I've asked Jeff to post pricing (decide on pricing) but he was delaying to be sure that he both turn a profit and offer lower prices. He should have that figured out very soon.

Thanks Ted

Done a review of the VFgadgets plate. Pricey but really important especially if using 35mm adaptor.
Philip Bloom Blog Archive An essential, albeit pricey, fix for the EX3 especially if using a 35mm adaptor.

I'm simply not convinced by the VF Gadgets thing. Without the rear clip for the VCT-14 it is lacking some fundamental support. Further more I simply cannot accept those prices. They are beyond absurd. The reason I would purchase something is for convenience. If I can make it myself for far less, and with more features I will. In this case doing a DIY job looks infinitely preferable.

$400 for a rods plate is well and truly in lala land. And that goes for most other manufacturers who make this sort of stuff. I expect to see that sort of price for a small antique object featured on the Antiques Roadshow, not a piece of metal with some holes in it.

Lets put this into perspective. I can buy a used *car* for less than a flippin' matte box system these days! Which contains the most complex engineering? The car, or the matte box?

In the current economic climate they would do well to charge a realistic price. After all it is a piece of metal that has been CNC'd. It isn't some guy with a beard wearing a grotty stained white apron with a metal file lovingly burring each corner. It is a computer that makes these things.

I'm with Simon on this. The price of the what is effectively a cheese plate for the EX3 from PCI sold by VF Gadgets is so high it is laughable. Laughable.

There are just way too many instances of this insane kind of pricing in this industry, as I mentioned recently in another thread. I am convinced it is due to the proximity effect of big budget filming on the industry which bleeds into our part of the industry's "ecosphere".

The problem is many/most of the of the manufacturers get away with it because people buy this stuff at these insane inflated prices.

I can see how Phil Bloom who is suffering from his tripod mount failure "needs" to get this but if your camera is fine, like mine, i would rather be spending my money going toward a lens, a light or something that is going to bring artistic benefit to most of the shooting I am doing at the moment.

I should mention, I have found using my Letus that with the rails I am using (Cinevate Proteus ones) having the unit attached to both the Letus and the camera doesn't appear to cause any undue stress on the EX3 tripod mount. I suppose if the mount was already compromised the inertia of the camera swinging around could cause problems but if the mount is still sound once you have the rails on it shouldn't cause the mount to deteriorate.

Ted ...
 

What's the link to buy?

About half way down the page you'll find what you're looking for:

DM-Accessories - Welcome

Bob ...
 

thanks mate!

Just ordered one! Will also give it some press in an upcoming article.

Moolah.
 

Glad to see Jeff/Ted's version appearing. Competition should be good for pricing.

I find some of the argumentation about the admittedly high price of the VF gadgets solution faintly ridiculous. For the price of an EX3 you can get a good new car and a very good used one. So what? Try attaching a baseplate to a used car and sticking that on a tripod. If VFgadgets thought they would sell thousands and thousands of these things in a crowded market served by media such as "What EX3 Cheeseplate Monthly" you might find seasonal offers for about $60 or so. But, hey presto, they're only likely to sell a several hundred over the entire lifetime of the product - maybe a few thousand if they do really well. They are guaranteed and the company's reputation is attached to the utility of the product. It's not hard to see how the dollars stack up and I don't see the film/video ancillary industry getting a bail out from any government any time soon.

Frankly, if people had been asked to pay $350 for insurance on their EX3 and they felt they needed it, they wouldn't bat an eyelid at the price. To me certainly, it represents fairly good insurance against crappy Sony baseplate mishaps and is worth every cent. And if they'd sold them for $100 a piece, I'd have probably bought two or three just to ensure that my camera spends as little time as possible in repair-hell.

By all means, make a cheaper, better alternative. But if you get inundated with dozens and dozens of orders and want to make it 'worth your while', I won't be criticising you for wanting to make an extra buck or two.

Jus.

There's just one problem with the points that you made, Justin. How come Jeff/Ted's plate is so much more reasonably priced than the VF Gadgets one? If they can manage it, and I'd imagine that they have less resources than VF Gadgets, then it just shows how over inflated the VF ones are.

Yes, the VF plate is very expensive but I needed to fix my EX3 to the tripod in a much more secure manner than what was on offer from Sony at that time as Ted's gem was still in development. No, there isn't any securing of the back of the camera to the VCT with the VF, but it is much, much better secured than without it.

I have had my plate for some time now and although it cost me a lot of money, I am very happy with my purchase and I have the added safety barrier without having to be constantly mindful of the camera wobbling in not much more than a gentle breeze which I observed on my very first day outside with the camera or worse, accidentally breaking the flimsy single point tripod fixing screw.

I'm not sure if Ted's plate is ready yet as I have been very busy and haven't had an oppotunity to read many posts, but when it is, I'm sure that the competition will be very good. Until then, there isn't anything else - or is there....

Best wishes to everyone

True.
 

You're absolutely right, Simon, and there would have been little point of releasing a product from a lesser-known concern at a similar price-point.

Still, I hope you consider one of these plates soon, once you have recovered from your EX3 woes. I know you'll feel better about using the camera once you do - at least physically. And while, like you, I would also have liked to see a secure point of contact for the rear pin on the U14 plate, the current design of the VF plate (and probably Ted's too) is surprisingly rigid and stable.

Jus.

Jeff's got several of the items posted now, see here:

DM-Accessories - EX3 Products

and this evening, he's hoping to post the rear hinged part that is designed to carry a large AB or IDX battery mount. I'm looking forward to seeing the final version finished!

My standard base has shipped. I usually have my EX3 on a Steadicam Flyer-LE, and I've been a bit paranoid, so I hope this base adds some rigidity. I still can't believe the original mount is so light weight?