[troyz]

Hello all.

Can anyone recommend an L bracket for a Pentax 67II (or perhaps one designed for the non-II)?

I'm considering getting a new Kirk BL-67II; if anyone can point me to a new/used alternative I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

[bobt99silver]

I've used a Manfrotto 341 Junior elbow bracket with my 67II. It seems to work fine to me. I don't claim it's as stable as a Kirk bracket/head, but since I had a Manfrotto RC488 ball head I thought I'd give it a try. For vertical shots, the weight of the camera is pretty well above the tripod, so it reduces the stress on the mount. I think it works best when the position it's used in is not very extreme.

You have to be careful so as not to lose the screw assembly that mounts the camera to the bracket, but if you can deal with that it may work for you. The bracket is not dedicated, and also can be used with 35mm/digital slrs.

They also have a 340 bracket that may be heavier, but I haven't used it.

[Ron Boggs]

The Kirk for 67II has been great. Don't know if mine is new style or old. Even a generic one would likely be worth having. I use L brackets on D SLR, Pano cam, and 67II and just plain enjoy using them. I'm normally an RRS guy and avoid Kirk (past business indescretions on their part), but Kirk's 67II L bracket is very handy and even takes the place of the wooden handle for both hand held shooting and for general carrying. I like it lots!

[Denverdad]

If you are attaching to an Arca-Swiss style system, the only L-bracket now being made as far as I can tell is the Kirk BL-67II. At least when I was searching for one a few months ago, that was all I could find (but I will happily stand corrected if there is something else out there!)

According to Kirk the BL-67II is only for the 6x7II, but after reading several reports that it was actually compatible with the older bodies as well, I took the chance and bought one for my 6x7. Happily I can say that it fits fine, with the only slight annoyance being that you have to remove the bracket to change the battery. There are no other interferences or incompatibilities, although when I first installed it, I thought there was - it seemed like I couldn't open the back. But I quickly found that if I biased the bracket in one direction when mounting it (using the slight slop in the mounting hole) then there is just enough clearance to open and close the back.

The one think I should point out about the bracket is that when shooting in vertical orientation there is a noticeable camera flex or vibration when the shutter fires. This hasn't translated into images softness in my limited number of shots so far (I'm only on my 5th roll or so). But then again I use MLU for every shot, so I can't make any claims about what you would get without using MLU. In any event I do wish they had made the bend area of the bracket beefier.

There is apparently an older version of this bracket too, as I saw one once on eBay. I don't know for sure if it was for the 67II or the older bodies (or both). The thing looked both simpler and beefier than the newer version (particularly in the bend area if I recall correctly). So it might be worth looking into if you can find one.

[troyz]

Thanks for the advice so far. Yes, I am looking for something arca-swiss compatible (for use with an RRS screw-knob clamp).

Denverdad: I wonder if the flex/vibration you mention is caused solely by the mirror release (after the shutter is closed)?

[Denverdad]

troyz: Yes, I tested that just to be sure. Specifically, with MLU engaged and with the shutter set to a long exposure so I could see the effects of the shutter release and the mirror release separately, I tripped the shutter using a cable release. There is no obvious camera motion when the shutter releases, but a noticeable vibration when the shutter returns.

And just to remind you, this is with the 6x7 MLU body, not 67II. I don't know if there would be a difference, but I wanted to point that out just in case.