eforcity Camera Tripod Quick Release?!

28 Apr eforcity Camera Tripod Quick Release?!

As I’m gearing up for a huge motorcycle video shoot, I needed some quick release plates for a few different tripod/mounting options.  I really didn’t want to spend $32 for Manfrotto plates for using out on the trail, so I looked at these on eBay from eforcity.

Looking at the photos of the plate, its really not clear if the center hole is threaded or not.. so based on their description:

“This camera quick release plate will quickly screw onto your tripod to properly and securely position your camera for the best shooting angle”

I figured it would screw right onto my tripod… especially seeing that almost 400 of these were sold.. but…not so!  You can not “quickly screw onto your tripod” as they advertise.. there are NO threads.  I emailed the ebay seller and here’s the response that was given:

Me:

Hello, I received both of my Quick Releases.. but, I’m unsure how do you mount them to a tripod? I thought they would screw right on to the 1/4″ mounting screw but I don’t see how they do. Can you help me? Thanks!

eforcity:

Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting us.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Screw size: 6mm .
If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know, so we may further assist you.
Sincerely,
Wing
Customer Service Team
– eforcity

Me:

Dear eforcity,Your product description says “This camera quick release plate will quickly screw onto your tripod to properly and securely position your camera for the best shooting angle.” Based on your description, how do I screw this plate quickly on my tripod? The hole isn’t threaded so how does it “screw onto your tripod”>. I believe your description is false and very misleading. Please advice on how I can screw this onto my tripod. Thanks.
– basherdesigns

eforcity:

Thank you for contacting us.
This quick release pad is for the tripod that does not come with the quick release pad, but a 3/8? mounting screw. Customer need to mount the bottom of the quick release pad on the tripod, and attach the top part to the camera. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,Vicky
Customer Service Team
-eforcity

So there you have it.. they advertise as if this plate will screw “quickly” to a tripod and you are off. What they don’t tell you is.. your tripod must not have a quick release plate or in reality needs to have a way to mount this plate to it.  False advertising .. no?!

Anyway, I said the heck with it.. they are so cheap I’ll find some way to use these things.. so here’s what I did.

Mounting plate – notice no threads

Using my dremel I notched out a diamond shape for the nut to countersink

I used a 1/4″ 20 screw thru the center hole and screw into nut tightly. Use some Loctite to secure it.

Here you can see enough threads left to screw onto any tripod 1/4″ 20 mounting bolt.

A bit of a gap between nut and base of my RAM mount tripod adapter…

To make a better fit, I added a washer to close the gap.

GoPro Hero2 mounted up…

On the cheap, this works very well and thus far I’m pleased with it.  I may try out some 1/4″ 20 threaded inserts like these on my next mount.. but who knows, that just adds more cost to the plate.. stainless steel inserts are $2 bucks a piece! We’ll see if that works, I fear the threaded insert could unscrew after awhile.. if I try it out I’ll post up my results.

Hope this helps others out there, let me know!