Re: Really Right Stuff RRS L-Plate for Nikon Z9 is the winner
CanadaMark wrote: mach250 wrote:
when you say vertical play does the camera/lens sag or what is happening?
Every plate has a pit of play if you put leverage on the camera. Your connection to the tripod head also matters, because that can move too even if your plate is solid.
Hudson Henry has a YouTube video (Z9 accessories) where he shows you the SmallRig, Arcatech, and Kirk plates and you can clearly see the camera shaking a little bit when he grabs/taps the camera with every plate. That might give you an idea of what to expect. None of them appear to sag on their own. My SmallRig plate doesn't flex nearly as much as his does in the video when he puts leverage on it, I am guessing the vertical bracket screws were loose on his. No setup is 100% solid, so you need to be using a remote or similar anyway if you want to guarantee stability on a tripod regardless of the plate you have.
I have the SmallRig L bracket - it's more than solid enough for me, and wind doesn't make it shake. My only complaint is it's a little tight on the strap ring if you have the plate centered and the anti-rotate peg in place. It doesn't contact it, but it prevents it from moving. I may exchange it for a universal plate, I haven't made up my mind yet.
Just be careful with RRS - there is a recent thread here where two different people had L-brackets with obvious QC issues (one wrecked his camera grip) and RRS told them both to pound sand. With how overpriced their stuff is, they should have just replaced the brackets or at a minimum, requested the brackets be shipped to them for investigation - to me, that is unacceptable customer service.
Hi Mark,
If you check that thread you'll see a correction was posted a week or more ago (I was one of the 2 people) - neither mine nor the OP's RRS plates were the problem - the crease in the MB-D18 was designed in by Nikon. As corrected in that thread, the crease is seen in its exact same form on every new MD-D18, verified in unboxing videos and from product pics by other reviewers.
There may be some variability in the Smallrig L-plate as it sounds like you find yours solid - mine is not, it's actually the worst instability when mounted vertically of any L-bracket I've owned by any brand (I've had more than a dozen over the past few decades). And yes I know how to position and tighten and L-plate 😁 I'm likely more critical of such things because I strive for critical sharpness in my landscape files and print 50” wide or larger, and in past tests I did there have been issues with certain brackets when mounted on the L side. My bet is that many users will not notice, so it really depends on the individual photographer and their requirements.
Cheers,
Ross
Apr 13, 2022 at 01:15 PM
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