L bracket for BP-300

[yakim_peled1]

Hi Guys ,

 

I think I got it now. I want an L bracket (I saw

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/rrs-l.shtml and

got excited) for my future monopod (Bogen 434SS / Manfrotto 682).

Problem is, I'd like it to fit the BP-300. I've searched and there

seems to be no such product. Please tell me I'm wrong....

 

TIA.

 

Happy shooting ,

Yakim.

[oliver_s.]

Burzynski makes an Arca Swiss-compatible "L" bracket whose short arm measures either 40 or 65 mm. Unfortunately his shop seems to have no Internet access!<p>Rainer Burzynski<br>Naturfoto-Spezialzubehör<br>Dorfstr. 44a<br>17291 Lindenhagen<br><b>Germany</b><p>telephone (+49) (+39856) 3061<br>fax (+49) (+39856) 3062<p>Most Germans understand English, so just send him a fax. Fwiw, Burzynski is in Germany what Kirk is in the US: the guy you contact if you need something to fit an Arca QR base.

[yakim_peled1]

Oliver, thanks a lot. He is a really nice person and the product looks good. However, it's 200 euro for the L bracket, QR plate and the base.

 

Any cheaper options ?

[oliver_s.]

Two hundred Euros? Oops, I thought you were searching specifically for an Arca-compatible bracket. (The link you posted shows such one.) Fwiw, <a href="http://www.isarfoto.de">Isarfoto</a>, a German nature photography specialty shop, has the following prices:<br>Burzynski L plate with standard 1/4" threads � 49.00<br>Burzynski L plate with Manfrotto MA 200PL-14 plates � 89.00<br>Burzynski L plate with Novoflex MiniConnect 1/4" plates � 97.00<br>Burzynski L plate with Arca-compatible plates � 100.00<br>All prices include 16 per cent VAT but no import duties, of course--the shop's 20 km from where I live. The least expensive Arca-style QR base ("Graf Schnellkupplung klein") goes for � 89.00. Search around at the <a href="http://www.kirkphoto.com/platforms.html">Kirk site</a>: their QR bases start at $ 47.00!<p>IMHO a QR is a "must have" if you use a tripod or monopod as it makes handling much easier. If you search around, you'll find that many photographers praise the Arca system, and believe us (I'm one of them), it <i>is</i> the best and worth its price.<p>And there is a less expensive "L" bracket: the Novoflex "Q-Plate Vertical". (Click <a href="http://www.novoflex.com/english/html/index_e.htm">here</a> and navigate your way through "products", "mounting systems", and "Q-base" to "Q-plate".) The sytem is Arca QR-compatible, and this bracket is a one-size-fits-all design which sells for � 79.90 in Germany and for $ 99.95 at <a href="http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=details&sid=105291956532999397&sku=NVQPLVERTIKL">Adorama</a>. Sorry that I haven't thought of this earlier!

[yakim_peled1]

Oliver, you're a gem. However, the Q-Base + Angle Bracket for Q-Plate are, again, 200 Euro. As the monopod itself + a small 3D head are less than a 100$, I hesitate to spend twice as much on the bracket.

 

It seems that solutions are available after all, albeit at a rather high prices.

[oliver_s.]

Yakim, you don't need the Novoflex Q-Base; the $ 47.00 Kirk QR-2 does the job as well. One of the advantages of the Arca QR system is that many manufacturers copy it, i.e. you can use Arca bases with Burzynski plates, Burzynski bases with Kirk plates, Kirk bases with Arca plates,...<p>Btw I'd suggest you think over your plan for a 3-way head. Any head makes little sense on a monopod. Just imagine the hassle to adjust it: even if it's advertised as "self-standing" as the Manfrotto 434SS is, it doesn' really stand by itself; the camera's weight isn't exactly above the head's centre;... you need at least three hands to manage all this. Most people I know use a monopod <u>without</u> a head; the camera, or rather its QR plate, goes right onto the QR base which you've mounted on the top of the Monostat or whatever you use. (You even remove the round platform on top of the monopod whener possible.)<p>RRS provides a <a href="http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/tutorials/monopods/index.html">conversion plan</a> for the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh4.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___5498___BO3232___REG___CatID=398___SID=F56530E5740">Bogen 3232/Manfrotto 234</a>, which is a one-axis platform. I don't know whether you need the $ 72.00 RRS B2-Pro base for this; it should work with the Kirk QR-2 as well.<p>You could also get the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh4.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___5491___BO3229___REG___CatID=398___SID=F56530E5740">Bogen 3229/Manfrotto 234RC</a>, which is compatible with the Manfrotto Type II QR system. It's OK but still far below the Arca system. But then, it's only $ 27.00...<p>but bear in mind that such heads, unlike an "L" bracket, place the camera off the monopod's axis, i.e. the combination isn't equally stable.

[yakim_peled1]

>> "even if it's advertised as "self-standing" as the Manfrotto 434SS is, it doesn' really stand by itself".

 

Humm...

 

I tried it out with 3232 head and it is. Elan 7e, BP-300, 550EX and Tamron 28-105/2.8 off axis stand O.K. About 2-2.5 Kg total. Not firm enough for remote release without hands (I guess) but it certainly stand by itself.

 

The only problem I encountered is that to move from vertical to horizontal or vice versa you have to detach the camera, rotate the QR plate 90 degrees, change head position and re-attach. Very inconvenient and time consuming.

 

I'll check that RRS head. Looks interesting.

 

Thank you very much.