Canon 5DMKIII L brackets.

videonastie

videonastie

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I've been looking at getting an L bracket for my 5DMKIII & I've seen a few people recommend the Kirk range.

I currently own the Carbon version of the Manfrotto 055PRO4, I know I need a Swiss Arca head (I think) to use the L bracket, so could anyone recommend a good quality head to fit my tripod?

Cheers
 
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If you have existing heads you can adapt them to Arca Swiss, I have a Manfrotto 410 which is converted with a Hejnar conversion kit, my Manfrotto 405 on the other hand has a Kirk 2 inch Arca Swiss clamp fastened to the standard plate. I then clamped the plate up tight and leave it on, attaching the camera with the L Bracket.

I use Kirk brackets BTW, great build quality and no slippage, all ports, connectors etc are still useable.
 
videonastie said:
Thanks.

Does anyone sell Really Right Stuff in the UK?
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Kerso (Ian Kerr) can get RRS brought over to the UK. He has recently got me some of their panoramic components.

As for L-brackets, Kirk and RRS are amongst the best you can buy, but at a price! Warehouse Express are the main dealers in the UK for Kirk.
 
What you might want is one of these.....

http://www.kirkphoto.com/search.php?Keyword=SQRC-3157&x=9&y=14

They take a bit of finding on the Kirk website for some reason - maybe me!

Damned hard to find, but they do work. Fit into a standard Manfrotto clamp so are removable if you want to mount other cameras or a lens by it's collar. They don't come cheap but do the job perfectly. WEX are main dealers in UK for Kirk, and they don't stock them but they can be obtained on special order - takes about 2 weeks.

You can order direct from Kirk, but their postage/handling charges are astronomical.

There's a place in Holland has them in stock - Google is your friend - but their price in Euros is more than the price in sterling.

They don't come up s/h very often simply because they are superb and folk don't sell them.
 
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Having the grip on my mark 3 , kirk and RRS are the best ones as they still give you access to the battery compartment without the need to remove the bracket everytime

My current l bracket was for my mk2 and as such not good for cable release or battery access so will need to change it
 
I'm using a Sunwayfoto L plate for my non gripped MKIII and it is very good for the money.
 
videonastie said:
Thanks.

Some of the Arca Swiss ballhead's cost a fortune. Why is this?
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They're very good. And actually not as expensive as some, or as expensive as some of their other heads, like the D4 or Cube. P0 is quite cheap, Z1 not bad value at all.
 
videonastie said:
What other ball head manufacturers are recommended?
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Lots of them, it's not that simple a question, though you tend to get what you pay for.
 
The sonwayfoto L plate light and very well made. It fits the MKIII very well. Just my experience.
 
Just ordered a Kirk L bracket for £80 from WEX Bargain basement :thumbs:

Now need to save a bit more & find a good quality ballhead. :help:
 
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videonastie said:
Just ordered a Kirk L bracket for £80 from WEX Bargain basement :thumbs:

Now need to save a it more & find a good quality ballhead. :help:
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There's a review of 12 top ball heads I did for Advanced Photographer magazine, Oct 2012 edition.

You can get a back number from their website, but best in test was Feisol CB-40D. It's a really high quality head by any measure, but amazing value at £109.
 
HoppyUK said:
There's a review of 12 top ball heads I did for Advanced Photographer magazine, Oct 2012 edition.

You can get a back number from their website, but best in test was Feisol CB-40D. It's a really high quality head by any measure, but amazing value at £109.
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Thanks for that. I'll attempt to get a copy.

How many of the 12 were Arca Swiss compatible?
 
videonastie said:
Thanks for that. I'll attempt to get a copy.

How many of the 12 were Arca Swiss compatible?
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8. Most of the others can be adapted to Arca swiss, one way or another.
 
My Benro ballhead is serving me well, had a real smashing over the last few years and still going :)
 
HoppyUK said:
There's a review of 12 top ball heads I did for Advanced Photographer magazine, Oct 2012 edition.

You can get a back number from their website, but best in test was Feisol CB-40D. It's a really high quality head by any measure, but amazing value at £109.
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I don't suppose you could get me a copy of that article you did?
 
HoppyUK said:
There's a review of 12 top ball heads I did for Advanced Photographer magazine, Oct 2012 edition.

You can get a back number from their website, but best in test was Feisol CB-40D. It's a really high quality head by any measure, but amazing value at £109.
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Now I feel bad that I didn't get that ball head. :'( It was either that or the cheaper one...
 
I found a October sampler, which shows 6 of the heads & your not wrong the review for the Feisol CB-40D is superb.

Searching around, there doesn't seem to be much info about Feisol, but looking around & seeing brief info, they seem to have an excellent rep.

Looking at their UK site, I like the look of the CB-50DC, has anyone had experience with this head?
 
Purchased the CB-50DC from Feisol direct.

I've only had a quick play with it, but so far its extremely solid & feels well made.

Must say that the customer service from Feisol was superb & they get a high recommendation from me. :thumbs:
 
videonastie said:
Purchased the CB-50DC from Feisol direct.

I've only had a quick play with it, but so far its extremely solid & feels well made.

Must say that the customer service from Feisol was superb & they get a high recommendation from me. :thumbs:
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Not tried that one, but it does look the business, especially considering how good I know the slightly smaller CB-40D is. Does yours have holes in the ball? I've seen it both with and without - bizarre idea if you ask me!

If you get a chance, could you check something please? Line it up on a target 3m away, adjust pre-friction so the camera is just held in position, then lock it down firmly and note any movement shift on the target. Magnified live view is good for this. 3-4mm is good, 1-2mm about as good as it gets.
 
HoppyUK said:
Not tried that one, but it does look the business, especially considering how good I know the slightly smaller CB-40D is. Does yours have holes in the ball? I've seen it both with and without - bizarre idea if you ask me!
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There are holes in the ball, which is strange to look at, but there wasn't any movement at all with a 5DMKIII + 70-200mm lens attached, which is very impressive.

HoppyUK said:
If you get a chance, could you check something please? Line it up on a target 3m away, adjust pre-friction so the camera is just held in position, then lock it down firmly and note any movement shift on the target. Magnified live view is good for this. 3-4mm is good, 1-2mm about as good as it gets.
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I'll check that out for you over the weekend. :thumbs:
 
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