By Alison Barclay
An article in which we answer the questions What Is An L-bracket For and Why Do You Need An L-bracket.
Why Do You Need An L-Bracket?
Sometimes we're asked why L-brackets are useful or what they do, so we've put together a couple of quick pointers for you, but first, you need to know what an L-bracket is and what it's for.
An L-bracket is an L-shaped quick-release plate (ours are all 38mm Arca-Swiss compatible, so work with a wide range of tripod brands including our own), and in most cases, you can keep it fitted to your camera and still access the side ports and battery door.
What Is an L-Bracket For?
An L-bracket is designed to enable photographers to switch their camera from landscape to portrait orientation easily, whilst using a tripod. If set up correctly, the L-bracket will maintain the same focal plane in both orientations. If the tripod head has already been levelled in one orientation, using an L-bracket will also give a level horizon in the other orientation as you don't need to move the head to reframe your picture.
Back to our original question, why do you actually need an L-bracket?
By using a camera with an L-bracket fitted, you can avoid having to re-focus your image as the focal plane should be maintained when switching orientation. Quicker when you can't decide whether to frame that epic location in landscape or portrait. It also keeps the horizon nice and level, as you're only changing the orientation of the camera, you don't need to move or adjust the tripod head.
A side benefit is that it adds a little extra protection on two sides of your camera.
"Why Can't I Just Use the Side Notch in the Tripod Head" you may say?
You can, although if you use the side notch of a tripod head to move into a portrait position, by moving to the side the whole camera has changed position so you're no longer focussing on the same point in the scene. This means you'll need to move your tripod to recompose the shot. Using an L-bracket can save you time.
By using an L-bracket you're also keeping the camera directly above the centre of the tripod, which is the most stable position, and stability is what you're aiming for when using a tripod.
If you'd prefer, we have a short video that explains some of this and demonstrates the key points. Check it out below...
