Vertical gizmo

Hello Folks, I have seen several digital camera owners with a gadget that fits on the camera body that allows easy change to vertical when using a tripod. This gadget is an L-shaped thing that attaches to the body via the tripod hole. And the gadget itself can be slid into a tripod adapter two ways, one on the bottom for horizontal shots and one on the side for vertical shots. This would work best with a tripod that has a quick-release mechanism. I recently bought a Benbo tripod, and that has quick release gadgets. Has anyone seen such a gadget that would fit my Nikon FM2? I have a Vertaflip thingy, and that works, but it is bulky and may add some instability.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Cheers,

-- Mark

Google: camera L bracket.

Yes, L brackets; some have two quick release mounts so you can flip the bracket 90º with the camera attached to the bracket. There are generic ones that can more or less work with any camera and there are some designed for specific cameras that are dimensioned such that the lens axis maintains alignment when flipped. I have a generic Manfrotto with their RC2 quick releases to match the rest of my stuff. There is a little adjustable stop on it that can help keep the camera parallel. There are also way more expensive ones (as usual). I feel better with the camera/lens center of gravity over the tripod head as opposed to hanging off the side by using the 3-axis head.

And if you want to really go overboard, I recall there are gizmos that are a sort of gimbal mount to allow turning the mounted camera through an arc.

You'll need to ensure that the L-bracket (attached to camera) is compatible with the quick-release clamp (mounted to tripod head). Arca-Swiss and Really Right Stuff are among the most common systems, and for good reason. Here's an L-plate from RRS for your FM2. But is it compatible with your quick-release gadget?

Thanks for this. I will do some research.