L-brackets are useful alternatives to the mounting plates supplied with your tripod - and give you the advantage allowing you to switch from landscape to portrait format without having to adjust the tripod itself. The Alfie is specifically designed for most of Sony's current full-frame mirrorless cameras - and it performed perfectly in our tests, so comes highly recommended.
Pros
+
Choice of three colors
+
Doesn't get in the way of the rotating screen, card slot or sockets
+
Universal Arca–Swiss tripod mount
Cons
-
Needs assembly
-
Only suitable for certain Sony models
Why you can trust Digital Camera World
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.
The Alfie I tested is made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy and is available in Copper (orange), Metallic Slate Grey, or Darkness (matte black). It’s supplied unassembled so the first step in using it is to remove two bolts so that the plates can be slotted together and the bolts re-threaded and tightened. Then it’s ready to be fitted to the camera.
A cutout in the Alfie’s vertical plate let's you tilt and swivel the monitor (Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
(Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
(Image credit: 3 Legged Thing)
I used the 3 Legged Thing Alfie on the Sony A7R V and it fits perfectly around the contours of the camera even accommodating the strap lug and leaving the battery bay, memory card slots and cable ports accessible. Thanks to the 4-axis vari-angle mechanism of the A7RV’s screen and a cutout in the Alfie’s vertical plate, you can also tilt and swivel the monitor to give a good view from a wide range of angles.
Both plates of the Alfie are Arca-Swiss compatible to enable speedy mounting in an Arca-Swiss type tripod head (including 3 Legged Things' own range of tripods).
Angela has been testing camera gear from all the major manufacturers since January 2004 and has been Amateur Photographer’s Technical Editor and Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s photography portfolio (Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo, Practical Photoshop, Photography Week and Professional Photography magazines, as well as the Digital Camera World and TechRadar websites). She is the founder of SheClicks - a community group that encourages and supports female photographers.
