7D L plate: Kirk or RRS?

PacAce wrote in post #9138065
If you have plates on both the camera and the lens tripod ring (for example, when using one camera with a long lens and another with a normal or wide angle lens), it makes it easier to switch between the two if you didn't have to keep turning the clamp 90 degrees every time you went from one to the other.

it also make it possible to use your camera in portrait orientation when using a tilt head on a monopod when the monopod is connected to the camera.

ed rader

MarkoPolo wrote in post #9137920
Yeah, what Leo said! It' really a square plate that does allow the camera to turned 90 degrees when set in the clamp. I guess I don't get it, but isn't that what I spent all that money on the ball head for? I would much prefer the rail run the the whole length--much easier to place and it would seem to me, more secure. There must be some demand for the "bidirectional dovetail" as most of their newer L brackets feature it, I just don't see any advantage.

It also lets you mount the camera on your gimbal when you need a short lens but the gimbal is the only head you have with you.

ed rader wrote in post #9138554
it also make it possible to use your camera in portrait orientation when using a tilt head on a monopod when the monopod is connected to the camera.

ed rader

Very true. For my other L-plates without the square rail, I have to use a perpendicular adapter to use a monopod with a tilt head on it.

Thanks for the clarifications. I really had not thought of those things. I do change from lens plate to camera plate and that would save a step. It's so new I haven't gotten in that situation yet!

jgrussell wrote in post #9131803
I seemed to recall an issue with RRS on one L plate -- was it for the 40D? -- where the cutout wasn't quite as good as on the Kirk. That's why I asked.

They recently had a problem with their 5D Mark II plate as well. I didn't like the way they tried to hide it either. I purchased one and when I asked them what the difference was between the old and new, they gave me some roundabout answer and never answered my questions directly. I've got a lot of their gear, but they're certainly not the benchmark for service if there is a problem with their spec.

SunTsu wrote in post #9143550
They recently had a problem with their 5D Mark II plate as well. I didn't like the way they tried to hide it either. I purchased one and when I asked them what the difference was between the old and new, they gave me some roundabout answer and never answered my questions directly. I've got a lot of their gear, but they're certainly not the benchmark for service if there is a problem with their spec.

Do you know for a fact that there were issues with their L-plates or are you just assuming that there were? Did you have any problems with the L-plate that you got for the 5D2?

Looking at RRS L-plate line up, the 5D2 is the only camera which has two versions for the "gripped" L-plate. One is for the battery grip and the other is for the WFT wireless transmitter grip. I bet all the confusion about the two versions of the gripped L-plate were related to these two versions.

Based on many years of using RRS products, I confess to being an enthusiastic supporter of everything RRS does and makes, and own & use quite a bit of their stuff. I pestered them long and hard for a gripped 5DMkII L plate and actually drove down to San Luis Obispo from the Bay area to pick up the very first L-plate ever sold for a gripped 5DII the day they received it from their local vendor. I have not had the slightest issue with it.

There were no issues then , and I don't believe there are any now with it.

If SunTsu believes there were problems, he should outline his actual experiences in detail. You won't find a Company in the photo gear business with better customer service than RRS.

JZG

My Kirk L-plate most certainly does not attach to the camera strap lug. I turn out the allen bolt and it comes off.

MarkoPolo wrote in post #9135726
The kirk has one quirk that I don't like, the top is attached to your camera strap lug. It is secure, but if you ever want to take off your L plate, your have to re-string your camera strap! Hope that helps.

Do these only work with one style ball head plate? I do not want to buy another ball head. The one I have is in my sig

rklepper wrote in post #9149591
My Kirk L-plate most certainly does not attach to the camera strap lug. I turn out the allen bolt and it comes off.

My Kirk plate for 7D+BG-E7 clamps to the strap lug. Maybe there is a difference for the models with or without the battery grip?

Personally, I don't use a neck strap, don't remove the L plate, and like the extra rigidity that comes from attaching at two points.

butterfly2937 wrote in post #10012895
Do these only work with one style ball head plate? I do not want to buy another ball head. The one I have is in my sig

As a general rule, Arca Swiss compatible plate are Arca Swiss compatible. If your ballhead is a normal clamp design where you tighten a knob until the plate doesn't move then it should work with any Arca Swiss style plate. The issue is with throw lever clamps like the RRS lever based clamps which require tighter tolerances.

John Z. Goriup wrote in post #9131733
Cut-outs for strap lugs, cut-outs for electronic remore shutter release, laser engraved reference marks for locating L-plate in their quick-release clamps equally in the landscape and portrait position, no sharp edges, hard-anodized finish, positive protection against the camera slipping out of the QR clamp.

Kirk has all of these things except the last one, and in that case it is only the L plates don't have stops. The lens plates have screws that can optionally be installed to prevent the rail from sliding out.

krb wrote in post #10012929
As a general rule, Arca Swiss compatible plate are Arca Swiss compatible. If your ballhead is a normal clamp design where you tighten a knob until the plate doesn't move then it should work with any Arca Swiss style plate. The issue is with throw lever clamps like the RRS lever based clamps which require tighter tolerances.

The ball head I have has a 5 o 6 sided plate but does screw down to attach to the lens or body so will that work? So does the plate slide along the bracket to place the camera in portrait position?

butterfly2937 wrote in post #10012895
Do these only work with one style ball head plate? I do not want to buy another ball head. The one I have is in my sig

butterfly2937 wrote in post #10013322
The ball head I have has a 5 o 6 sided plate but does screw down to attach to the lens or body so will that work? So does the plate slide along the bracket to place the camera in portrait position?

I have the Manfrotto 486RC2 and 488RC2 and I removed the RC2 clamps from these ballheads and replaced them with Arca-Swiss compatible clamps (Wimberley screw clamp and RRS lever clamp). You would have to do the same if you want to use an RRS or a Kirk L-plate on your camera.

PacAce wrote in post #10013337
I have the Manfrotto 486RC2 and 488RC2 and I removed the RC2 clamps from these ballheads and replaced them with Arca-Swiss compatible clamps (Wimberley screw clamp and RRS lever clamp). You would have to do the same if you want to use an RRS or a Kirk L-plate on your camera.

So where can you buy just the top of the ball head in order to convert to arca swiss?