You CAN adapt Manfro to A/S quite easily ! Generic L brackets are cheap and they work ! If you use larger lenses without tripod collar, IMO, you need a way of providing BALANCE over your tripod head ON BOTH AXIS for efficient use. PM me for specifics.

Acratech has a new head - https://www.ebay.com/itm/DEMO-never-used-Acratech-1160-Long-Lens-Head/183330020191?hash=item2aaf521b5f%3Ag%3AKv4AAOSwoSFbTdi4&_sacat=625&_nkw=acratech&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313 - for large lenses.

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OTOH, I can't conceive of paying what some people want for these truly simple devices. The can be milled inexpensively from good material. No decent engineer is going to market and sell a device that blocks the battery door, particularly when the expensive tools give all the measurements and material specs. It's called reverse engineering. As a designer/engineer/etc... buy the expensive one for a sample, craft it and sell it.

No one has ever walked up to me and exclaimed "Whoooah! is that an RRS L plate???"

Somebody makes and sells just what you need for a reasonable price.

I have a Manfrotto tripod that I like but it does not take Arca Swiss. I am considering getting a different tripod or at least changing heads.

I think I want to be able to use an L bracket. I am interested in feed back on L brackets and their use. I use a tripod quite a bit and seldom do vertical shots because of the hassle. It seems to be the way to go but it is an investment so I want to be sure.

I use both a full frame camera and also a D500. I see several choices for brackets for the FF - RRS, Kirk and others. As far as I can tell, RRS does not have a bracket for the D500 but I did find one Kirk model. Is there some reason not to use an L bracket on the D500? I was surprised RRS did not have one (unless I missed it). EDIT: RRS does have one. It is just currently out of stock.

I would appreciate any advice on these subjects.

I have two L brackets, one for my K-1 and one for my X1D. Custom brackets are more expensive but they won't block access to the card slots, outputs or battery. If you have a generic one it could be frustrating have to remove it when you need access to the camera. I have a Manfrotto tripod and bought an arca-swiss compatible ball head for it. The L brackets make switching from horizontal to vertical (portrait) easy. I shoot panos in the vertical and with the L bracket the camera is centered above the ball head not hanging off the side.

I have a Manfrotto tripod that I like but it does not take Arca Swiss. I am considering getting a different tripod or at least changing heads.

I think I want to be able to use an L bracket. I am interested in feed back on L brackets and their use. I use a tripod quite a bit and seldom do vertical shots because of the hassle. It seems to be the way to go but it is an investment so I want to be sure.

I use both a full frame camera and also a D500. I see several choices for brackets for the FF - RRS, Kirk and others. As far as I can tell, RRS does not have a bracket for the D500 but I did find one Kirk model. Is there some reason not to use an L bracket on the D500? I was surprised RRS did not have one (unless I missed it). EDIT: RRS does have one. It is just currently out of stock.

I would appreciate any advice on these subjects.

I was in your position a number of years ago - a Manfrotto tripod and the head had its clamp built in. When I decided to start using RRS, I wanted to start small [$ was an issue...], so I wanted to purchase their clamp and camera plate. Talked to people at RRS and was told how to make that happen. Not exactly sure now, I don't remember everything, but the new clamp was attatched to the Manfrotto clamp. I believe it was done by attaching the RRS clamp to the Manfrotto plate being held in the Manfrotto clamp! From there I ended up with all RRS - Tripod, B-55 ballhead, plate for my camera. Heavy-duty stuff, and that first clamp and plate I bought exuded an aura of quality when I took them out of the package! I've never been disappointed with anything from RRS. Now I have RRS L-plates on both my cameras.

The L-plate from RRS has been made to fit a particular camera, and it is not just to prevent rotation. It also has openings on the vertical side that allow you to access ports for accessories [such as the wired remote shutter release] without hassle. The reason why Rotation is an issue is because the camera and lens combination may be within the declared limits for the tripod head, but not all manufacturers will sufficiently account for that extra pressure [I think it is called "shear force"] that occurs with longer lens length and with tipping the camera up or down so it is no longer centered over the tripod. As has already been mentioned, the L-plate will also be added protection for the camera. This I know from personal experience. Took a nasty fall, camera was on the strap around my neck. The L-bracket got a "ding" in it right on the corner. If it was not there, the possibility the camera itself would be damaged was very much higher. I also had the lens hood on the lens, so no damage there either! Only damage was to me, but luckily it was messy but only superficial.

Head slippage was also an issue I had. Similar to the reasons for rotation. I love the B-55, heavy duty ball head from RRS. Yes, a gimbal head would be better for a large lens, because it makes it easier to move the lens quickly. The main reason for any difficulty with a large lens on a ball head seems to me to be because of its weight, but many people are so used to it that it does not bother them. I am planning to buy a gimbal head, but don't have a very long lens yet!

If you are considering purchasing a new tripod in the future, keep in mind that a very good tripod is not likely to be any less than ~$500 [RRS start at $835 for full-size carbon fiber] . And when you have spent more than that for each of [or most of] your cameras and lenses, it is not unreasonable to buy the best you can for that added quality and stability. Nothing worse than a tripod tipping over because the camera/lens combination makes it unstable.

I do mostly landscapes and find a L bracket is indispensable. Having to find the slot in the ball mount and when you do realizing that the tripod needs to be adjusted so you can get things level is really a pain. Generic L brackets are ok but but can be a hassle if you need to change batteries or plug in a remote release, plus they can make a handheld shooting a bit awkward. The "better"brackets" are quite nice and tend to blend more with the camera body shape and allow you to access all the camera ports. Well worth it in my opinion.