Really Right Stuff is, in my opinion, one of the best manufactures of quick release plates and other accessories out there. I’ve been using their gear, including L-plates, lens plates, QR clamps, and flash QR stuff, for almost as long as I’ve been shooting seriously. Though their stuff is expensive, but it’s extremely well made, and their engineering just seems to keep getting better; case in point, the BGE11-L L-plate for the Canon EOS 5D mark 3.

I just received mine today and at first glance; the BGE11-L appears to be the most refined Really Right Stuff L plate I’ve used yet. The devil is in the details and making use of the camera’s engineering as best as possible; Really Right Stuff nailed both in this plate.

The two biggest details that really make the BGE11-L sing are the cable release notch and the reliefs milled in to the insides of the riser for the port covers.

Firstly, there is now a solid bar tying the front part of the riser together. Most of their older Canon L-plates simply removed part of the front member necessary to allow the cable release cord to pass though. Though I’ve never had a stiffness problem that small bit of material certainly adds peace of mind that I won’t somehow accidentally bend the riser down the road.

Secondly, they have milled reliefs into the riser posts to allow the rubber port covers to be flipped clear of the ports. A small detail but one that make a difference in keeping things neat when using the I/O ports.

Finally, I was quickly apparent to me how little the plate affects grip comfort. I felt the BG-E11 grip was one of the most comfortable grips Canon has made when held. Having a L-plate that significantly affects that feel is less than desirable.

I had two issues with the B1DMKIII-L plate on my 1D. First was that the plate was thick enough in some ways that made the grip a bit less comfortable. Second was that the plate covered so much of the rubberized surface that the grip was, well, less grippy.

The BGE11-L doesn’t seem to suffer from either problem as much. For starters, since the plate doesn’t reposition to allow the 1D’s huge wireless transmitter to be mounted, the bottom plate is shorter, so less of the grip is covered, and the whole situation is less slick. Secondly, the front and rear curved areas that conform to the grip to stabilize the plate, seem to be thinner. All told, the BGE11-L seems to net a more comfortable grip than the B1DMKIII-L did.

Overall, the BGE11-L just comes off a bit more refined than previous L-plates, which in my opinion is never a bad thing. You can buy the BGE11-L direct from Really Right Stuff.