Stronger EX1 bottom plate available now
 

I have made a number of these stronger EX1 bottom plates, and people like them.

I have also replaced broken Sony plates.

If you are interested contact me. And I will send you more info.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

In the interests of open debate, how does this compare with the Tiger Claw?

I have an EX1 that mates with a Sachtler DV8 and I am concerned by the 'give' and 'wobble' in the union, especially in warmer climates. I don't own bigger cameras, I don't want lots of bulky kit as I fly a lot. How will this help me?

And 'how much'? :)

Two advantages to this plate:

1) The plate is a solid piece of metal that is better attached to the camera than the plate Sony provides. This is achieved by having more screws into the camera chassis.

2) This plate can be attached to the tripod release plate using two screws a large distance apart.

Combined these two features will dramatically reduce the possible range of movement between the camera body and the tripod head compared to a screw and a pin.The other not insignificant advantage is preventing the original plate from being ripped out of the camera.

As the plate is made of aluminium the extra weight will be quite small.

Only thing I'd like is for these plates to be black anodized. I'd also be happier if the threaded holes had stainless inserts but that's likely to add considerably to the cost.

The price is $125.00 plus shipping. They are shipping now USPS, UPS or FEDEX.

Thank you for the input, Bob.

I am looking into having plates anodized or powder coated.

I may set up anodizing myself, and there is a shop here in town that does powder coating.

I will find out how much this will add to the price and I will order stainless inserts if a lot of users would prefer that. I should be able to get those in a few days.

I will post added cost here as soon as I have info.

Contact me if you want more info.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Looks good Olof. I have been using a similar home made plate and it does make the EX1 much more stable by using the extra screws at the rear of the camera body. The additional plate on the right side would work well as a mount for the Nanoflash. How much with the plate?

The cost with a side plate is $150.00

I can drill and tap side plate to your specs. Or I can make a hotshoe mount on it.

Contact me if you want more info.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Will it hold a Sennheiser G2 receiver pack?
 

This is looking like a no-brainer - little wing at the rear to hold a wireless receiver like the Senny G2 100? Saves having it clipped to the hand strap so you can strip your knuckles bare! I would, though, think that an adonised (black or whatever) finish would be mandatory.

Will it fit the new EX1R too? :)

I have not seen a production model of the EX1r yet.

As soon as they ship I will try to get hold of one so I can make sure plate fits.

I am looking into powder coating or anodizing, I am also getting a quote on stainless inserts.

It looks like it should fit an EX1R except for the hole spacing as the EX1R has 2x 1/4" threaded holes in the base plate with a non threaded hole in between them. It looks like the side wing is far enough out from the body to clear the new HDMI port which sticks out about 10mm.

How do I order one Olaf?

You might want to show it to Dan at Convergent Design.

Hi Alister,

Just send me an email to order one. I am getting my powder coating setup next week. So I can send you a black next week. Or if you are in a hurry I can send you a brushed aluminum this week.

Let me know if you want the "wing" to be threaded for the Nanoflash. I will contact Dan if you send me his info.

Thanks.
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Olof - how do you envision the Nano being attached to this plate? on the outer side away from the camera or is there room between the plate and the camera body. I may be interested in this if it could fit closer to the camera body or somehow be mounted in between the body and the plate.

Barry,

I can make the plate to any spec. The original "wing" was meant to hold the mic receiver on the inside using velcro.

I have ordered a EX1r myself and I will be getting the Nano for it.

I would be happy to make a "wing" specifically for the Nano. If you send me specs or photos with measurements, I would be very happy to make you a wing for it. And I would guarantee the fit.

Contact me:
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Olaf, are you selling just the bottom plate or the entire assembly shown in the right-most picture that are mounted on the EX1?

Gints,

You can order just the plate or plate with "wing", I like the word wing, I used to call it side plate. Matt Daviss on this forum started calling it a wing.

I can customize the wing to what you need.

I made one for myself initially for my EX3 to mount a pair of Sony wireless mic receivers. If you send me specs I will customize wing to your needs.

For ordering or more info contact me:
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Look nice Olof,

Sent you an email on ordering one anodized with Nano mounting on the wing.

EX1 Strong Plate now available with wing for NanoFlash
 

I will be shipping the first wing specially made for Nano next week.

By request this one will make the Nano face forward so the Nano can easily be seen from the back of camera, and it will be tilted 30° forward.

I will post photos when it is done. All aluminum parts will now be powder coated black.

I think this type of plate really solves a lot of problems with hanging gear on smaller cameras. Instead of loading the camera's already marginal mounting plate, gear is attached to the much more rugged plate, and the camera itself is mounted much more securely.

While I'm initially interested in your plates for a probably Nanoflash purchase, I would also like to see something that would accomodate the Nano on one side and wireless receivers on the other. When I'm not using a shoulder mount or tripod, you would laugh at where the wireless receivers sit.

