SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Looks pretty nice but I’m having a hard time seeing why it’s worth $200 more than the Smallrig I bought.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

I use a Platypod fairly often and hanging a camera off the side is a hard no. An L bracket is a necessity.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

That brings out another good point. If you have to drop the ball head completely to the side to change orientation it limits other adjustments you can make.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

You can make an adapter - or maybe buy one - but hard to find I think ......I have made them.

TomHackett Loc: Kingston, New York

I started using L brackets a few years ago after some bad experiences with (cheap) tripods that didn't hold the camera level in portrait mode. I was also frustrated that each tripod manufacturer seemed to have their own idea of what plates were needed to have QR capability. ("That's why I like standards--there are so many to choose from.")

It seemed that the most "standard" clamp was ARCA. So now, each of my cameras has an L bracket with an ARCA groove, and each tripod has an ARCA type clamp. Attaching the camera in either portrait or landscape mode is a cinch. The L brackets also allow easy access to the battery and memory card(s) and they slide out for access to the HDMI, USB, etc. connections.

Effate Loc: El Dorado Hills, Ca.

I agree, great fit and access to every camera function. I have used them on my last five cameras and I like and use the QD port for shoulder and hand straps. RRS👌

Sinewsworn Loc: Port Orchard, WA

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Which L bracket are you referring to from SmallRig, for which camera?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

True, but still, it's a nice gimmicky thing to own. I'm afraid I would never use one, though.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Don't like them, don't use them, gets in the way of my "FEEL" for the camera in my hands.

Baysitter11 Loc: Cincinnati

My L-bracket lives on my camera. Like the way it feels and I have the versatility on the tripod.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

On the whole, I don't care for and don't use L-brackets.

However, a couple years ago when I bought up a mirrorless camera for, among other things, street photogrpahy... it felt uncomfortably small in my hands. Not that my hands are large. It's just that I was accustomed to full size DSLRs with battery grips.

At any rate, I use the Arca-Swiss quick release system on everything. It is SOOOOO much more versatile and simple than the two different Manfrotto/Bogen types I'd been using (the small plates on my 35mm film cameras, the larger hexagonal plates on medium format and large format film cameras).

By their very nature, L-brackets lend themselves to using the Arca style system. It's just a matter of making them the right width and then machining the dovetail grooves on either side. Neither of the legacy Manfrotto/Bogen systems work well on an L-bracket (With the Manfrotto/Bogen plates I used both homemade L-brackets and "spacers" on some cameras, lenses and other gear.)

I knew I'd want one, so started looking for an Arca plate for my new mirrorless. Not many companies make them for this specific camera. I only found two... one was out of stock, both were rather pricey for a simple fitted plate. Then I found a Chinese-made L-bracket (eBay!) and thought it worth a try. At 1/3 the cost of the few Arca plates, I really wasn't expecting very much... but what the heck. In under a week it arrived and was FAR better made than expected, fits perfectly. It also is a modular design.... the "leg" can be removed for it to serve as a fitted Arca plate, rather than an L-bracket. It doesn't obstruct any of the ports or controls of the camera, allows access to battery and memory card, and has anti-twist features. Even has 1/4 threads to mount to a standard tripod, if needed.

However, after using it a short while I found, in this particular case, that the L-bracket making the camera a little larger and slightly heavier actually made it more comfortable for me. Not that I'll be adding one to larger cameras with battery grips. But if I find myself shooting with another small camera, I might consider one. (By the way, some L-brackets accommodate a lefthand grip, if wanted.)

jcboy3

I put custom Arca baseplates on all of my cameras, and keep them on. They add a little extra height so all my fingers are on the camera, and they are ready for mounting on tripods or attachment to my camera slings. On occasion, I will add the vertical part. The vertical part can be useful for panoramas, but I prefer to use my pano adapter which allows me to tilt the camera. The vertical part is also a pain when plugging cables into the camera.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Where I could get a custom-designed L-bracket, I have those. Regardless of design, I have L-brackets on all my interchangeable lens cameras, as well as lens-plates on all my lens collars. No fuss, no thought, no planning. Every camera and lens is immediately prepared for mounting to my quick-release clamps on my tripods and monopods. All the equipment is Arca-Swiss design, mostly RRS and also Kirk.