RRS L-Plate for 7D w/ BG-E7 Grip - Mini Review with Photos

krepta wrote in post #10947465
Here are some additional pictures to show the plate used in portrait mode.

1. It's hard to tell in this one, but the connector of the remote switch does not even touch the clamp on the tripod head. So it's not a tight fit. It's close, but you don't have to worry about it getting squished. Notice the gap between the vertical side of the L-Plate and the side of the camera.

so you have to space out the L plate so that the remote connector doesn't hit the clamp?

krepta wrote in post #10947421
jay_jay_n, I believe Albert (kinghong1970) was responding to the other Jay (tvphotog).

But to answer your question, no, there is no wiggle that I can discern. The plate is very solid and well constructed, and there is no play in the mount area and the screw. As long as the plate is securely fastened to the camera (or rather, to the grip in this case), everything stays in place nicely.

Jay, you do have to space the plate out to allow for the connector of the remote to fit in when shooting in portrait mode. It does not show in my original pictures, but I do this from the get-go when I mount the plate so that I don't have to adjust it (sliding it outward) when i want to switch from landscape to portait mode. Of course, doing this moves the nodal point slightly off center from the camera (in landscape mode), but that's not really a big deal.

lol thx ..

jay_jay_n wrote in post #10947323
i don't mean the cutout since i have a grip not made by canon it seems to wiggle with some movement when u pull to the left of the L bracket just wondering if its the same case with the original battery grip because i have the B87-QR Bracket that attaches to the left side so when i go portrait it move just slightly not bad like its gonna break just a little concerned

The wiggle may defeat the whole purpose of a stable tripod platform. If you can find the wiggle point, perhaps you can put some gaffer tape between the body and the grip at that point.

klr.b wrote in post #10947723
so you have to space out the L plate so that the remote connector doesn't hit the clamp?

Yes, for shooting in portrait orientation, you have to space out the L-Plate so that the remote connector doesn't stick out.

lol... so many Jay's here... thanks for clearing that up Alex!

krepta wrote in post #10949434
Yes, for shooting in portrait orientation, you have to space out the L-Plate so that the remote connector doesn't stick out.

have you guys told RRS about this? i wonder if they are aware of this. it seems somewhat like a design flaw to me. if i paid all that money for an L-plate, i'd be disappointed.

kinghong1970 wrote in post #10949469
lol... so many Jay's here... thanks for clearing that up Alex!

You are welcome!

klr.b wrote in post #10949875
have you guys told RRS about this? i wonder if they are aware of this. it seems somewhat like a design flaw to me. if i paid all that money for an L-plate, i'd be disappointed.

How is this a design flaw? The mount area is designed such that you can "slide" the L-Plate out for portrait orientation. It's a feature rather than a flaw. RRS accounted for the fact that the remote connector sticks out a bit. It's a non-issue in landscape orientation, and in portrait orientation it's compensated by sliding the plate into the second position.

In this photo, look closely where the screw is. There is a small notch right above it. That's the second position. You just have to loosen the screw a bit, but not completely, slide the plate, and re-tighten.

i just looked at the RRS site and apparently they are aware of this. their product pictures show the same spacing to allow for the remote cable.

i see it as a flaw because they could have made the portrait side thicker. sure it would be a tiny bit heavier, but i'm sure they could have saved weight by milling most of it out. i'd understand if they did it to keep the distance between the center of the lens and the QR plate exactly the same, but it's not. you have to admit the whole thing would be rock solid if the portrait side of the L-plate was butted up against the side of the body. i get that you can butt it up, but you shouldn't have to space it out for the remote.

klr.b wrote in post #10950188
i just looked at the RRS site and apparently they are aware of this. their product pictures show the same spacing to allow for the remote cable.

i see it as a flaw because they could have made the portrait side thicker. sure it would be a tiny bit heavier, but i'm sure they could have saved weight by milling most of it out. i'd understand if they did it to keep the distance between the center of the lens and the QR plate exactly the same, but it's not. you have to admit the whole thing would be rock solid if the portrait side of the L-plate was butted up against the side of the body. i get that you can butt it up, but you shouldn't have to space it out for the remote.

RRS did it for a purpose. I know because I called and asked about it when I bought my L bracket. They did it to make the bracket/body combination more compact when you use it without a tripod, which for me is most of the time. It saves a half cm when packing, and it's come in handy for me when packing this big 5D2 body in a small bag such as the Lowepro Classified 140 which I take in the evenings when on a trip. When you want to use the sticks, you move the bracket out.

Kirk makes the vertical piece of the L as a solid bar, which is a half cm thicker and makes your camera permanently thicker when trying to pack it. That's why I bought the RRS.

looks well made and very useful

tvphotog wrote in post #10950978
RRS did it for a purpose. I know because I called and asked about it when I bought my L bracket. They did it to make the bracket/body combination more compact when you use it without a tripod, which for me is most of the time. It saves a half cm when packing, and it's come in handy for me when packing this big 5D2 body in a small bag such as the Lowepro Classified 140 which I take in the evenings when on a trip. When you want to use the sticks, you move the bracket out.

Kirk makes the vertical piece of the L as a solid bar, which is a half cm thicker and makes your camera permanently thicker when trying to pack it. That's why I bought the RRS.

+1 That's exactly why I see it as a feature rather than a flaw. It allows for the plate to be thinner and lighter, and takes up less room in storage. It is still very solid in spite of the gap. I haven't had any issues with stability because of it.

krepta wrote in post #10951237
+1 That's exactly why I see it as a feature rather than a flaw. It allows for the plate to be thinner and lighter, and takes up less room in storage. It is still very solid in spite of the gap. I haven't had any issues with stability because of it.

I don't think anyone who owns one has, either.

tvphotog wrote in post #10950978
RRS did it for a purpose. I know because I called and asked about it when I bought my L bracket. They did it to make the bracket/body combination more compact when you use it without a tripod, which for me is most of the time. It saves a half cm when packing, and it's come in handy for me when packing this big 5D2 body in a small bag such as the Lowepro Classified 140 which I take in the evenings when on a trip. When you want to use the sticks, you move the bracket out.

Kirk makes the vertical piece of the L as a solid bar, which is a half cm thicker and makes your camera permanently thicker when trying to pack it. That's why I bought the RRS.

thanks for clarifying. i was interested in the RRS, but i may look towards the kirk L-bracket.

i see that it works for you. it's just that i would guestimate that 80-90% of people that buy the L-bracket from RRS did so solely for tripod use. i bet a lot of them like to keep it on at all times--especially the ones using the RRS flash brackets. taking out the allen wrench to loosen the bolt and slide it closer to (or away from) the body every time just to set up/break down the camera seems like a hassle. if i was concerned with space, i would just take the L-bracket off. a couple more twists of the wrench and the whole thing comes off. i know, different strokes for different folks.

good review, though. thanks for all the different angles and pics, alex.

klr.b wrote in post #10952083
thanks for clarifying. i was interested in the RRS, but i may look towards the kirk L-bracket.

i see that it works for you. it's just that i would guestimate that 80-90% of people that buy the L-bracket from RRS did so solely for tripod use. i bet a lot of them like to keep it on at all times--especially the ones using the RRS flash brackets. taking out the allen wrench to loosen the bolt and slide it closer to (or away from) the body every time just to set up/break down the camera seems like a hassle. if i was concerned with space, i would just take the L-bracket off. a couple more twists of the wrench and the whole thing comes off. i know, different strokes for different folks.

good review, though. thanks for all the different angles and pics, alex.

My pleasure! I hope you find a solution or alternative that suits your needs.