Features Highlight
Main Features
- Lightweight – my hide plate weighs in at only 330g.
- Environmentally Friendly – manufactured from reclaimed timber.
- Waterproof – comes sealed with oil which can be re-applied to protect and enhance the life opf the hide plate.
- Adjustable – all four feet can be height adjusted independently to ensure a rock solid base for your camera and lens.
- Recessed Seated Bolt – the securing bolt sits in a shaped recess which prevents the bolt head turning as the Gimbal head is tightened onto the face of the plate.
Main Benefits
- Portable – designed to be light, the camera hide plate fits in your kit bag , or can carried on the outside.
- Small Footprint – measuring only 25cm across its logest edge, the Camera Hide Plate will fit on the majority of hide shelves without any problem.
- Stable – even on the most uneven surface, once the feet have been adjusted it provides a rock steady base for your camera and lens.
Convenient
- A lot of hides (even public hides) do not allow the use of tripods due to the amount of space they take up.
- Using the Camera Hide Plate gives you the solid base you need for sharp images without inconveniencing your fellow photographers.
- Coupled with a Gimbal head it provides the flexibility required to capture pin sharp images.
Lightweight Portability
The one thing that makes other hide plates a non starter is their weight. Constructed from metal the base is extremely heavy. I would estimate that a single metal plate weighs as much as 2 bags of sugar!
They are designed like this in the false understanding that more weight will give more stability. This is simply not the case, my plate weighs a mere 330g, has a maximum width of 125mm across the longest edge and is only 30mm high with the feet extended to their maximum height, and is as stable as a rock!
The main advantage to having such a lightweight product is its portability. The kit bag of most photographers weighs a lot, so the last thing you want to do is add more weight in the form of a metal plate.
When you consider that the majority of hides by their very nature are in remote locations which require a hike to access. Making sure the hide plate was lightweight and portable was one of the main considerations in the design process.
Solidity
My camera hide plate is a solid piece of kit. As a fellow photographer I wanted it to not only be extremely sturdy but to also provide a solid base for the type of kit required to capture great wildlife images.
I also wanted it to be manufactured from something that would have very little impact on the environment.
I decided to use reclaimed wood, which is sourced locally to my home in Shropshire. I always wanted to end up with something that looked aesthetically pleasing as well as being very functional.
I think we have achieved that goal; with its natural grain, together with a beautiful oiled finish, I think the plate looks fantastic and should last a lifetime!
Adaptability
The Hide Plate is very adaptable.
It comes with an adjustable foot on each arm which allows you to account for potential warping of the hide shelf.
One of the things that I have noticed about other hide plates, other than their horrendous weight, is the inability to place them exactly where you want if the surface isn’t quite level. So I decided that giving my hide plate four height adjustable feet would solve this issue.
All four feet can be height adjusted independently ensuring a rock solid base for your camera and lens.
The plate also features a recessed seated bolt housing on the bottom of the plate itself. This stops the bolt head spinning as you try to tighten the gimbal down onto the face of the plate. The recess is exactly the same shape as the bolt head. The securing bolt slots into this shaped recess which prevents the bolt head spinning.