San Francisco, CA—Joby, makers of the GorillaPod flexible tripods and UltraFit Sling straps, added the UltraPlate, a universal, quick-release plate that lets photographers use their tripod and camera accessories at the same time. Camera straps, camera tripods, monopods, Steadicams and flash brackets can coexist on one camera.
“When Joby introduced the UltraFit Sling strap, a number of customers wanted to use their bottom-mounted sling strap or wrist strap with their tripod at the same time. We were surprised at the complexity and cost of most universal, quick-release plates on the market (from $50 to $100), which put them out of reach for photographers on a tight budget,” said Michael Jue, director of Product Design at Joby. “To offer a more affordable and intuitive solution, we created our own universal tripod plate at an MSRP of $19.95.”
For use with DSLR and compact system cameras, the UltraPlate is engineered as a unibody machined-aluminum camera plate. The tripod plate has two female 1/4-20″ mounting holes, a hand or wrist strap attachment and an extra-long mounting screw slot. Measuring 2.8×1.7×0.5 inches and weighing 1.65 ounces, the UltraPlate has a small footprint on the base of a camera. It slides into Arca-Swiss compatible ball heads, and for users of proprietary systems, such as a Manfrotto RC2 ball head, the UltraPlate can be attached to the 1/4-20″ screw of an RC2 quick-release plate.
“From a design standpoint, we wanted to create a universal plate that packed a lot of functionality into one simple, adaptable design that did not get in the way of your camera,” said Noah Balmer, Joby industrial designer. “We wanted to create a universal quick-release plate that anybody could use.” joby.com
