Today we are proud to introduce the first LensVid designed product. After over a year and a half of work with our team designer and the people at SmallRig and several iterations of prototypes we finally are ready with the Mini L-shaped plate kit.
Background
First, what is this product and what challenges was it designed to overcome?
When building camera rigs or connecting together various accessories you sometimes need to mount components in a perpendicular way. While you can use something like a mini ballhead to create a 90-degree angle it can get loose over time and it will typically not have any type of anti-twist mechanism.
Development process – early prototype (left), a smaller pre-production unit (center) and the production unit (left)
Enter our mini-L plate. It is small enough to fit on almost any rig, includes Arri pins, and has different connecting options to allow it to mount to almost any rig.
Small and versatile – the Mini L-Shaped Mount Plate
In the Box
Before we start here is a quick look at what you get in the box:
In the SmallRig box, you will get two units of mini-L-Shaped Mount Plats with 4 3/8” 16 screws and a small flat screwdriver tool.
The full kit with 2 units, screws, and a tool
Features
The mini L-plate has three important features – let’s take a closer look at each of them:
- Anti-rotation pins and grip material – to prevent twisting the mini-L-plate has two retractable Arri pins on each side. If the part that you are connecting to does not have Arri pin holes you still have the silicone coating on the plate that will add some level of friction (although it will not be as effective as the anti-rotation pins).
4 Arri locating pins (2 on each side) for anti-twist connection and silicon texture cover
- Male/female 1/4″ 20 and 3/8″ 16 options and mini tool – arguably the most important feature of the mini L-plate is the way it can connect to other things. We created the unit in such a way that it can be attached to any type of industry-standard gear using either 1/4″ 20 or 3/8″ 16 screws. The First comes as default on the mini L-plate and the second comes as two replacement screws along with a small flathead tool. If you wish, you can also choose not to use male screws and use one or both sides of the mini L-plate with female connectors, either the built-in 3/8″ 16 or a 1/4″ 20 with the provided mini adapters making the mini L-plate even more versatile.
Both male (1/4″ & 3/8″) and female (1/4″ & 3/8″) connection options
- Distance from connected product – Another small but important feature is the 45-degree angle which allows the user to create just over 1.5 cm of distance between the objects that are being connected and preventing them from touching each other and getting in the way while still maintaining a low profile.
Distance from the connected product
Use cases
Here are some examples of how you can use the mini L-shaped plate:
Mounting a mixpre 3 on a light stand
DIY magnetic mount for a monitor
Wireless Transmitter mount
V-Mount battery mount
The mini L-Shaped Plate helped us build many different setups and rigs and we are convinced that there are even more that other users can come up with that we didn’t even consider and would love to see examples shared on this page below.
Product dimensions
- Product Dimensions：33.6 x 33.6 x 28.0mm / 1.3 x 1.3 x 1.1in
- Product Weight：32±5g / 1.1±0.2oz
- Material(s): Aluminum Alloy, Stainless Steel, Silicone
Holding the Mini L-shaped mount Plate
Price and Availability
The Mini L-Shaped Mount Plate Kit is available for purchase from the SmallRig website and from Amazon for under $30 (kit of 2 units).
Iddo Genuth 
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