L bracket question

[nikonkelly]

I have a Z8 in addition to several other z and dslr’s. I have never shot with an L bracket, but have always wanted one, I just wouldnt spring for it. I have usually been able to juryrig things to get what I wanted… but I am now buying one. I do not have a grip on the Z8, but have given thought to it. So my question is, do I need an L bracket that is made for the grip and use it for now without the grip or buy a regular L bracket and when/if I get a grip and use it albeit a bit short on the side? I really only want to buy one bracket if at all possible. I am headed to Florida in a couple of weeks and want it in hand before I leave! Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[DRwyoming]

I have a Z8 in addition to several other z and dslr’s. I have never shot with an L bracket, but have always wanted one, I just wouldnt spring for it. I have usually been able to juryrig things to get what I wanted… but I am now buying one. I do not have a grip on the Z8, but have given thought to it. So my question is, do I need an L bracket that is made for the grip and use it for now without the grip or buy a regular L bracket and when/if I get a grip and use it albeit a bit short on the side? I really only want to buy one bracket if at all possible. I am headed to Florida in a couple of weeks and want it in hand before I leave! Thanks in advance for your help.

You'll want to check with the specific brand of L bracket you'll purchase but FWIW I've never seen an L bracket designed for use with the grip that fits properly to the ungripped camera. IOW, it's usually two different L brackets for use with the grip or without the grip.

 

[Butlerkid]

The L bracket must be designed to fit the curvature it is being attached to. So the L bracket for an ungripped body is different than a body with a grip. You need to decide which one to buy. They are generally in stock so check L bracket (Kirk, SmallRig, RRS, etc) availability at B&H, through Google search, etc.

 

[nikonkelly]

You'll want to check with the specific brand of L bracket you'll purchase but FWIW I've never seen an L bracket designed for use with the grip that fits properly to the ungripped camera. IOW, it's usually two different L brackets for use with the grip or without the grip.

Thank you DR, I thought that this could be the case, but since I have never used one, I was not sure.

 

[nikonkelly]

The L bracket must be designed to fit the curvature it is being attached to. So the L bracket for an ungripped body is different than a body with a grip. You need to decide which one to buy. They are generally in stock so check L bracket (Kirk, SmallRig, RRS, etc) availability at B&H, through Google search, etc.

Thank you Karen, that really helps. So now do I buy an extra weight for my light weight Z8 which is my first camera without a grip since 2012, or suck it up and go heavy! I really don’t need the extra battery, as I can get between 1500 to 2200 shots on my battery

 

[PhilcTx]

I use a generic "L bracket (not camera body specific) that I've used with both gripped and non-gripped bodies. If you want an "L" bracket for the purpose of shooting in portrait orientation IMO a generic bracket works fine - at least it does for my purposes.

 

[SoCalRick]

Thank you Karen, that really helps. So now do I buy an extra weight for my light weight Z8 which is my first camera without a grip since 2012, or suck it up and go heavy! I really don’t need the extra battery, as I can get between 1500 to 2200 shots on my battery

It sounds like you are not convinced that you really need the battery grip for the Z8. I wasn't too impressed when I saw the design and fit and it was a definite pass for me. Nikon could have done a better job on the design, form, fit and function of the vertical grip. It almost seems like an afterthought.

I can't say definitively, but it seems logical to me that having an L-bracket directly attached to the camera body would be more solid/secure than one attached to the MB-N12 battery pack, which is itself attached to the camera body. Adding the battery pack introduces another moving part into the mix.

So what is your use case for needing an L-bracket? For me, I use them almost exclusively for landscape photography. When I'm doing landscape photography, the need for having a battery grip is greatly reduced (not zero, but greatly reduced). I primarily want the vertical grip and extra battery capacity when I am shooting birds in flight (at 20 fps), or maybe when I am out for the whole day shooting wildlife.

I have L-brackets for both my Z8 and Z9, and I only attach them to my camera bodies when I am doing landscape photography, the rest of the time I keep them off.

Since you are not convinced that you actually need the extra battery grip for the Z8, I would just get an L-bracket that is designed to fit the basic Z8 camera body. Even if you do end up getting the add-on vertical grip, you could remove it and use the L-bracket on the bare camera (for 1500 - 2200 shots ) when you are doing landscape photography.

 

[BillW]

I have RRS L brackets for my Z9 and Z8 bodies that are designed for the specific body. In the case of the Z8 it is designed for the body without a grip, as I don’t use a grip with the Z8.

I notice that RRS has now made a “universal” L bracket designed to work with many/most cameras. I wonder whether this would work with a Z8, both on its own and with a grip. Adjustments might be needed going from just the body to the body with a grip. (I seem to recall someone noting on this forum somewhere that the universal bracket worked with his Z9, suggesting it might also work with a Z8 with grip attached.) You might ask RRS. Their products are not cheap, but have been well-made in my experience.

 

[Nimi]

I have RRS L brackets for my Z9 and Z8 bodies that are designed for the specific body. In the case of the Z8 it is designed for the body without a grip, as I don’t use a grip with the Z8.

I notice that RRS has now made a “universal” L bracket designed to work with many/most cameras. I wonder whether this would work with a Z8, both on its own and with a grip. Adjustments might be needed going from just the body to the body with a grip. (I seem to recall someone noting on this forum somewhere that the universal bracket worked with his Z9, suggesting it might also work with a Z8 with grip attached.) You might ask RRS. Their products are not cheap, but have been well-made in my experience.

I have one for my Zf. Like everything else they make, top notch.

