Review on Gray Manfrotto L Bracket Q2, Model MS050M4-Q2 by Brian Wolf

This is a handy gadget for serious tripod use. I recently learned of the value of this mount at a photography class I took. I also learned the importance of a tripod ball head. I've used a head with multiple adjustment knobs, a Manfrotto RC2 magnesium head with a quick connect plate, which is a good head, but I kept tweaking one knob or the other and when switching from landscape to portrait mode the camera was always on the Side. , clumsy and unbalanced. Then I became aware of this holder. This is a sturdy mount that attaches quickly to the camera. You make the initial adjustments to the part to fit the camera, and after that it can be attached to the tripod mount on the camera or removed from the camera with a single screw on the bottom of the camera. Quick release plates allow it to be quickly removed from the tripod and reattached in any desired plane, landscape or portrait, and it centers itself directly over the tripod without leaning to one side. It's perfectly balanced, and if you take the time to set it up, use the handy little device to center the quick release plates on the lens in the first place. This ensures its centering when moving from a vertical to a horizontal position. When used with a ball head, the mount quickly adapts to the tripod and everything becomes much faster, more reliable and more stable. Stern, is that they might include a hex wrench to install set screws. Maybe it's standard with the device, but I didn't have it. Luckily I still had one in my tool box, so I just put it in my camera bag for later. Another minor point of criticism is that the MC-30 remote release for my Nkon D3s has an L-joint and rests against the bracket, which makes plugging and unplugging a bit suboptimal. Perhaps my lack of dexterity is hindering this operation. I've never really liked the ergonomics of connecting a remote release.