Roland W
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I would have preferred the conventional design, but I do not mind the dual direction dovetail on my RSS 7D bracket, and I think it is plenty wide enough for support for that body. But I have different opinions about the benefits than others above.
There are two limited benefits to me. One is the ability to have a clamp oriented fore and aft, and then be able to adjust the camera some in the fore aft direction for balance. But that is only a limited benefit, because of the limited range you can move it in a clamp. Most any video head you would use has its own fore aft adjustment using a built in clamp and long dovetail, but it is one that is not compatible with an A/S dovetail. I just put a small A/S clamp on the dovetail of the video head, oriented with the opening side to side, and I am then set for either of my two bodies that do video. I use the main video head dovetail to get balance with what ever lens I have mounted, and it has plenty of range, especially since you got to choose where to put the small A/S clamp along the length of the video dovetail.
The other benefit is that I can use my RSS monopod tilting head and clamp with a big lens, and also use it with a camera without re mounting the clamp on the tilting head to change orientation. I often shoot "camera on a pole" shots with a remote to get a higher perspective, but still need the tilt to get the angle right with the monopod held near vertical. But most of those I shoot with a 5DmkII, not a 7D, so I still need to re orient for the 5D.
I find no benefit or need to have the dual dovetail for general ball head use. If I am converting from a long lens with lens collar on a given body to a short lens on the same body, I make my lens change of the big lens on the tripod. I have no problem leaving the long lens clamped, and removing the body from the lens, and installing the short lens on the body. I then let the body and short lens be supported by a strap while I deal with the long lens storage. If I do need a strap on the long lens, it is attached to the lens, not the body. The reverse process works fine also to get back to the long lens with the body mounted on the tripod. It is actually safer and easier to change out a body on a long lens while it is clamped on a tripod than trying to do it loose in your hands. Doing a change with the lens on the ground nose down is almost as safe as on a tripod, but not as easy. Plus you need firm level ground for nose down big lens support, which is not always available.
And it is trivial with no risk to any "flopping" occurring to use the pan base if you want to re orient the direction. I never release my ball clamp to the drag mode until I have complete control of the camera, and never leave it released when I let go, so I never accidently end up in a mode that can flop. Of course if the assembly is near balance, which it should be once the body is on, it is also easy to re orient by using your right hand on the main body grip to control everything, and then releasing the ball head clamp. That is exactly what you need to do to frame the shot, so it is a basic skill you need to be good at.
I do not understand at all about the comment from RSS about not needing a nodal slide if you have a dual dovetail. A nodal slide is to provide significant offset of the camera body from the center of the quick release clamp, in order to align the rotation position correctly with the lens in use. The dual dovetail on a 7D might give you 0.5 inches of offset at the most, while most lenses need 2 or 3 inches. So I will keep my RSS nodal slide, thank you very much, and besides, I need it for my 5D in any case.
The use of the dual dovetail on the 7D to mount the body on a gimbal head may make sense to some, but I rarely do that. And if I want to, I can use my nodal slide, if I have it with me. It works perfectly as an adapter for any of my bodies to put them on my Wimberley. And since I use my Wimberley with the arm on the right side, the nodal adapter allows better clearance of the camera grip from the arm without changing around the side I have the arm on.
I would not want RSS to change to the small dual dovetail for any of the bigger bodies when they come out in the future. There are times when I do want and need the extra strength of a full length dovetail, and I also mount things at different positions along the long rail for special situations. So if RSS comes out with that on any bigger bodies, and it is the only option available, I will need to consider my first L plate from other than RSS. And I have bought 7 L plates from RSS over the years, not counting the 7D, so I am obviously very happy with them in their current type of configuration. I wonder if Joe reads this stuff? If so, this is one of your very good customers saying don't loose the option of the conventional style single long dovetail for L brackets on any bigger bodies, or you will lose business.
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