Julian wrote:
So many choices... so little time. I am looking for suggestions about this item. Who makes the best? Thank you.
Honestly, how much difference can there be between different brands of L-brackets? They all do essentially the same thing.
First things first.... are you using the D850 with or without the MB-D18 battery grip? This is important. All the following are for the camera alone, without the grip. If using the grip, these won't work. With a grip on the camera you'll need a different bracket.
B&H Photo and/or Adorama:
- Really Right Stuff BD850-L SET (2-piece).... $180
- Photo Clam 1-piece LB850... $180
- Photo Clam 2-piece LB850SE... $148
- Kirk Photo BL-D850.... $145
- Really Right Stuff Ultralite BD850-L (1-piece)... $140
- ProMediaGear PLND850... $130
- Sirui TYD850L... $88 ($108 minus $20 mail-in rebate)
- SmallRig #2232... currently out of stock @ B&H (was $69?)
- Sunwayfoto PNL-D850... $50
- Field Optics FL-850... $30
There are also several on eBay for $24-$30, new and used. There are higher priced ones there, too.
So, how much do you want to spend? Aside from some of the above being 1-piece and others being a 2-piece design, I don't see much difference aside from the brand name and the prices.
I was recently looking for a camera plate for a small mirrorless and couldn't find one I liked at what I considered a reasonable price (very few choices and the cheapest was $50). I ended up getting an L-bracket instead... A brand I've never heard of (Fittest), via eBay, for all of $16 including shipping from China. It took about a week to arrive. But I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality. It fits perfectly, doesn't interfere with accessing anything on the camera and even is a 2-piece design, with a couple screws that can be removed to use just the base as a more compact camera plate. I don't generally like L-brackets for the bulk they add... But in this case the camera is so small that I actually appreciate it.