Tripod Related Question

[Aqua67]

There is a piece that you screw into the bottom of the camera and it slides into the holder on top of the tripod. That piece that screws into the camera, should you remove it before putting the camera back into its bag? Is there a “best practice” with regards to that? I’ve left it on my camera last night and I wonder if I’m getting into a bad habit. Thanks.

 

[misterjones]

I've done both. I'll usually take it off but if I'm really feeling lazy I won't until later. I guess it depends on how often you use your tripod. I rarely use mine so it really doesn't make sense to keep it on my camera.

 

[smoke665]

Mine stays permanently affixed. I have duplicates for all my camera bodies.

 

[Aqua67]

Thank you both for responding. I wouldn’t want to damage the camera if keeping it on was a bad idea. As long as nobody has damaged their camera by keeping it on all of the time, then I won’t worry about it. Thanks again.

 

[smoke665]

Thank you both for responding. I wouldn’t want to damage the camera if keeping it on was a bad idea. As long as nobody has damaged their camera by keeping it on all of the time, then I won’t worry about it. Thanks again.

I tighten mine down, pretty snug so it holds when on the tripod. I have a ball head, nothing more irritating then flipping the camera up in portrait mode and seeing it slowly droop. My personal opinion is removing and replacing a quick release plate leads to premature thread wear.

 

[wfooshee]

I leave it on the camera, but I have been known to forget to move it to another camera that I want to use with the tripod... I wasted some drive time and lost a great opportunity for a star trails night when I'd left the tripod mount on a video camera and forgot to move it back to the dSLR. Very bad words when I got to setting up...

 

[adamhiram]

As others have mentioned, there's really no harm in leaving it attached if it is something you will use often. For common tripod mounts, BlackRapid makes accessories and plates that have a loop strong enough to hold the camera's weight from a strap, and also makes it very easy to attach and detach without any extra tools. These days, I use an L-bracket permanently attached that has built-in Arca style plates.

• BlackRapid Arca plate
• BlackRapid adapter for Manfrotto plates
• Kirk L-brackets

 

[ac12]

There is a piece that you screw into the bottom of the camera and it slides into the holder on top of the tripod. That piece that screws into the camera, should you remove it before putting the camera back into its bag? Is there a “best practice” with regards to that? I’ve left it on my camera last night and I wonder if I’m getting into a bad habit. Thanks.

I leave the QR plate on the camera or lens. Less of a hassle.

The "problem" is if you have it on camera A, when you go to put camera B on the tripod . . . you can't. The mounting plate is on camera A.
As others said, get spares and put it on the other camera or lens. And have a spare in your kit.

Bigger problem. If you have a tripod that has a proprietary QR plate, it can be difficult or impossible to get spare plates. Loose the plate and the tripod is useless.
Teacher at my school had a tripod in the corner of his room. The QR plate was "lost" and he could not find a replacement, but he did not want to throw it into the dumpster. So it sat useless, in the corner of the room.

 

[JoeW]

I try to always return the plate to the tripod when that camera goes off for more than a couple of shots. Why?

First, I have multiple bodies. And I've had some early morning shoots (as in: leave the house at 4am). I want my equipment ready to go. Which is why after I've finished shooting, I return the camera mode to "A" (aperture), ISO to 100, and WB to "auto". I replace any battery that is less than half a charge left when I'm done. I don't want to pick the camera (or gear) up the next day and realize "oh crap, my battery is near empty" or "F*ck it, my tripod faceplate is on the other body!"

Second, on shoots where I'm using a tripod outdoors I often have need of that bottom of the camera. I may be screwing in a gorillapod or a platypod (because they provide something the tripod doesn't). Or I'm swapping out lens and still need to keep the camera on the tripod (for instance, I shoot closeups of the Bald Eagle with my 600mm and then switch to my 85mm for a landscape shot and both need to use the same plate). And I have a Black Rapid sling (that screws in to the bottom of my camera).

I think the key thing here is not that I'm right (or the others are right). It's to be consistent. Otherwise sometimes you take it off and attach it to the tripod. Or take it off and put it in a pocket. Or leave it on the camera body. And then you're scrambling looking for it.

 

[pendennis]

All three of my tripods have Arca-Swiss adapters on the head, as well as my monopod. My D810, D850, and both Z7's all have Arca-Swiss plates attached to them, as well as the lenses which have a tripod foot. They're all attached permanently (as much as that can be done).

The caveat for any screw which goes in the camera tripod mount, is to ensure that you don't over-penetrate with a screw. Most cameras have sufficient thread depth, but I've seen cameras which have had a screw penetrate, which was a disaster.

 

[Soocom1]

For the uninitiated, in times past there were two parts to the base of a tripod mount.
Before the removable type, many tripods had an extra dowel pin that stuck up. that pin prevented the camera (or lens if large) from twisting and undoing the base.

Some of the higher end systems still have them.

Ironically, some of the older cheaper brands had them for some time.
Kmart, Sears, and the various manufacturers had them.

Most are now found on higher end video systems,

Hasselblad H series of cameras still have the secondary hole.
Most newer DSLR and mirrorless dont.

 

[cgw]

Remove it ASAP. To do otherwise risks permanent sensor fog, AF issues and a voided warranty.

 

[wfooshee]

Remove it ASAP. To do otherwise risks permanent sensor fog, AF issues and a voided warranty.

Huh????

How does the tripod mount being on the base of the camera affect any of those systems? My D7200 has been carrying the tripod plate since I bought it brand new, and somehow, my camera remains undamaged.

 

[smoke665]

Huh????

How does the tripod mount being on the base of the camera affect any of those systems? My D7200 has been carrying the tripod plate since I bought it brand new, and somehow, my camera remains undamaged.

I think @cgw was joking. LOL

 

[wfooshee]

I was hoping so, but that's what smilies are for. Without that, it's just a literal statement.