Yes Gints,

I agree that is what I would want myself. And that was my original idea for the Nano plate.

I like the idea of facing the Nano to the back of the camera and tilting it down a little, it will be very easy to also allow for a mount plate for a wireless mic.

I have ordered an EX1R and I plan to make Nano and mic plates for that.

I like any feedback from all of you out there. Any other uses for "wings" etc.

If you contact me, we can discuss your idea and I can make a prototype usually in a day or two.

I will be posting photos here of any new versions.

olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Love 'em
 

I bought two and they are really great safety additions to my EX1's. Thank Olof and Sharyn.

Olof...

It's not clear as to how the plate is any better than using the EX1's existing 1/4" tripod mount.

Are there other attachment points besides the camera's existing 1/4" tripod mount which is held in place by four tiny screws?

A photo or two would be a great help.

For now I have the back end of the camera held down with a nylon strap. When I have the camera attached to a shoulder mount and wireless receivers, the strap firmly holds the back of the camera onto the shoulder mount, and prevents any leverage from being applied to the small tripod mount when I pick the camera up by the top handle.

Olof,

The photos show the product but not how it is attached to the camera. An "exploded" assembly drawing would be a lot more clear.

I am attaching a drawing of the basic plate viewed from the bottom. The drawing is not to scale.

The added strength and rotational stability is achieved by the 3 longer 2mm screws that run through the new plate and through existing plastic on the EX1 bottom and attaches to Cameras internal metal frame.

In addition by adding "wings" to the plate the stress of the added weight is transferred to the plate directly, not adding stress to the weak existing plate.

These wings can hold mic receivers, NanoFlash, external monitor, rails for matte box or even a teleprompter.

I like the idea of the Nano facing to the back of the camera but am having a hard time visualizing this - will have to wait until you post your photos. In any type of mounting of the Nano, I would be interested in something that wouldn't have to be disassembled everytime you put it into your camera bag for storage. That is the main reason I like my QRPRO2 setup - I can keep the battery and Nano always hooked up to the camera without any disassembling and it fits well in my Petrol bag.

If the new shoulder mount assembly that attaches to the bottom of the EX1(r) looks good (it was shown in a video at the Paris show) then I could get rid of the QRPro 2 and my shoulder mount and have a more compact unit as well as lose several pounds of extra weight.

Olof let us all know when the black ones are ready, i definitley interested in one.

Thanks.
Paul.

Olof is building the bottom plate with the Nano setup facing aft for me. I look forward to the added fasteners holding the camera to the bottom plate while on our gyro system. With the current single fastener attachment we have had some movement that is not good for the picture or the camera. The added support will be much appreciated. Also the nano at 30 deg angle will work well for Tripod and Gyro setup. Currently I have the Nano on a monitor mount.

Will post pictures of the setup and a review on my site after the first flight next week.

We have also discussed a Nano mount on the PMW-350 which I have on pre-order with Able.

Olof...

Thanks for the illustration. Now it makes more sense. I'm thinking the total of six to seven small screws have enough tensile strength to provide a solid enough mount.

It sure beats having just four small screws concentrated in an area of just a few square centimeters.

An anodized version would be nice to have since it would get some exposure to salt air.

I am now Powder Coating all plates and wings.

This is a slightly different wing with removable hot shoe.

You can flip it to the outside or keep it to the inside. I like the idea of keeping mikes on the inside, more protected. I can also see adding another bend to the wing so that the hot shoe is on top.

Also I think this setup will fit in most bags. It is no wider than lens handle.

I also just made prototype for the NanoFlash. Here is a link to photos.
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...nanoflash.html

If you have any interest in trying this setup, or any suggestions. Contact me.
olof@westsideav.com
603.383.9283

Ho Olof.

A suggestion would be 2 shoes on the wing, that way i can put both of my receivers next to each other on the wing.
Even if the wing needs to be a bit bigger that would be no problem.
I like the idea of the swivelling/removeable wing, as i'd like the receivers on the rear of the camera so that i can see them.

Paul.

I was Olof's "beta tester" for this product, and it is terrific. I sent my camera to him so that he could attach the plate for me. My factory tripod receptacle got ripped out -- Olof repaired and made a much stronger bottom plate for a lot less than Sony would have charged to just bring it back to factory. The "wing" is very handy -- I used it last night to mount my Sound Devices preamp. In addition, as you'll see from the photos below, the threads are configured so that I can use both screws and the pin for my Sachtler wedge plate.

If you're adding any weight to the EX1, such as a lens adapter or teleprompter (I had both when mine crashed), this is a must-have. Or if you're not as careful as you should be about not putting excess pressure on the factory receptacle (that's me too), ditto.

Here's my photos: Olof Ekbergh's camera plate

By the way, when Olof had my camera I had him also fix an issue I had with one of my XLR inputs. And he had the camera back to me in less than a week!