Quick Release L Plate Bracket for Canon EOS 5D Mark III + Battery Pack Grip

New toy today, I just purchased this bracket from Ebay seller in Hong Kong, I took a gamble but the price was so inexpensive I had to try it. Fit and finish are top shelf. $99 delivered, shipping was ultra fast, less than one week.

Seller was: rainbowstoreonline

I recently ordered a few plates from a couple of similar ebay etailers in HK and I'm expecting them to arrive sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'm glad to hear the fit and finish are top shelf and the shipping times were reasonable. They seem to set expectations for long shipping times... a case of under promise and over deliver I guess.

Saved $100 when compared to Kirk.

Coral wrote in post #16690293
Saved $100 when compared to Kirk.

Yeah, if the fit and finish is as you say, I think this is one case where paying more for a brand name or whatever is unnecessary.

A question as I'm in the market for an LBracket. Is that hook on the mounting screw meant for a system like the black rapid?

VirtualRain wrote in post #16690356
Yeah, if the fit and finish is as you say, I think this is one case where paying more for a brand name or whatever is unnecessary.

Except that the Kirk mounts to the side of the camera (strap lug) as well as the base of the grip (tripod mount) making for a much stiffer unit with zero flex.

NManuel01 wrote in post #16690650
A question as I'm in the market for an LBracket. Is that hook on the mounting screw meant for a system like the black rapid?

I believe it's simply there to allow you to tighten the screw by hand without tools. I wouldn't use it to support the wight of the camera. However, all of these brackets have an additional 1/4" threaded hole so you can use any such strap with the plate attached.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16690654
Except that the Kirk mounts to the side of the camera (strap lug) as well as the base of the grip (tripod mount) making for a much stiffer unit with zero flex.

I'm no material engineer, but aluminum is extremely rigid... I wouldn't expect any flex anyway. I guess I'll see first-hand shortly (although I bought a plate for use without a grip).

VirtualRain wrote in post #16690667
.........
I'm no material engineer, but aluminum is extremely rigid... I wouldn't expect any flex anyway. I guess I'll see first-hand shortly (although I bought a plate for use without a grip).

It's not the bracket the flexes, it's the connection between the grip and the body.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16690674
It's not the bracket the flexes, it's the connection between the grip and the body.

I see, so it's unnecessary on a non-gripped body, but heplful on one with a grip? That makes sense.

NManuel01 wrote in post #16690650
A question as I'm in the market for an LBracket. Is that hook on the mounting screw meant for a system like the black rapid?

Definitely not. The Sellok pins holding the 'D' onto the bolt head on most of these items can fall out ridiculously easily. They shouldn't, because of the expanding springy design - but they do. Then the Black Rapid (or whatever) attachment slides off the loose end of the 'D', your gear crashes to the floor and we are treated to the embarrassing sight of a grown man crying over a pile of very expensive bits/junk.

I must have had at least a dozen of these pins 'magically' come out for absolutely no apparent reason (all in NON load-bearing situations, I hasten to add. One or two were even just on stock bolts in my parts box). Definitely not to be trusted. They're fine for the intended use, tightening the bolt by hand, but I frankly wouldn't trust them for a moment to bear the weight of anything important hanging off that 'D'. Who wants to take the risk? Not I.

What brand is that?

Looks exactly the same as my ProFoto brand,

"The D ring is just for tightening" and I would not attach my black rapid strap to it, I will use my black rapid D ring fastener for that.

"Aluminum is extremely rigid" As far as flexing; there is no flexing -- rock solid.

The Kirk strap lug is something I would not use as I use a black rapid strap. Saved $100.00

This post's purpose was to tell you about a product that is well engineered and will save you some money IF you are in the market for a Quick Release L Plate Bracket for Canon EOS 5D Mark III + Battery Pack Grip. I can recommend it!

Coral wrote in post #16692033
"The D ring is just for tightening" and I would not attach my black rapid strap to it, I will use my black rapid D ring fastener for that.

"Aluminum is extremely rigid" As far as flexing; there is no flexing -- rock solid.

The Kirk strap lug is something I would not use as I use a black rapid strap. Saved $100.00

This post's purpose was to tell you about a product that is well engineered and will save you some money IF you are in the market for a Quick Release L Plate Bracket for Canon EOS 5D Mark III + Battery Pack Grip. I can recommend it!

I use a black rapid strap, and I use the strap lug. I use a Op-Tech loop through the strap lug so I don't have to constantly remove the Fasten-R from the plate to use my tripod.

The flex I'm talking about isn't the plate, it's the junction between the body and grip. Having a plate that connects both at the body and grip eliminates the flex between the grip and the body. That's what you get for the extra money. That was my point. You didn't "save $100 compared to Kirk", you went with an inferior product. I'm sure it works fine, L brackets aren't rocket science; but it's the little details that cost extra.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16690674
It's not the bracket the flexes, it's the connection between the grip and the body.

This is why I like the Kirk L-bracket.

While an L-bracket (without a strap lug clamp) may be rigid there is still flex between the battery grip and camera. The clamp that tightens around the strap lug eliminates the flex between the battery grip and the camera. Eliminating any flex between the tripod mount and the lens is a good thing.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16692066
I use a black rapid strap, and I use the strap lug. I use a Op-Tech loop through the strap lug so I don't have to constantly remove the Fasten-R from the plate to use my tripod.

The flex I'm talking about isn't the plate, it's the junction between the body and grip. Having a plate that connects both at the body and grip eliminates the flex between the grip and the body. That's what you get for the extra money. That was my point. You didn't "save $100 compared to Kirk", you went with an inferior product. I'm sure it works fine, L brackets aren't rocket science; but it's the little details that cost extra.

Op/Tech Utility Loop -that looks interesting.