K-1 plus grip plus tripod plus portrait orientation

We're not terribly well catered for it seems when you go hunting for L-brackets (getting one for D810 is a chore as well)....

Seem to be a generic 3-legged thing for K-1 minus grip which some people say works, but you have limited access to the slots, grip battery...etc. RRS have one for K-1 but as their site provides only one image it's difficult to say whether it's a generic item again or not...

Does anyone else have an elegant solution for K-1 plus grip?


(apart from moving grip )

For a K1 without a grip I have a Kirk Enterprises Solutions (KES) tailored to the specific body so you get full access to the ports and is snug and unobtrusive enough to be left on. I don’t think they do one for a grip added though.

PS they probably do one for the D810 as well, but the one in my previous reply may well fit both.

Without grip the 3-legged one works fine. Battery access and card access is available, though not the other one (which I never use.

Never thought about getting a grip for my K1. Camera and lens is heavy enough as it is.

1st thing I bought for my camera was the grip (same with the D810) bought from another PU user, wouldn't do without it in 'normal use' - two features I appreciate are the second battery and the slot for a spare memory card (you don't get that in an MBD-12) although the slot for the infra-red remote has disappeared on the newer grips...

The Promedia looks a good price, not the perfect item, but well contructed. But then I ask myself a question, when I use the tripod do I necessarily need to have the grip fitted? Qvestions, qvestions....

I can see times when the second battery is useful to have instant access too. But memory card slot ? Does the camera actually write to it ? Or is it just a container ?

After using K10/K20's I bought grips for K5/K3's for two reasons: a/ the bodies aren't as tall, so it did not feel right having fingers dangling in mid air. b/ the extra weight actually helped the balance when using longer lenses.
I don't have one for the K1, it got taller again.

The 3 -legged thing comes in two versions, one to allow for a grip. https://3leggedthing.com/accessories

I may have got the wrong end of the stick but if all you want to do is turn the camera to portrait on a tripod then what is wrong with a normal pan and tilt head or as I do just use a ball head. I used a ball head for many years with a 645 when photographing weddings and never had any problems. I have grips on all my cameras and have them on my K3ii and my K1 and just use a large ball head.
CHEERS Vic.

The problem Vic is the weight and size of the modern lenses. If you turn the ball/pan-tilt head to the side so the camera is in portrait mode, the weight of the lens can cause the camera to rotate on the tripod screw axis and do a neat impression of a slowly falling railway signal I have had this happen with both 24-70 and 15-30 Pentax lenses.

The L-shape bracket prevents this from happening as the shorter side of the plate buts up against the side of the camera body. The side arm of the L bracket also has an Arca style mount, so that for portrait mode you dont need to move the ball head, simply remove the plate from the tripod head and turn it 90 degrees.

Grips are a Marmite thing. I got one for my K10D and hated it. I hardly ever used it and on the rare occasions I did I found myself automatically holding the camera the same way I have since my ME Super days. I kept the grip when I got the K20D but never used it, and have never bothered for the K3.

The L-bracket does add a little bit of bulk to the body so your bag needs to accommodate that. I imagine a grip plus larger L-bracket could become a bit of a handful, ok for studio stuff but would you want to carry that around much?

I'm with Vic, on this one. You just need a decent ball pan head... I use the K1 gripped. The grip gives you somewhere to put your little finger when shooting hand held....lol With both DFA 24-70 and 15-30. There is no creeping on my tripod and Manfrotto 498 head,,

The L-bracket has advantages: it keeps the weight perpendicular over the head so is better balanced - try nudging your setup when rotated to vertical on a ball head and see how easy it could tip, and more liable to shake. Also if you have set up in landscape mode then with an L-bracket you can turn to portrait with little readjustment. I also use a 3-way head which is better for panoramas but it is limited in vertical, and it has a much greater offset so is easy to unbalance. Obviously only worth getting if you use a tripod fairly often though.

Using a pano system is a lot more vestatilly

http://www.pixelrama.de/panorama/tips/fiat/mo-1.jpg

Has anyone tried the Velbon tilt head?

https://youtu.be/m8Y7CFJIyXU
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