The L-bracket: the most useful photography tool ever

Thursday 17 August 2023, 16:03 by Nando Harmsen | 9,773 views | 11 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Do you often use a tripod? Then you probably have a tripod plate that you screw to the bottom of your camera, or under the tripod collar of your lens.

There are various types and brands, the best known probably being those from Manfrotto and Arca-Swiss.

L-brackets are specially designed to fit your camera perfectly. You do not get that with standard tripod plates. The L-bracket is on the right, the other one on the left.
The separate plates have one drawback. When you have the camera in the horizontal position, they work well. It becomes more difficult when you want to use the camera in the vertical position. You then have to tilt the ball head, so the camera hangs beside the centre of the tripod.

The disadvantage of a standard tripod plate. In vertical orientation, the camera ends up off-centre and you have to compose the image again.
If you do that, three things happen in principle.

The camera gets a different position and height, so you have to compose the image again. The camera ends up off-centre, making it less stable. And the camera can hit the side of the tripod, which in the worst case means that the camera cannot hang completely vertically.

If you have a three-way head, that last problem does not really apply. But there is a fourth possible problem that applies to all tripod heads.

The camera may start to sag. This happens because the tripod plate is not secured properly. Or the camera and lens combination is too heavy.

Nando benro cameraplate

The danger when a tripod plate is not secured firmly enough. This is simulated, but it could easily happen in real life
I have been using the Arca-Swiss system since 2005. It is a very flexible and useful system that offers many possibilities, many of which I use. One of those possibilities is the useful L-bracket.

Choose the right L-bracket for your camera. There is one available for every model.
An L-bracket is an L-shaped tripod coupling that stays permanently attached to the camera. It allows you to put the camera on the tripod horizontally or vertically, without having to adjust the tripod head.

As far as I know, they are only available for the Arca-Swiss system, which in my view is the best system for a tripod connection.

Simply loosen it, tilt it and tighten it again. The composition stays the same, and the camera remains in the centre of the tripod for the best stability.

The L-bracket fits perfectly around the camera, so it cannot rotate or twist.

No tripod plates sticking out beyond the body

When changing from horizontal to vertical orientation, the composition is maintained

The weight of the camera and lens stays neatly centred above the tripod, making everything as stable as possible

The aluminium of the L-bracket provides extra protection against knocks

It is perfect for panorama photography in combination with a nodal slide

There is room for accessories such as a flash bracket, small-rig couplings, and so on

There is no danger of the tripod plate twisting. It is moulded perfectly around the body.

Putting the camera into the vertical position is easy. It takes no time and you do not have to compose the image again

If you have the right one for your camera, all connections and covers remain accessible. The L-bracket never has to come off.

You attach an L-bracket once. After that, it becomes a permanent part of your camera

Do you ever shoot panoramas? Then a nodal slide fits perfectly onto it.

The L-bracket also protects your camera body. This keeps your equipment in excellent condition.
When you choose an L-bracket made specifically for your camera, you can continue to use all the covers and connections, and there is still room to change batteries or memory cards. You can even attach a black-rapid strap to it, if you use one.

The more general L-brackets may not give you free access to all the camera's connections. It is therefore better to spend a little more than to buy a cheap version that never fits perfectly and has to be removed regularly.

There are also some disadvantages to an L-bracket, which in my view do not outweigh the benefits.

Good, camera-specific L-brackets can be expensive

They make the camera body a little larger, so it may no longer fit perfectly in your bag.

Although they are not heavy, they still add a few hundred grams

For me, the L-bracket is the best accessory you can have when you use a tripod a lot. I never want to be without one.

Dit artikel is voor het laatst bijgewerkt op 17 augustus 2023.
De eerste publicatiedatum is woensdag 19 augustus 2020, 23:23.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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11 comments

Tromp Willem van Urk wrote on Sunday 23 August 2020 at 17:54 | reply
Totally agree with Nando. I also had an L-bracket on my 5DMark3. I only screwed it on once. After that it never came off again!
I am now planning to switch to Canon's R series. And those have a tilting display. I wonder if an L-bracket is still possible then !?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 09:56 | reply
@Willem:
Absolutely. L-brackets are also available for the EOS R, which also has a tilting display. That system is no different from the one for the R5 and R6.
Because the camera is so new, the dedicated L-brackets may not be available yet. But they will definitely be coming.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 14:04 | reply
I have been using Really Right Stuff L-brackets on all my cameras for years.Never experienced any problems. In combination with their ball heads, top material. Only downside : substantial investment. But how many people don’t first start with a cheap tripod / ball head, then a more expensive one, and finally an expensive and solid tripod. All things considered, this is still much more expensive.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 15:26 | reply
@Guest:
RRS is indeed expensive, but I've seen the quality and finish in very few other brackets.
Translated from Dutch.

guest wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 16:01 | reply
How do you maintain the composition when changing from a horizontal to vertical position? The composition changes by definition then, doesn't it?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 16:23 | reply
@Guest:
No, the composition remains the same. The position of the camera relative to your subject remains exactly the same, after all.
It is the orientation that changes, from horizontal to vertical.
Translated from Dutch.

Annemarie wrote on Tuesday 25 August 2020 at 20:39 | reply
I would love to buy one for my Panasonic Lumix GX8 mirrorless camera, but they are unavailable anywhere.
And if you take a universal model, you can no longer use the display, which is very inconvenient with macro photography (low to the ground).
Does anyone know a solution?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 26 August 2020 at 10:02 | reply
@Annemarie:
I had a look, and indeed; there isn't one available for the Lumix GX8. Unfortunately.
I'm afraid you'll have to do without an L-bracket then.
Translated from Dutch.

Paulussie wrote on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at 22:50 | reply
It's a solution for the problem I'm experiencing with those loose Arca-Swiss plates, which constantly come loose and twist, but it's only worthwhile if you use your tripod very often.
And either always or never use a battery pack......
As Johan already said: every disadvantage has its advantage.
Translated from Dutch.

Paulussie wrote on Tuesday 8 September 2020 at 22:51 | reply
I find those arca-swiss plates hopeless, they keep coming loose.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 9 September 2020 at 10:17 | reply
@Paulussie;
I assume you don't have plates from the Arca-Swiss brand, but from another brand that is arca-swiss compatible.
You're right, there's also a lot of junk among them, plates that are arca-swiss compatible but don't screw on properly.
If you have a good one, then there's no problem. It's just that most people want to go as cheap as possible.
Translated from Dutch.

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