50 e 0330 333 1113Testbench ACCESSORIESAtaglance●Ninepossibleconfigurations
●DualArca-Swiss
profilesides
●^1 ∕ 4 in-20threads
● 96g3 LEGGEDThingis knownforgivingunusual
namestoitsproducts.HavingreviewedZelda(AP
23 March)– anL-bracketmadeforNikon’sZ 6 and
Z 7 cameras,we’renowlookingat Ellie,whichbuilds
ontheQR11from 2017 andbringsanotherdimension
ofuniversalcompatibilitytoa rangeof cameras.
Designedtoreplacethequick-releaseplatethat
comessuppliedwitha ballhead,L-bracketsarepopular
withlandscapephotographersandanyonewhoregularly
usesa tripod.Theymakeswitchingbetweenlandscape
andportraitorientationseasierwithoutalteringtheangle
of thehorizon,andtheypreventtheweightof a heavy
cameraandlensbeingoff-centrefromthetripodhead.
ElliedifferstootherL-bracketsin thewaythelengthof
itsbaseis adjustable.Thedesignfeaturestwoscrewsin
thebase,whichwhenloosenedallowtwostainless-steel
barstoextend.Thesearethenlockedin thedesired
positionusingthesuppliedallenkeytool.Thetwosteel
barsnotonlyallowyoutocustomisethewidthof it to
yourcamera,theycanalsobepulledoutcompletely
shouldyouwishtoworkwithouttheverticalplateor
keepit compactforeasystorage.You’llnoticethe
verticalplatehasa cut-outononesidetoallowthose
whoworkwithL-shapedcablepinstoconnectthem
easily,plustherearetwo^1 ∕ 4 in-20threadsat eitherend
toattachanyexternalaccessoriesormountingarms.
Thebaseplateis rubberisedtopreventscratches
tothebottomof yourcameraandtheedgeis
nicelychamferedtohelpwithaccessing
flip-outscreens.
Despitebeingbilledasuniversal,Ellie
isn’tcompatiblewitheverycameraon
themarket.It wasanexcellentfit with
theSonyA7III,butthebaseplate
fowledthebatterycompartmenton
thePanasonicLumixG90.I
questionedthequalityof theallenkey
toolandcountersunkscrewsthatare
usedtoloosenandsecuretheadjustable
basetoo.Oneof thesestrippedontestthrough
nofaultof myown,resultingin theallenkeyslipping
badlywhenattempting to tighten or loosen it.Verdict
ThoughuniversalL-bracketsmaybecheaperand
moreattractivethanothercamera-specific L-brackets,
notallareperfect.Beforebuying,doyourresearchto
makesureanL-bracketlikeEllieis compatiblewithyour
camera.Whilethisexampleis lightweight;hasgood
aesthetics;andmakesswitchingbetweenshooting
orientationseasier,saferandmoreenjoyable,I was
disappointedthatoneof thecountersunkscrewson our
ALL PRICES ARE APPROXIMATE STREET PRICESreview sample stripped and had to be replaced.
ThegoodnewsforusersofNikon’sZ Seriesis that
3LThavereleaseda dedicatedL-bracketnamed
Zelda.Designedin cooperationwithNikontofit
theidenticalbodiesoftheZ 6 andZ 7, it provides
accesstoallportsanddoorsonthecamerasand
stopsshortofthebatterycompartment,so
batteriescanbeswappedwithoutit havingtobe
removed.Thebracketis madefroma single
blockofmagnesiumalloy,sounlike3LT’s
universalL-bracketsit can’tbe
disassembledintotwo
sectionsforeasystorage.
Zeldais available
in greyaswellas
copper, and costs £90.ZELDA FOR NIKON Z SERIES3 Legged ThingEllieMichaelTophamtestsauniversalL-bracket● £64.99● http://www.3leggedthing.comModular
functionality
Tapped^1 ∕ 4 inchthreadsin
theverticalaspectallow
otheraccessoriesto
beconnectedto
thebracket.Flatpack
Thebracketcanbe
disassembledintotwo
sectionsforeasystorage
in a camerabag.Configurable
Elliehas9 separate
possibleconfigurations,
allowingit tobetailoredto
individualset-ups.Colour
Elliecanbepurchasedin
brightcopperora more
understatedmetallic
slatefinish.