[crf529]

Hey all, finally about to order a proper tripod and ballhead set-up and have had a very hard time finding an L-plate for the K-r.

I'm currently settled on a set of Manfrotto 055XPROB legs with a RRS BH-55 PRO ballhead (it's overkill but if it's going to last me 15 years then the $60 premium over the 40 seems like a no-brainer).

Now for all this Gucci gear and the coin it's gonna set me back, I can't for the life of me find an L-plate! GRRRR. I sent RRS an email asking about an L-plate and from the reply I received it doesn't seem like they even know what a K-r is....

So it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to use a generic L-plate, but this raises a number of issues like fit, quality and the ability to access the battery door as I'm really keen to have this plate remain on the camera all the time. So I'm looking for some feedback or advice from the users here with their experience or any plates they can recommend.

Cheers

[interested_observer]

Your ballhead uses an Acra-Swiss type clamp interface. Here are the main manufacturers of L brackets for A-S. I have a Kirk L bracket for the K20 and it fits on my K100 body just fine. So, I would call and ask to see what could possibly fit.

• Really Right Stuff - Item Listing
• Kirk Enterprises : L-Brackets
• Universal "L" Bracket*::*Photographic Accessories*::*Acratech
• ARCA-SWISS L-Bracket Announced: Vertical to Horizontal Made Easy | neutralday

Usually the battery door is on the opposite side, thus not covered by the l bracket. That said, I am not familiar with the layout and dimensions of the Kx, but the L bracket is usually on the left side, with the battery compartment on the right - within the hand grip.

[chiane]

Ok, $100 plus for an L shaped piece of plastic or metal that probably cost 20 cents in material? Wow!

[interested_observer]

I really can't justify the prices being charged for "mechanical support". What I can say, is what I observe, and that is - that the items I have acquired, are just not stamped out metal items - costing 20 cents each. I have a couple camera base plates, an L bracket and a ball head.

• camera base plates - these are from Acratech, and the simplest of the bunch. High grade aircraft grade aluminum, not punched out but machined. $50 each? Well the rule of thumb is 3x the manufacturing cost, which would make it about $15 apiece. I can see this. I can also see making these in lots of 100, camera specific, having to carry an inventory for a while. Cost of money, machining, , space, overhead, along with everything else.
• L bracket - I picked up one from Kirk and again its not punched out. Highly machined, light aircraft grade aluminum. The fit and finish is wonderful. It has the equivalent of two base plates machined into it (horizontal and vertical mounts).
• ball head - Yes, the $400 I spent for the Acratech GP is and was a lot of money. This unit works perfectly all the time. The fit and finish on a scale of 1 to 10 is about a 12. The machining on this is a work of craftsmanship. It weighs a pound and holds 25 at any angle. Ballhead, gimbal and panning head all in one. It has paid for itself already. I also have to say - its a joy to use, and I don't have to fight with it every time I use it.

So, yes these items are expensive. They are specialized to a particular task, and the plates are camera specific, across a pretty wide range of camera makes and models. The are not selling 20 million of these a year, so the production lots are small, and that does drive up the cost. Each of these are individually machined from very high quality materials that are somewhat costly.

Bottom line - you get what you pay for....

So let me ask a question. Do you want to put your $1,500 K5 up on a tripod, on top of a head that is connected to a 20 cent piece of plastic that in turn is connected to the camera body - which is holding the lens that you paid how much for?

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Last edited by interested_observer; 04-29-2011 at 04:10 PM.