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Camera plate for tripod for Leica M?

F

francishmt

New member
Which camera plate do you used? I looked up Kirk and RRS and neither make plates for the Leica M cameras... Of coursen I am talking about arca swiss type mount

Also, if you use one, do you keep that one the base plate all the time?
 
Bob

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I have used two
The RRS MC-L "universal" L bracket and the BP-CS bottom plate.
I ended up leaving the L plate on most of the time.
-bob
 
GrahamWelland

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
I find the Kirk PZ118 is ideal for the baseplate as it is a perfect fit and very secure.

I found it easiest to have two baseplates so that you can easily swap them over when you want to use the tripod. That way you can use the normal baseplate when just carrying the camera around and you don't have the plate on the bottom as an extra weight or impediment to using a leather case etc. When I'm shooting with the tripod I just whip the std base off and put on the baseplate with the adapter on it and I'm ready to go.

I've found that the PhotoEquip MD-Grip base plate is ideal for tripod work as it's a lot more rigid than the Leica grip. There are horror stories around the forums of people snapping off the edge of the baseplate with tripod use or careless fitting to the M8. The MD-Grip is far more substantial and rigid and distributes any stresses from moving the camera on a tripod head much more evenly across the entire base. I find it's also a better positive fit and less likely to allow you to misfit on the base of the M8. :thumbup:
 
johnastovall

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I have the RRS MC-L and it fits and works but I never use it. I just don't find a Leica M on a tripod fits my shooting style. I have used it for the Leicaflex with the 500mm MR.
 
Bob

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
John,
It really helps when you are shooting four second exposures.
-bob
 
johnastovall

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
Water? What's that? We are in a major drought, it's so bad the only fish left are sand bass and the frogs carry canteens. :D
 
Jack

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I used the same one they suggest for the DMR -- BP-CS I think? Anyway, it fits well and has a strap lug if you want to mount a hand-strap...
 
M

Mango

Guest
I've bought and sold the dedicated Kirk plate PZ-35 (and the RRS version) for the Leica M so many times, that on the rare occasion that I need to use a base plate, I just use the generic one that came with the ballhead (I have a BH-3). You don't really need a dedicated plate unless you're a frequent and fanatic user. I've had no problems with the generic plate, used with the heaviest M lenses (Noct, 90 APO, 135/4). Just make sure everything is screwed on tight. I keep the camera strap around my neck, only because I don't want to risk the tripod toppling over with the camera and lens on it.

These dedicated accessories are sometimes just more dead weight to carry around. I can use the generic ones on any camera. The only dedicated L bracket I have is for the DSLR; I think I used it twice. :)

http://www.kirkphoto.com/Camera_Plate_for_M6.html

FYI, Kirk has an eBay shop where you can sometimes get deals on plates.

Best of luck with your decision!
 
F

francishmt

New member
cmb_ said:
The RRS plate for the DMR is the B54
http://reallyrightstuff.com/RRS/items.asp?Cc=BodyLeicaDMR&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

For the M8 RRS says use the B9: Bidirectional plate with many uses
http://reallyrightstuff.com/RRS/items.asp?Cc=BodyLeicaM8&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=

Look here for the various Leica offerings from RRS:
http://reallyrightstuff.com/RRS/items.asp?Cc=BodyLeica&iTpStatus=0&Tp=&Bc=
Click to expand...
Thanks CMB. I found these on the RRS website as well, but the B9 seems too square shape to fit well on the M8/9. That's why I loop back on the BP-CS plate that was discussed earlier in this thread.
 
F

fotografz

Well-known member
I gave up on most QR systems because the plates are just too big/thick ... defeating the purpose of a M IMHO.

When I do use a QR now, its a Hasselblad QR plate and their QR system on the tripod. I have the Hassey plates on all my cameras as well as the built-in ones on the Hasseys.

They are built for Medium Format duty, but are smaller and thinner than any other plate out there as far as I know.:thumbup:

-Marc
 
T

TimWright

Member
For my M8 and M9 I use the Kirk plate made for the camera the PZ-118. I put this on the standard camera base and then use the base with the handgrip for normal shooting. The Kirk plate fits the base perfectly.
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
I use the RRS B9 and MC-L and find both perfect for what I do. With a camera as small and limited in focal length as the M8/M9, the B9 is more than enough, in my experience.
 
thrice

thrice

Active member
It's not mentioned so I'll let you guys know what I have.

An acratech 2137 quick release plate. Very basic in construction and design, not an L bracket but it's small and very well machined from solid aluminium. Up to the same standard as my Kirk brackets.
 
F

francishmt

New member
I like the idea of having an extra base plate to fit the tripod QR plate. Can someone tell me where I can buy an extra M9 base plate?
 
carstenw

carstenw

Active member
Try to find someone who uses only their grip plate, and would be willing to part with their base plase. That is what I did. You might ask around on l-camera-forum.com where there are a lot more members than here.
 
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