# Good L-Bracket?



## B-Man (Mar 16, 2012)

As the tittle says, anyone can recommend me any good quality and affordable L-Bracket?

Note: Gona use with my Manfrotto 055CxPro3 Tripod with 498RC2 Ball Head.

Oh...any ideas/comments/reviews about the Manfrotto 553 Right Angle Bracket ??

Thanks for Reading!


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## aZhu (Mar 16, 2012)

B-Man said:


> As the tittle says, anyone can recommend me any good quality and affordable L-Bracket?
> 
> Note: Gona use with my Manfrotto 055CxPro3 Tripod with 498RC2 Ball Head.
> 
> ...



Any bracket from Really Right Stuff or Kirk will get the job done. Although they're a little pricey, it's well worth it.


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## David KM (Mar 16, 2012)

I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of this companies gear... I own RSS, Kirk and this brand. RSS you pay the premium for and not quite sure why after this last purchase from Amazon. By far the cheapest and for the price, superb quality. Although the access to the side is a bit hampered, if not too much of a concern... a great buy.

http://www.amazon.com/SUNWAYFOTO%C2%AE-Arca-Swiss-compatible-Universal-DPL-01/dp/B004G8ZSAE/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331920182&sr=1-4


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## epiem (Mar 16, 2012)

RRS or Kirk...Both are great.
But, I have only used my L-Brackets like twice...EVER.

I would get a portrait lens like a 70-200 2.8 which has a bracket attached.

I use the 70-200 100x more often.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 16, 2012)

B-Man said:


> As the tittle says, anyone can recommend me any good quality and affordable L-Bracket?
> Note: Gona use with my Manfrotto 055CxPro3 Tripod with 498RC2 Ball Head.



With an RC2 head, you're somewhat stuck with the Manfrotto system, since that clamp only holds the Manfrotto plates. Given that, you might consider the new Manfrotto L-bracket. I've never tried one, but on paper I'm not terribly impressed with the offering, nor was I happy with the bit of play in the RC2 connection. 

I agree with the above posts that the RRS and Kirk brackets are the best. Unlike the Manfrotto, they are custom designed for specific bodies, so the fit and feel are excellent. But, they're Arca-Swiss compatible, won't work with your head. So, if you want a good L bracket, you're looking at a new head, too. Besides broad compatibility, the AS system offers a much more stable connection - no play. 

Personally, I started with a 488RC2 head and a bunch of plates. I subsequently changed to a Manfrotto 468MG hydrostatic head (an excellent ballhead), and added a Wimberley C-12 clamp for AS-type plates. Now, I've got Wimberley plates on my lens tripod feet, and I'll be getting an L-bracket for my 1D X (RRS or Kirk, not sure yet).



B-Man said:


> Oh...any ideas/comments/reviews about the Manfrotto 553 Right Angle Bracket ??



Why are you interested in this? It's not needed for your setup - the 553 is used with a tripod that has a horizontally positionable center column (yours does) being used with a fixed head, so the camera can still be 'upright' when the column is horizontal. With a ballhead, you just use the drop slot to move the camera 90 degrees so it's upright with the center column horizontal - no need for the 553...


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