets are either for use directly on the camera's base OR on the base of a grip when one is attached to the camera. Normally the profile of the camera base and base of the grip are quite different dimensions, so properly fitted L-brackets have to be tailored specifically for each and are not usable on the other.
There are "universal" L-brackets that might be possible to use on both... But those have their own set of problems. For one, they usually don't have any of the anti-twist features of the fitted brackets, so might loosen way too easily. Also, the vertical portion of the L-bracket will likely be the wrong length either for the camera alone or the camera plus the grip. The universal L-brackets also often obstruct things on the camera you may need access to, such as sockets for remote releases, HDMI cables, battery or memory card compartments, etc. The custom fitted L-brackets are designed to allow access to these on the camera model they're made to fit.
Personally I don't use L-brackets on any of my cameras that have battery grips. I do have Arca-compatible, fitted (anti-twist) plates on them, but don't care for or need a large L-bracket on them. Very often I am using those cameras with telephotos or macro lenses with tripod mounting collars that allow the camera to easily be set up either in landscape or portrait orientation. Plus I have alternative methods of mounting the camera on a tripod in portrait orientation even when not using one of those larger lenses on them (such as a side mount gimbal head).
I do use L-brackets on a couple cameras without grips...Cameras where I don't need the extra battery capacity or the vertical controls of the grip. In one case it's a camera that doesn't have the option of adding a grip AND is quite compact. In fact, it's so small I find it a bit difficult to shoot with the camera alone and added the L-bracket, in part, to make it a bit larger and more comfortable in hand. Of course it also serves well allowing the camera to be set up in either portrait or landscape orientation.