I was looking for a simple tripod plate to put onto my Nikon F3 so whenever I needed to shoot a selfie or a long exposure shot it would easily fit the Arca Swiss quick release of my tripod. Actually, there are many of these plates to be found at the local shops or even online and for very little money. However, as I was browsing online shopping site Lazada.sg I came across this little beauty. It is a multi-function plate which can be used on your camera or used with your mobile phone. It looks simple enough but it is quite clever in design.
The model number is Ulanzi ST-15. It is made out of aluminium and is designed to fit the Arca Swiss standard. It has standard 1/4-20 threads. It weighs in at 90grams in a pocketable 95mm x 39mm. The machining is well done and it does not feel at all flimsy so it will be very good fitted to even a large format camera.
In the quick release plate function the Ulanzi remains folded. On the bottom of the plate you find the 1/4-20 screw to thread through the centre hole of the plate. Notice that the screw is not a hex screw instead a slotted screw. That's okay though because on the bottom held by a pretty strong magnet is your very own finger tightening slotted driver. That's thoughtful because you don't always have the right size coin or the hex driver has been misplaced.
To mount it you simply unscrew the 1/4-20 from it's holding location and thread it into the centre hole. Place it into the tripod hole on the camera and using the finger tightening tool tighten firmly. The plate has some skid resistance film applied so the plate should not slid around when fixed to the bottom of the camera.
Once fixed you can place the tightening tool back on the underside with the strong magnet.
The plate is small enough to work well even on a point and shoot camera. If you have one of those shoulder camera straps which threads a 1/4-20 into the tripod screw there is an additional threaded hole for you to use.
Now in a pinch you want to grab a shot in digital with your mobile phone you can transform the plate into a compression holder that will fit a mobile device up to 8cm wide. To protect the phone from damage there are rubberized grippy pads on the inside of the holders.
The plate has a spring loaded system which clamps down on the sides of the mobile phone.
Take note in this mode you get access to a cold shoe mount on the top and the 1/4-20 threaded hole at the bottom. The plate can also be used in this mode with your Arca Swiss ballhead.
You might want to use the cold shoe mount on top for a shotgun microphone or a small LED light.
If you do not happen to have an Arca Swiss ballhead you can still use what ever plate your tripod uses by mounting your own ballhead's plate into the 1/4-20 threaded hole in the bottom.
I highly recommend this little accessory to anyone that loves to take photos be it selfies or night time long exposures or even video handheld by simply adding a short table top tripod to the base or I've seen some handle type accessory pistol grip.
Here is a link to the seller I bought it from Lazada.sg If you prefer to purchase it locally in Singapore you can also buy off Lazada by using this link. The price is slightly higher than what I paid for it shipped from China.
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