As long as you live in Chicago you will love the DM plate. Got mine a few weeks ago and I love it, but as a UK resident I hate the Royal Mail and the VAT man for the add ons. They are shameless and we are getting screwed.

I just got it! Super fast delivery.. Can't wait to slap it on my EX3. Thanks DM.

You may have read this on another post that I made earlier this year.

My EX3 camera took a nose dive whilst on a tripod (assistant didn't tighten the clamp) My lens snapped in two, a total write off. However the camera was mounted on the DM shoulder brace, and I am positive had I not had the DM mount fitted then the camera body would have also been severely damaged, especially the tripod socket.

You will be happy with the mount, I changed my shoulder brace to the same one as you now have. I am getting the mark II version of Jeff's shoulder mount and will report on it asap.

bottom plate stabilizer
 

If I get the base plate, do I need to even bother with the "supplied bottom plate to stabilize the camcorder" as noted on page 22 of the manual for EX3? Or, is this something I should do?

No, you can just use the baseplate on its own. The new version of the DM baseplate/shouldermount is a 100% improvement on the first model. I would recommend it as an essential purchase for any EX3 owner.

The new baseplate is now made from a single plate, rather than the two sections of version one. This gives it a much sturdier feel, although version one was very stable too. The actual shoulder section is also better shaped to your shoulder.

I will publish a full review on my new web site which will be launched in August.

Need advice
 

I plan to do most of my filming on my tripod. I'm wondering if the I should get either the DM or the VFGaget with the shoulder mount so I can mount batteries as I want to be able to add a nano down the road. Does it make sense to go with the full shoulder version of one of these even though I don't plan to shoot off my tripod? Any balance considerations. I will be most likely adding a DOF adapter down the road as well.

I'm in a similar situation as yourself and recently purchased the DM plate with shoulder mount and AB battery mount. I cannot speak to the VFGadget product, but I'm very, very pleased with the DM plate. I do a bit of handheld shooting, just this past weekend I did a gig shooting skydiving material (fun!) and the shoulder mount worked well for me. I like the Anton Bauer battery mount because even with my camera locked down on sticks and on mains power, I've set it up with the AB Tandem charger and it makes my setup look more professional than if I was using the consumer-looking supplied Sony charger / AC adapter thing. And if I need to, I can just unplug the AC cord and go handheld. The Tandem charger with the Dionic battery make a nice counterweight.

Oh, and speaking of skydiving, one of the local videographers was chatting with me and mentioned that he was somehow involved in filming a commercial for Guitar Hero and they used an EX3 to shoot it *while freefalling*! zoinks!! I couldn't quite get what kind of a mounting scheme they used, but I can't imagine jumping with my EX3. (I asked if it was actually an EX1, but he said no, it was an EX3)