Canon 50D and the Really Right Stuff 40D L-Bracket

Okay - I've a night of shooting photos at the velodrome now (tho - since I can't use Lightroom to post process since the RAW utility by Adobe doesn't support the 50D yet - it'll take me longer in DPP - just haven't been in there in so long - those'll be posted in a few days).  Today I got out on the bike and hit the trails rather than stay in on a great day and geek with my camera.  Before heading out later, I figured I'd take care of the L-Bracket question.

For those not sure of what an L-Bracket is, the folks at Really Right Stuff (RRS) have summed it up pretty well here. Suffice to say - it makes working on a tripod much easier - especially if you need to switch between portrait and landscape during your shoot. With the digital cameras having all sorts of connections for data (USB), remote triggers, video out (regular and HDMI on the 50D) and so on, the bracket can get in the way of these connections. RRS did a great job w/ the 40D L-Bracket (with battery grip) and they left an opening big enough to open the rubber covers that keep dirt and moisture out of these connections. Here are some (yes - bad - from a P&S) pics of the setup on my 40D:

and showing how the remote shutter release cable connects:

** Point of clarification - this blog entry discusses the fit of the RRS 40D with battery grip L-Bracket on the 50D - this is NOT the RRS 50D specific L-Bracket - they have not produced one yet **

With the longer openings on the 50D, I was wondering if the opening on the bracket would be large enough to allow (like it does on the 40D) to open the covers with the plate in place. Unfortunately, it does not, as seen here, the covers extend under the aluminum and the edges are tucked under and can't be opened:

The bracket connects to the battery grip (or camera body) with a hex bolt... easy to snug up when attaching, but you've got to have the hex wrench handy to take it off or put it on. With the bracket on the battery grip, you can use the thumbscrew that mounts the BG to the body to remove the BG and bracket together... if you just start the process of removing the body, you can open the panels and replace the BG - yielding this:

which allows for the shutter release connection to be made:

 

So I was back in business and ready to shoot the high ISO tests that should (hopefully) be posted on Sunday. I had emailed RRS on Friday, and they noted (very quickly - I might add - great customer support) that this L-Bracket's mount has a slot setup, you can mount this a bit off-center, leaving a gap between the left side of the camera body and the bracket (picture courtesy Really Right Stuff). This should allow room for the doors to be opened and closed. This should work, but I'd rather keep it snugged into the "correct" position, it keeps the mark on the bracket - indicating center line of the lens - in the proper position.

The last question is if there will be room to connect a HDMI cable with the bracket in place. I don't have any small format HDMI cables - so I've not been able to check. I'm guessing that it may also depend on how thick the plastic is around the connector that is used - so some may fit while others may not. Here is a photo showing the connections in the opening with the covers held back:

RRS may be able to modify the 40D bracket by squaring off the opening - allowing the HDMI connector to be used; but they may need bit more of a re-work if they want to allow for easy access for the connector openings. The hole you can see below the opening for the connectors is threaded, for mounting the bracket to wider more adjustable plates, etc.  Below that you can see another opening in the bracket, before the "L" bend. It may be there to support use for the wireless transmitter grip (Canon WFT-E3A - can see it here) I know that grip does have an Ethernet port on the end, so there may not be too much leeway to shift this threaded hole further away from the cable opening for the camera itself.  I guess we'll see what the RRS folks come up with. But until then - I'm in like Flynn!

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Tom]

I have several L-plates from RSS (probably a dozen or so), both body and body+grip models. I have to say that I'm really disappointed in the design of the 50D plates. It seems that little thought went into the way they fit to the camera. Did no one at RSS even check if the ports are accessible with the plate mounted to the body? Maybe they figured it would be too expensive to retool the bracket once it was finalized. Whatever the reason, I think Mr. Johnson needs to re-evaluate these plates.

Another complaint I have is that the side of the bracket does not go all the way up to the strap loop like many other of their plates. This works to better stabilize the camera against torsional stress. I sincerely hope RSS is not cheaping-out on us in their quality. I may have to look at the Kirk plates for my 50D.

[WillShootPhotos]

Tom,

I'm sorry if I was unclear, but the l-bracket that I was testing was the one that RRS makes for the 40D, they have not created one for the 50D yet. I'll make a quick modification to the post for clarity.

I was in contact with them to see when the 50D model l-brackets would be out for sale, they had not seen a 50D yet in the "flesh" so I've sent them this blog post to illustrate the changes. They say that this has been forwarded to "engineering". They seem to have put out quality products in the past, and I'd guess they may try to come up with a modified bracket that will fit the 50D which they will then sell for the 40D as well. Thanks for reading!

- Will

[Giles]

RRS have updated their web site and are accepting pre-orders for a B50D-L specific to the 50D.

The 40D bracket works in a pinch, but one specifically designed for the 50D should be better.

Giles

[WillShootPhotos]

Giles,

Yes, I've seen that they have an L-bracket for the 50D without the BG, but I'm still holding out for one that is designed for the 50D w/ the battery grip...

- Will