As a wildlife photographer, I appreciate the value of photography equipment and accessories which are adaptable and versatile.
3 Legged Thing have introduced a range of Ultra Plates via a Kickstarter programme. There’s a lot more to them than a normal quick release plate!
Ultra Plates come in four lengths, 150mm, 200mm, 250mm and 300mm. They are mounted using Arca-Swiss compatible tripod heads and include a variable number of 3/8” and 1/4” threads depending on the length of the plate.
A cold shoe mount is also present together with a cable hook to tether HDMI, USB or remote cables. Both sides of the plate are etched with measurement markings to aid precise adjustments.
They’re made of aerospace magnesium alloy which provide an incredible high strength / light weight ratio. The short 150mm version weights just 81g and the longest 300mm is 143g.
Each plate has a central slot running the majority of its length enabling precise positioning of the accessories to maintain optimum centre of gravity and weight distribution. Numerous rubber pads provide grip for mounted accessories.
I have no doubts that the overall advantage of these plates is their strength, weight and versatility, so let’s take a look…
The 300mm Ultra Plate can support the weight of my Fujifilm X-H2S with the XF150-600mm attached plus my X-H1 with the XF50-140mm attached. A ball head or levelling base can be used in between the tripod and Ultra Plate or each camera could also be attached to its own head. I’m looking forward to trying this using a clamp on a safari vehicle with an Ultra Plate and Airhed Pro.
Pretty much any camera accessory can be attached using the accessory threads, with or without its own head, spotting scopes, field monitors, sound recorders and microphones, camera flashes and continuous lighting units.
I’m envisaging that these Ultra Plates will replace my camera cages, if you haven’t already guessed, it’s that versatility word again! Cages are usually camera model specific with a different cage for using a battery grip or not. They also add a fair bit of extra bulk in camera bags especially if they are not always attached to the camera. That said, there’s nothing to say my existing cages can’t be used with these Ultra Plates if the need arises. The possibilities are endless!
How do I get them?
At the time of writing, 3 Legged Thing have launched the Ultra Plates on Kickstarter. There are 25% savings to be made on future expected retail prices if you pledge support before 22nd April…
