The Buyers guide to...Best L brackets for your camera

The Ellie has been designed to fit as many camera bodies as possible, and features two adjustable rails so you can customise the fit.

This can be done by releasing the two rails so that the vertical plate can be slid out to accurately position it on the side of the camera. As most cameras are different widths, this gives the Ellie the advantage over any other universal L-bracket including the QR11. It enables, a nice snug fit on many cameras.

The two rails don’t just enable you to tailor the fit to your camera; they also allow you to remove the vertical plate.

This verticle plate is symmetrical albeit for a gap slightly up on one side. In each corner is a 1/4-inch thread which is either used for the bolts that attach to the horizontal base or they can be used to attach accessories such as lights, mics etc.

A gap is left open between the bolt holes so a strap can easily be fitted if needed.

What’s more, the design of Ellie has taken into consideration the flip and articulating screens of many of the latest cameras. A slight bevel on the base enables easy access to the screen when needed.

In total, you have eight different options for rotating and flipping the vertical base to suit your camera.

Ellie is milled from a solid block of aircraft grade magnesium alloy. As with any plate you attach to your camera, it features a 1/4-inch bolt. There’s a handy Allen key tool included in the box that enables you to tighten the L-bracket in place quickly and securely.

Read our 3 Legged Thing L-bracket Ellie review

The Benro BLB1 Universal bracket features an Arca-compatible release plate that means it can be used with any Arca style head.

Using an L-bracket has several advantages over mounting your camera directly to the tripod head. First and foremost, it enables you to flip the camera from landscape to portrait without needing to recompose the shot.

This is especially useful if your shooting panoramics when shooting in portrait. By using an L-bracket rather than dropping the tripod head to 90º, the camera’s sensor stays directly above the pivot point.

By retaining the position of the sensor, you cut out any parallax effect which will happen when the camera is off-set, and that means any re-adjustment of the composition is kept to a minimum.

The other advantage, especially for heavier cameras, is that the full weight of the camera stays directly above the tripod rather than off centre. This helps to provide the steadiest base possible ready for you to capture pin-sharp images.

Read our Benro BLB1 Universal L Bracket announced

It’s one of the pricier options on our best L brackets list, but the Manfrotto L-Bracket RC4 is a robust piece of kit. It’s one of the heaviest L brackets on this list, but it’s magnesium body is well made keeps your camera secure, thanks to its anti-rotational pin and plate system.

Like the 3 Legged Thing Ellie, the Manfrotto L-Bracket RC5 can extend to adapt to the size of your camera, making it very versatile.

Other handy features include a precision ruler and a levelling bubble.

Gitzo has machined the L-Bracket from a single piece of aluminium so there are no joints or bolts. That and the thin profile helps to keep the bracket’s weight down to just 77g. According to Gitzo it’s the lightest L-Bracket of its kind on the market.

The L bracket has a lip along its front edge that fits perfectly around the front bottom edge of a camera such as the Sony A7 III. It means the plate is kept nicely in position on the camera and neither can twist.

The outer edges of the L-Bracket are shaped to fit in an Arca Swiss type tripod head. Consequently, it’s compatible with the Gitzo Traveler A tripod head without the need for the quick release plate.

Helpfully, there’s a housing for a hex key (supplied) built in to the bracket. This is useful for ensuring that the camera is really securely fastened into the bracket.

There are also four fixing points for straps on the bracket. As a result, if you plan on keeping it in the bracket, it’s worth removing the strap lugs from the camera – they’ll rattle otherwise.

Read our Gitzo L-Bracket A review

Nikon invited 3 Legged Thing to work on the Zelda for its first full-frame mirrorless cameras, so the Zelda is the result of a collaboration.

As the 3 Legged Thing Zelda is specifically designed for the Nikon Z6 and Z7, it doesn’t require any adjustment to fit. These two cameras have an identical shape and control layout so the Zelda fits them equally well. Critically, you have complete access to all ports, compartments and controls with the bracket mounted.

The Zelda is milled from a block of aircraft-grade magnesium alloy. It attaches to the camera via a 1/4-inch-20 stainless steel ‘Stagsden’ bolt. But that’s not all. There’s a locator pin that fits in a reciprocating hole in the base of the camera. This precise design ensures that the Zelda stays perfectly still on the camera.

The Zelda L-bracket has an Arca-Swiss compatible shape, which means it can be mounted in Arca-Swiss type tripod heads. Arca-Swiss type heads are widely available and it’s the design that 3 Legged Thing uses for its own tripod heads.

A 1/4-inch-20 thread on the vertical arm of the bracket allows accessories such as a microphone or a sling-strap to be attached.

Another 1/4-inch-20 thread on the base of the Zelda allows it to be mounted on other devices. For instance, should you need to, you can attach a quick release plate to mount it on a non-Arca-Swiss tripod head.

3 Legged Thing has also designed the Zelda around the Z6 and Z7’s strap left lug. As a result, you can use the standard strap if you wish although you might like to follow the link to take a look at some alternative camera straps.

Read our 3 Legged Thing Zelda Review