p.2 #2 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
Gabale for me. Fit and finish is great. Probably not RRS level but certainly good enough. Definitely solid and makes the camera feel much better in the hand.
p.2 #3 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
I tried the SmallRig bracket (got in on the early-bird pricing) and hated it. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it took an uncomfortable grip (naked camera) and made it uncomfortable for different reasons. The grip extension sounded nice on paper, but in practice, the area your pinky would go flares out, to allow room for the battery and battery door. This was really uncomfortable for my pinky - while it was now able to rest/grip on actual material, instead of just hanging out in the air or squeezing the underside of the camera, it had to be extended further/at a different angle than the rest of my hand because of that flared bracket component. It was also pretty chunky and made the camera significantly more bulky in my bag.
I sold it and bought a second-hand RRS plate. So much better (but still so much worse than most DSLR grips, or the Z7 grip). For me. Plus, now I can use the QD sockets for my straps, which is a system I really like.
Ergonomics are a very personal thing - this is how things fit and worked for me. YMMV. If some context might help, I have small-to-average sized hands, wearing a men's small or medium glove depending on the brand. My other hobbies include guitar and competitive pistol shooting, so I have pretty high finger flexibility/dexterity/strength, and still found the SmallRig grip uncomfortable.
p.2 #4 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
darthalal wrote:
I tried the SmallRig bracket (got in on the early-bird pricing) and hated it. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it took an uncomfortable grip (naked camera) and made it uncomfortable for different reasons. The grip extension sounded nice on paper, but in practice, the area your pinky would go flares out, to allow room for the battery and battery door. This was really uncomfortable for my pinky - while it was now able to rest/grip on actual material, instead of just hanging out in the air or squeezing the underside of the camera, it had to be extended further/at a different angle than the rest of my hand because of that flared bracket component. ...Show more →
Yeah, that is the issue I've experienced with most of the add-on grips, they force your pinky in a bit unnatural position that at the beginning feels quite uncomfortable, but somehow in time I've get used to and now it's bearable enough (for sure better than without anything).
p.2 #5 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
I returned the Kirk plate because it was not good for use with wired remote. I then purchased the Gabale L plate which I just received and I think is going to work well. very reasonably priced.
p.2 #6 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
Can anyone tell me which of these plates allows access to the battery compartment with the plate in place and without changing the battery door position.
p.2 #9 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
steve g wrote:
Can anyone tell me which of these plates allows access to the battery compartment with the plate in place and without changing the battery door position.
Thanks so much!
The SmallRig has a cut-out for access to the battery door on the camera, which remains on the camera and opens into the cut-out area. Works fine, and the battery is easily removable by my fat fingers.
p.2 #10 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
Small has a second model coming out now. But currently only comes with a half cage. Fixed the RRS issue and the pinky issue as well as a few other things
I have the current version of the small rig and like it a lot. But I pre-ordered the new version for its improvements as well.
- As you might imagine, it is really well-crafted. Solid, solid, solid + exquisite workmanship.
- Lighter than my RRS 6D (no-gripped) L-bracket
- It is fantastic not to need to fumble for a hex key to adjust the vertical posts: just flip a lever, pull to adjust, and flip to lock again (but see below for a con)
- With the vertical grip in place (snug against the camera), you have access to all ports ... BUT I find the long plug of the Sony micro-USB connector hits the base of the tripod clamp, so I still have to pull the vertical posts away from the body a little to give clearance
Cons:
- It's not that universal in all its aspects. In particular, it comes with a registration pin to prevent twisting, and ports in the base plate to place the pin for different bodies. Unfortunately, it does not have a port for the Sony A7RIII. Which, in combination with not have a lip on the plate, means there is no obvious way to prevent it from twisting. I'll admit that it seems locked in really really really tight, and, at least in the last week of use I have not seen in budge an iota. But only time will tell, I guess.
- The vertical posts come up to just near the top of my camera with the grip. This is no problem in that configuration. BUT, I think if I was not using the grip, then the posts would clear the camera by an inch or so. While not compromising its functionality, I imagine it is going to be bit awkward (or, at least, unsightly, to have it jutting out). Again, this speaks to its very qualified "universality". I was hoping for an L-bracket I could use with both gripped and ungripped cameras.
- The locking levers do not have any indication as to which direction is locked vs unlocked. You just have to fiddle with it to figure out. It's easy enough to figure it out by flipping the lever back and forth: you can feel the increase in tension as it goes into the locked position. But it would be really nice to have a visual confirmation. Worse (and crazily), the vertical plate lock lever locks in the opposite direction to the base plate (vertical: left is locked; base: right is locked).
I still have no decided whether or not to keep it. The main advantage in functionality over the RRS plate -- namely, the lever locks --- is so outstanding, it just might trump all the cons ...
p.2 #14 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
Another vote for the Sunwayfoto bracket. Works great, is well made and so much less painful than shelling out the atrocious gouging of the RRS bracket.
p.2 #15 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
I settled on the SmallRig L-bracket and I'm very much satisfied. It's design allows for normal usage and access of the battery door, which is a big advantage over many other brackets. It also has a strap eyelet underneath the grip, which many of the other cheaper options lack. Those two features, along with the reasonable price, were reason enough to go with the SmallRig option
p.2 #16 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
steve g wrote:
Can anyone tell me which of these plates allows access to the battery compartment with the plate in place and without changing the battery door position.
Thanks so much!
I got the Gabale L-plate and it's been everything I needed. It does appear to be a direct knock-off of the RRS...which includes the feature to remove the battery door from the A7R3 and attach it to the bottom of the plate (which is extremely simple/safe to do,) allowing unimpeded access to the battery. Very highly recommended, I appreciate those here who suggested it to me!
p.2 #17 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
Does anyone know if the Gabale L-bracket would be able to acomodate a 1/4 screw with a d-ring (plate to camera body) to be able to use a Peak Design anchor?
p.2 #18 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
EKhatch wrote:
Does anyone know if the Gabale L-bracket would be able to acomodate a 1/4 screw with a d-ring (plate to camera body) to be able to use a Peak Design anchor?
p.2 #19 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
That unused threaded hole in the photo appears to be flush with the bottom of the bracket meaning that I would not be able to mount the camera to a quick release plate with the d-ring screw and PD anchor attached unless you were referring to something else in the photo you posted. Sorry I should have been more clear that I would want to keep the PD anchor mounted at all times like I can on my SmallRig one.
It's hard to tell from photos if there is enough room to accommodate the larger head of a screw/bolt with a d-ring in place of the original mounting screw.
p.2 #20 · A7R III L-plate...cheap/solid or buy/cry?
EKhatch wrote:
That unused threaded hole in the photo appears to be flush with the bottom of the bracket meaning that I would not be able to mount the camera to a quick release plate with the d-ring screw and PD anchor attached unless you were referring to something else in the photo you posted. Sorry I should have been more clear that I would want to keep the PD anchor mounted at all times like I can on my SmallRig one.
It's hard to tell from photos if there is enough room to accommodate the larger head of a screw/bolt with a d-ring in place of the original mounting screw.
One solution I've adopted before many of the plate makers started adding strap bosses to their plates was to get Luma Loops membrane connector. This is something that slips between the plate and the camera and has a loop on one end. The material was made out of the same rubbery stuff they build inflatables out off. Very, very, very strong, with no stretch, yet thin enough to fit between the plate and camera. Worked like a charm.
Unfortunately, they do not seem to offer it anymore. You might want to contact them to see if they have alternate suggestions / back-stock.
"Luma Labs low profile Membrane Connector sandwiches between your existing quick release plate and your camera, creating a new camera strap mount point. It’s a single piece of laser-cut Hyplon technical material, the same super thin, super lightweight, and super durable material used to make Zodiac boats. The Hyplon Membrane Connector is the perfect solution for using Cinch—or any other camera strap that is designed to attach to the bottom of your camera—with quick release plates that don’t provide their own camera strap mount point."
