Sony L-plate for Sony RX10- a little research

Ranger Rick

Regular
Location
Tempe, AZ
Name
Rick
I've tried a number of potential solutions, none of them quite satisfactory. The culprit is the tripod socket being mounted so far back and the tilt screen needing to move down before moving out, and this downward movement is prevented by the L-plate base, even tho flush with the rear of the camera base. I spoke with RRS, and they are quite insistent they will not produce a custom plate; Kirk didn't even reply to an inquiry.

So I ordered a $39 L-plate from ebay:

(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Desmond-L-P...449?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53fa91e331)

I got it and it is well-made. My previous purchases have been from RRS and Kirk, and while this isn't quite up there, it is excellent value.

Unfortunately, while it is the best value and fit I have found for the new Sony RX10 (allows full access to the side doors for audio/video, USB, etc connections), the design of the RX10 puts the tripod socket so far back, it still interferes with the use of the tilt-out screen (which has to go down before going out, and the base of the plate, even in its rearmost slot, prevents that- it is flush with the rear of the camera base plate, but still prevents the screen titling).

I don't think any existing solution will work to allow use of the tilt screen, and this is as good as I think we can do. I thought the retaining screws (at the ends, to prevent it slipping thru/out of the tripod head before you lock it into the Arca Swiss grip) went in too far, and did not really serve their purpose- too easy to slide the camera too far and not have them catch to prevent possibly dropping the camera). I think I solved that by using Blue Loctite and not screwing them in all the way, and they now provide a good hard stop. Not having a lip front or back does eliminate the benefit of anti-twist, but I don't think that will be a major issue, and in a generic plate has major drawbacks as noted.

I have tried a number of L-plates I have for Nikon cameras, and while they work, there are the issues with a lip on the back side of the plate (against the base of the tilt screen and potentially damaging the screen frame) and also costing 3x as much.

So with that, I am more than happy to keep and use the plate with the RX10. And I also think I am going to treat the RX10 "differently", thinking of it less as a tripod-mounted camera and more like a handheld camera- liberating! If I want to mount the L-plate and I then decide I want to use the screen, I can just unscrew the plate and use the camera alone. It does not have a lip in the front or back (completely level, so no concern about a front lip (anti-twist) causing the entire plate to be tilted with the lip causing it to not lay flat against the bottom of the camera base, or of having to address the issue of there being a lip in the back, which must be positioned properly vis-a-vis the bottom of the screen's frame to avoid damage to the mechanism.

All-in-all, quite satisfactory at an excellent price.
 
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