Occasionally I pop over to Sony's awkward website to see what's new and today I tripped over an addendum to the EX3 owner's manual that shows some little part that can be attached to the bottom of the camera to help with mounting on a tripod. I don't think my EX3 came with one of these and I'm curious to hear if anyone has used it.

I just finished a 48 hour film project last weekend and had my EX3 on an 18 foot jib which was cool, but not entirely stable. Wondering if this piece would help.

Or should I just skip it entirely and spring for a baseplate from DM or VFgadgets?

I would skip the Sony offering and opt for the newley designed DM baseplate. I can personally vouch for this as being a 100% improvement over Jeff's earlier baseplate product. Your camera will be far more stable and secure.

"He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever"

Hopefully my five minutes are up.

Thanks for the advice. I've placed a reservation on one of the DM plates from the next batch. I think it will make a big difference.

Could you point gently a link to that baseplate?

Here we go

DM-Accessories - EX3-SHOULDER Shoulder Brace For EX3 Camcorders (http://shop.dm-accessories.com/products/ex3-shoulder)

That's Jeff DeMaagd (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/members/jeff-demaagd.html), long-time DV Info Net member.

i dont quite understand the need for hinge on the rear of the dm plate. can anybody explain it. it seems you could just mount the battery/wireless on the rear....?

thanks,
dano

Thanks for the link...

i dont quite understand the need for hinge on the rear of the dm plate. can anybody explain it. it seems you could just mount the battery/wireless on the rear....?

thanks,
dano

Placing the battery on the hinged part lets you extend it farther behind you which helps counterbalance the very front-heavy weight of the camera.

At least that's my theory.

I'm anxious to try it in practice.

-brooks
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[list of all my gear goes here]

Placing the battery on the hinged part lets you extend it farther behind you which helps counterbalance the very front-heavy weight of the camera.

At least that's my theory.



Your theory is correct. I do not use this accessory myself, but there are users who may want to attch a Nano drive or battery for light etc. The extension will help to even out the balance. Having said this, the new design on the shoulder mount is a vast improvement over the first model. Also the baseplate is now a single metal plate, the first model comprised of two sections joined by screws.