Revisiting the "L-Bracket"

Recommended

IN THE last post, I wrote about the L-bracket for my M4/3 Olympus EM-5iii. Over the past several years, I have blogged a few times on this (or closely related) topic. These days, given the leaps and bounds forward with image stabilization technology, one could easily conclude that mounting a camera to some kind of standard (for most of us, a tripod) has been relegated to only special purpose uses. Virtually every FB or other social media page extolls the virtue of the camera's great IBIS ("in body image stabilization"), implying or even outright suggesting that a tripod is just no longer needed. But that conclusion would be wrong, in my opinion. I don't discount the virtue of image stabilization. Nor do I deny that it has made handholding in some situations the choice of preference. But there are still many circumstances where using a tripod is either completely necessary, or highly recommended. At least for now.

I SHOOT the majority of my landscape images from a tripod. I still remember the frustration of trying to line up my composition on all three axes - especially with a ball head. And then, when you wanted to look at the 90 degree perspective (landscape vs. portrait orientation), re-calibrating that composition was sometimes nearly impossible.

design of these erstwhile simple brackets has become increasingly challenging

IN THE 2000's I was introduced to the "L-bracket." What a simple, yet elegant solution. In the beginning. But as camera technology has expanded and manufacturers have added more and more accessory ports, along with the very handy "articulating" rear LCD screen, design of these erstwhile simple brackets has become increasingly challenging. With that, I believe that in many cases, the engineers have simply not even seriously considered camera-stand attachments as part of the design, and bracket manufacturers just don't design and sell them for many of the most modern cameras. On my last two "camera upgrades" I have run into this vexing issue.

"Rube Goldberg" modification of the RRS Bracket "designed" for my Olympus EM--5iii

FOR MY Olympus EM-5iii, I ended up modifying the very expensive RRS L-bracket with a grinder, some emory paper and some black spray paint. It works, but it is definitely "Rube Goldberg" material. For the newest "Full Frame" Sony A7CR, That didn't appear possible and I was close to simply giving up, when I found an ingenious new solution. It restored my faith that good engineering could overcome some of these issues. And believe it or not, the new solution is even simpler than the now venerable L-bracket.

Slik "i-Bracket"

WHAT COULD possibly trump the L-bracket? The "i-Bracket!" I have long praised the Arca-Swiss style dovetail L-bracket for its elegant simplicity. The i-bracket is even more elegantly simple. My dad, the professional engineer, had a favorite theory. Most really well-designed and durable mechanisms have a single concept at their heart: simplicity. It is hard to image a simpler design than a straight, flat dovetail bracket. That dovetail on the end, though, is the genius. I am actually surprised that some enterprising inventor or engineer didn't arrive upon this sooner.

THE LONG-time tripod manufacturer, Slik, sells these things for a very reasonable $50 price, either directly on their own website, or through Amazon. Since I am a many-years Prime member, and I like the free shipping and fast turnaround times, ordered mine from Amazon. One thing that might give you pause when looking at this thing is the small size of the "portrait mode" dovetail on the end of the bracket. You might be skeptical that there is enough there to give the tripod dovetail clamp enough "purchase" to feel that it is secure. Machined from fairly thick aluminum, the dovetail is about 1/2 inch wide on the narrow end. I can assure you from testing. It is plenty secure (barring user error). There is at least one other manufacturer who has now introduced a similar bracket: (Leophoto). I have never owned a Leofoto accessory of any kind, but I know they are one of the well-thought of newcomers to the tripod and lens accessories game. It looks like it would be similarly useful, as it also has the same "i-bracket" design. It looks a bit bulky to me, though it touts that that very bulky design is a positive, slightly extending the bottom of the camera's grip. Personally, I think the A7CR feels fine in hand as is. If you have larger hands, you might look at this Leofoto model. I wasn't able to find it on Amazon, but it did come up as a direct purchase (I presume, shipping from China) from the company with a Google search.

Leofoto i-bracket

THE i-BRACKET from Slik is slightly more complicated than my explanation of it as a simple flat bar. It is actually two precision-fitting, indexed bars that slide on top of each other. But that's a good thing, because it gives the bracket some adjustability. On Amazon's site it also specifies compatibility with Canon EOS R, Sony a7, and Nikon Z Series cameras.

I HAVE previously noted (in prior blogs) that these brackets (both "L" and "i") must be designed as a camera-specific part in order to be useful. The primary piece is the anti-rotation lip machined or cast integrally onto the bracket, which prevents the camera from rotating forward or backward when mounted. The Slik bracket provides a couple slots and holes, which should allow for placement of the camera base tripod sockets being different. The fit on the A7CR (and a presume the A7C and A7Cii would be identical) is perfect.

I AM very happy to recommend this accessory - perhaps as highly as anything I have recommended here.

Recommended