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The new Canon 5DS and 5DSR bodies are very similar in size and shape to the 5D3 camera, and thus a lot of people are using or hoping to use their L Bracket from the 5D3 on their new camera. I own a Really Right Stuff L bracket for my 5D3, and have looked closely at how I may want to use it on my 5DSR. Note that what I have found applies only to the Really Right Stuff L bracket that is made to fit directly on the bottom of the camera. It does not apply to any other brand of L bracket, and does not apply to any bracket that fits on to a battery grip.
Recently Really Right Stuff posted some information on their site, on the page describing their new L bracket that will be sold to fit the 5DS and 5DSR, that explains why the old 5D3 L bracket is not a proper fit on the new cameras. That prompted me to do a more careful look at the differences between my 5D3 and my new 5DSR. I fully agree with the information they have added, and their conclusion that a new bracket is needed to get the right fit.
The first photo shows the bottom of my 5D3. In the area and partly around the threaded mounting socket, the camera has a rectangular raised area of hard rubber with groves in it. That area is raised about 0.009 inches above the surrounding parts of the camera. The RRS L bracket for the 5D3 is flat in the middle area, and pulls down and mounts on that raised surface. The 5D3 L bracket also interfaces with the back edge of the camera with a long curved edge, and with the front of the camera, with a short curved edge at the right side of the L bracket. Those curved edges come in firm and well fitted contact with the camera at the same time that the main bottom part of the plate is clamped to the raised area. The curved edges prevent the camera from rotating from left to right, as well as providing extra support to prevent the camera from tipping up and down.
The second photo shows the bottom of my 5DSR, and it has a different bottom with no raised area. The whole bottom of the camera is a new configuration with a large metal bottom plate, that is tied in to the optical components and sensor in a more rigid manner. The bottom metal has a rectangular area around the threaded socket that has groves, but that area is all either flush with the camera bottom, or recessed slightly in the groves.
When you put the RRS L bracket for the 5D3 on to the bottom of the 5DSR, and snug up the mounting screw slightly, you can see that the front and back curved edges come in contact with the camera body, but there remains a gap under the flat part of the L bracket. You can use a narrow piece of paper as a feeler gage, and find that the paper can easily slip in to that gap. This means that the first contact is at the curved edges of the camera body. If you continue to tighten the screw until it is firm, the plate flexes a little and the camera edges also perhaps gives a bit, and you end up with what seems to be a firm connection. But in doing that, you are applying a lot of force on the curved edges of the camera, which is not where it was planned to occur. The whole bottom metal plate of the camera is flexed some, and that was clearly not what they had in mind for best support. To me this preload of force on the curved edges of the camera could lead to damage at the points of contact, and the way the L bracket is interfacing with the camera is not a firm contact to the metal bottom. I will not be using the RRS 5D3 L bracket on my 5DSR with out some adaptation to make better contact with the flat bottom of the camera.
The third photo shows the inside bottom of the RRS 5D3 L bracket, and also shows aluminum metal tape I have added to allow better contact to the camera. The larger pieces of tape are two layers thick, and for the tape I had that results in a build up of about 0.010 inches. The small piece of tape on the curved edge tab is only one layer. Note that the tape does not cover the two small recessed areas of the L bracket, because those locations need the recess to give space to small raised areas on the camera at those locations. Note that the imprint near the threaded insert is from the tape raising up in to the groves, and that there is no significant thinning of the tape in that area. With this combination of tape, the L bracket is clamping well to the bottom of the camera, and the curved edges are cupping the camera well, but without large contact forces. This is how I will be using my 5DSR until I get the newly designed L bracket from Really Right Stuff. At that time, the 5D3 L bracket will have the tape removed, and will go back to my 5D3, which still has a big role to fill in my photography.
In another earlier thread I gave a preliminary thought that using the RRS 5D3 L bracket on the 5DSR would probably not hurt the camera, but now I am not sure about that. The contact pressure of the curved edges is a high preload, and some larger force like a big flex or an impact could potentially cause damage at the contact locations. I am also worried that using a bare 5D3 bracket may distort the 5DSR body enough to cause optical issues. I am very comfortable with my solution of adding the metal tape as described, and would suggest you consider doing something similar to your RRS 5D3 L bracket if you are going to use it on a 5DS or 5DSR.
Bottom of 5D3, showing raised central area.
Bottom of 5DSR, showing flat metal bottom and recessed groves.
RRS 5D3 L bracket with tape to fill gap and improve support.
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