Theta was born out of frustration.
What could possibly be so special about a tripod plate?
I don’t know if I would call such a simple accessory special, but having to work with any kind of improperly designed equipment can certainly breed a special kind of grumpiness. In fact, that’s why I started ReFrame.
When I’m in the outdoors with my camera, I’m always keeping my eyes open for interesting photographic opportunities. As such, I tend to keep my camera at the ready as well. You won’t catch me with a neck strap though. My first time out with one had my neck begging for mercy within 20 minutes.
I found the various sling/quick straps to be a great alternative in terms of comfort and ergonomics, and I was mostly satisfied. However, after a number of hours of hiking, checking to make sure my plate wasn’t loosening up, and swapping plates each time I wanted to mount and dismount from a tripod, I was inspired to believe that there had to be a better way. Why not have a plate with an eyelet for a strap as well as a tripod mount?
Seemed simple enough to me, but I wasn’t able to find one that met my criteria. Being an engineer, and possibly having a tinge too much optimism, I decided to design my own - for me. Well, it turns out that it wasn’t as simple or as quick as I had imagined (go figure), but numerous design iterations and 5 or so prototypes later, I believe I've found the answer.
Theta is designed to solve three problems.
1) Plate Swapping
The eyelet protruding from the side is universal. Clip your favorite strap right onto it. It extends away from the camera and your tripod so you won’t have to unhook it unless you really want to. Then, whenever the need arises, mount right up to your Arca Swiss compatible tripod head. No need to unclip or unscrew anything from your body.
2) Plate Rotation
Theta has two vertical stops protruding from the top. These are made to fit snugly against the back of your camera to prevent rotation in either direction. Have a flip-up screen? Slide them between the screen and the body (I do this on my D500 and it works fantastic). No more worries about your plate loosening.
3) Model Dependency
Theta has three angled slots. This is where I had to get real creative. This slot design allows for semi-universal fitment and flexibility of plate location without sacrificing the anti-rotation feature. Why are they angled? This is a clever way to work with gravity to help keep the stops snug against your camera, even if your screw does begin to loosen.
Now, this feature does has to come with a disclaimer that the plate does not fit every camera out there. It does fit a large number of DSLRs and pro mirrorless cameras. If you don’t see yours in the list, let us know what you have and we’ll check it out. If you buy a plate and it doesn’t fit to your satisfaction, we’ll give you a 100% refund.
It has been tested in the wild.
I’m ecstatic to say that since I received a final production sample, I’ve used Theta exclusively while hiking in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, strolling through Denali National Park and the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska (even with a Sigma 150-600mm lens hanging from it for hours on a rough boat ride), and also during a short stint in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington.
Something that’s really cool? The plate never moved and I never had to tighten the screw once. Honestly I don’t think I ever took it off since I put it on my new (to me) D500 before the Alaska trip. Needless to say, I’m quite proud, and I’m happy to be able to offer this to you!
But don’t just take it from me, here’s what an early tester said about it:
Dear Patrick, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to try out and evaluate your new camera plate. I used it on both of my favorite go to cameras. The Fujifilm X-Pro2 and my workhorse the Canon 5D mkIV with the dual battery grip.
Mounted on the Fuji doesn’t feel any heavier or bulkier really and as you can see it sits nice and flat on a surface unlike other hook clips.
The Canon is a beast to be tamed, specially with the battery grip and the 70-200 2.8 L. No inferior camera mount can hold this combination and the constant picking up and hanging on the strap. I’ve used this set up during three grueling days while covering Men’s Fashion Week NY. The camera plate held tight without ever loosening or shifting from the camera. A simple quarter (coin) is all you need to attach or remove the mount. I always carry a quarter in the event I needed to tighten it, but never had to.
I have now shot two more events a wedding and an oficial Cultural event for the Permanent Mission of South Africa. I’m impressed and happy with the camera mount. I look forward to ordering an addition mount for my Fujifilm so as not to switch plates. I have used the mount exclusively with the Black rapid dual and single slings. The clips attach fast and easily to the mount. Love the product, and highly recommend it.
- Sergio