Spencer145 wrote:
I'll be picking up an RRS L-plate soon and I'm torn between the with grip and without grip option. I'm probably wrong in this thinking, but would the camera be more stable if I got the L-plate that attached directly to the camera, rather then the battery grip?
Thank you.
I use L-plates without battery grip. Personally I feel that using battery grip on a tripod (with normal plate or L-plate) introduces some extra vibrations. The battery grip is not "glued" to the body without any movements. Because of this, I use battery grip hand held normally, and L-plates or normal camera plates directly on the body, when using tripods for landscapes.
IIRC there was an article or thread on LuLa a few years ago where it was suggested that using an L plate in vertical orientation was more susceptible to vibration than when used horizontally. Does anyone remember this? For myself, I have gotten so used to having an L plate that I can`t imagine not using one. Despite the cost I wouldn`t be without one and consider it to be one of the best accessories I`ve ever used.
i do remember this issue and never went too far either. i would say that there is a probability that it can occur. but to this day in use i have yet to get sub par results from in in portrait mode with the lenses i do use. it seems to have come and gone.
I have a 7D with a grip and an RRS L-plate. The plate and grip stay on all the time. I purchased an RRS flash bracket which attaches directly to the L-plate (which I love). No issues with mine, as long as I check periodically to make sure the grip hasn't loosened.
Something to think about, with the battery grip (or any pro sized camera) the center of gravity is higher. I would think this would increase vibration and shake just to the additional height. I have noticed that the camera just feels more top heavy when making adjustments, and using a weaker ball head couldn't hold the camera as well.
Mount the camera with the grip on a tripod (with normal plate or L-plate). Tight the ball head. Hold the body or lens with one hand and your fingers between the grip and the body with the other. Try to move the camera/lens up and down with a little force. Do you feel the movement between the grip and the body? I do.
If you are using a longer lens, you can even see the movement easy in the view finder when focusing. A grip is introducing an extra movement for long exposures and long lenses (eg 70-200 without using a Tripod Mount Ring) if you are mounting the grip directly to the tripod using a camera plate or an L-plate. This is not the case without a grip. Thats my experience. Is this influencing the quality of the pictures? It might, depend on exposures, focal length, wind etc.
Spencer145 wrote:
I'll be picking up an RRS L-plate soon and I'm torn between the with grip and without grip option. I'm probably wrong in this thinking, but would the camera be more stable if I got the L-plate that attached directly to the camera, rather then the battery grip?
I leave my L-plate on the camera all the time. I also have one for the grip but I've never actually used it. I don't trust that hand-tightened one screw connection between the grip and the camera body.
^^^I agree with above. If you primarily shoot with a grip, get that version. I have 2 bodies (one with grip, the other without) and I keep L plates on both of them.