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[nikonkelly]

I use a generic "L bracket (not camera body specific) that I've used with both gripped and non-gripped bodies. If you want an "L" bracket for the purpose of shooting in portrait orientation IMO a generic bracket works fine - at least it does for my purposes.

Thank you Phill, I will take look at what is available!

 

[nikonkelly]

It sounds like you are not convinced that you really need the battery grip for the Z8. I wasn't too impressed when I saw the design and fit and it was a definite pass for me. Nikon could have done a better job on the design, form, fit and function of the vertical grip. It almost seems like an afterthought.

I can't say definitively, but it seems logical to me that having an L-bracket directly attached to the camera body would be more solid/secure than one attached to the MB-N12 battery pack, which is itself attached to the camera body. Adding the battery pack introduces another moving part into the mix.

So what is your use case for needing an L-bracket? For me, I use them almost exclusively for landscape photography. When I'm doing landscape photography, the need for having a battery grip is greatly reduced (not zero, but greatly reduced). I primarily want the vertical grip and extra battery capacity when I am shooting birds in flight (at 20 fps), or maybe when I am out for the whole day shooting wildlife.

I have L-brackets for both my Z8 and Z9, and I only attach them to my camera bodies when I am doing landscape photography, the rest of the time I keep them off.

Since you are not convinced that you actually need the extra battery grip for the Z8, I would just get an L-bracket that is designed to fit the basic Z8 camera body. Even if you do end up getting the add-on vertical grip, you could remove it and use the L-bracket on the bare camera (for 1500 - 2200 shots ) when you are doing landscape photography.

Thanks for the reply Rick, the biggest reason for a grip would be an enel18… which is not an option for the z8. So I am really undecided about the benefits that a grip would offer besides extra and really unnecessary weight. As for the lBracket, it is for landscapes for the most part. So I will see what I can find in a generic/universal bracket.

 

[nikonkelly]

I have RRS L brackets for my Z9 and Z8 bodies that are designed for the specific body. In the case of the Z8 it is designed for the body without a grip, as I don’t use a grip with the Z8.

I notice that RRS has now made a “universal” L bracket designed to work with many/most cameras. I wonder whether this would work with a Z8, both on its own and with a grip. Adjustments might be needed going from just the body to the body with a grip. (I seem to recall someone noting on this forum somewhere that the universal bracket worked with his Z9, suggesting it might also work with a Z8 with grip attached.) You might ask RRS. Their products are not cheap, but have been well-made in my experience.

Thank you, I will give them a call.

 

[SoCalRick]

Thanks for the reply Rick, the biggest reason for a grip would be an enel18… which is not an option for the z8. So I am really undecided about the benefits that a grip would offer besides extra and really unnecessary weight. As for the lBracket, it is for landscapes for the most part. So I will see what I can find in a generic/universal bracket.

Well the grip does provide additional battery capacity, but it uses two EN-EL15 batteries, not the EN-EL18 that the Z9 uses.

I went with the RRS L-Bracket designed specifically for the Z8, and it's very solid.

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[MrFotoFool]

Yes, you need to decide if you will use battery grip or not and get an L Bracket designed for one or the other. Topic has been discussed in detail here: https://bcgforums.com/threads/l-bracket-for-nikon-z8.24179/
If you scroll through this long thread to my post #180 I have provided a summary of the main options (for body alone, no battery grip). Since I have large hands, I use SmallRig because it covers the entire bottom and serves as an extension of the camera, making it slightly taller and more comfortable as a place to rest my pinkie. For people with smaller hands, RRS or Kirk might be more comfortable because they do not cover the end (battery compartment) of the camera where your pinkie rests.

 

[nikonkelly]

Yes, you need to decide if you will use battery grip or not and get an L Bracket designed for one or the other. Topic has been discussed in detail here: https://bcgforums.com/threads/l-bracket-for-nikon-z8.24179/
If you scroll through this long thread to my post #180 I have provided a summary of the main options (for body alone, no battery grip). Since I have large hands, I use SmallRig because it covers the entire bottom and serves as an extension of the camera, making it slightly taller and more comfortable as a place to rest my pinkie. For people with smaller hands, RRS or Kirk might be more comfortable because they do not cover the end (battery compartment) of the camera where your pinkie rests.

Thank you, well I decided against a grip and bought a generic l bracket. Just seemed to make the most sense to me! Thank you everyone for all of your comments and ideas.

 

[MattOZW]

I have a Z8 in addition to several other z and dslr’s. I have never shot with an L bracket, but have always wanted one, I just wouldnt spring for it. I have usually been able to juryrig things to get what I wanted… but I am now buying one. I do not have a grip on the Z8, but have given thought to it. So my question is, do I need an L bracket that is made for the grip and use it for now without the grip or buy a regular L bracket and when/if I get a grip and use it albeit a bit short on the side? I really only want to buy one bracket if at all possible. I am headed to Florida in a couple of weeks and want it in hand before I leave! Thanks in advance for your help.

I find that a Camera Positioning Bracket (eg the one from NISI although I an sure there are other makes). The advantage is that you just have to rotate the camera rather than detach it from the tripod to change from landscape to portrait format. There are varying sizes depending on the camera, I am using one on my Z8. I also have an L bracket which I bought for D750 but it also fits my D500.

 

[wotan1]

II have not used one of the Nishi rings.

I don't like the feel of a bracket on a dual grip camera like the
Z9. I am usually working with long lenses and gimbal heads anyway.

I have a bottom RRS plate that I put on only if I am going to do tripod work. I can use my ball head to move the camera to a vertical position fairly easily.