Why photographers use or need an L-bracket

I hadn’t heard of L-brackets for the longest time. Being turned on the concept and having the chance to use them, I now wonder how I got along without them.

What is an L-bracket?

Just as the name implies, it describes the shape of the bracket. The bracket is built with an Arca Swiss mounting surface all along the outside of both the long surface and shorter surface. If your tripod has an Arca Swiss mounting system you will be good to go.

Main benefit of an L-bracket

The major benefit of employing an L-bracket is the ability to mount your camera in a horizontal or vertical orientation with a quick undoing of the tripod lock. Move the camera into the new orientation and locking back down. Easy peasy! Adding speed with which you can work your scene compositions is extremely helpful in the field in quick changing lighting situations.

Types of L-brackets

Specialty brackets are made for specific cameras or mounting systems. Usually, special brackets cost quite a bit higher than the basic universal L-bracket I share in this article. The main difference between the specialty camera specific mounts is more friendly user interface. For example, in Really Right Stuff’s L-brackets, the bracket’s mounting allows you to access the battery compartment. While convenient, I don’t change batteries often enough so undoing the plate and repositioning is not a hardship.

Price of L-brackets

For photographers on a budget, universal L-brackets go for about $15-$25. With these, you need to reposition the bracket from side to side for using the articulating screen or to access the battery or memory card compartments. I’m good with that.

Here’s an example of a Really Right stuff L Bracket designed for specific camera models for about $150. Difference being it’s a One-Piece Design L-bracket that maintains battery and port door access. Even better it does not obstruct LCD screen movement among other features.

3 Legged Thing makes a multitude of specialized L-brackets. These cost from $39 to around $150 for different camera models and different features.

Wrapping up

You can spend from $15 to over $200 for L-brackets. This depends on your camera model and built-in features, such as being able to move the camera within the bracket up and down and side to side. You’ll need to do some research before you order your L-bracket. Make sure to get the attributes that fit inside your budget and tolerance. The major difference is convenience versus resetting the bracket using the universal models.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob