Smallrig top plate handle #1688 review

Sometimes, I have a feeling my blog is more a catalog of Smallrig product presentation, but it’s also a way to says that something is happening in Shenzhen area and DJI is not the only one to get out of the copycat market. I have been using plenty of their products and have positive feedback to share here.

Going for a project last month where one of my Sony FS7 should have been used half of the time as a regular camera and the second half on a gimbal. I wanted to check how makes thing even smarter for me. I was planning on using with a Ronin-M as it was actual a successful test, but needed also a strong way to carry the camera when put on sticks. You can check my past setup here.

I love the Nato system as it keep the camera body with a limited weight on the gimbal, but still super sturdy and can be locked when adding a handle. I wish I could even have a longer NATO plate. It seems that Smallrig is thinking about it.

I came across Smallrig website (link) to try they handle as it can also be a screen holder (or whatever you need to put on it) and so copy the Sony FS7 one’s.
It’s a bit heavier and bigger than I thought at first but I have big hands, so I’m fine with this.
The handle is full of holes and also get support for 2 microphone if needed; nice.

The very nice idea is that you can slide the handle, so you can have it more like a T-Shaped or L shaped to balance your camera. It’s locked with 2 screw, and nothing is moving when locked.
It can be installed in a second, so you save a lot of space in your bag, splitting the camera in three parts: body / handle / screen. I love this when you travel a lot and need a quick setup.

In my case, it was to put it from the camera including the screen to the Ronin in a matter of second. And this is where the sturdiness shows! It hold the full Ronin M rig perfectly, saving again the need for an extra handle in your bag. You just need to have a NATO plate on top of something to lift it.

Te position of the rod allows you to still tilt the scene depending on how high you need to hold your rig.

As you can see. for low shot, the handle let you hold the Ronin too. Half of this project was on top of water and you don’t want to have any question how strudy it is!

Back from this project, my next assignment needed a director monitor and I also found a way to use this handle in a different way. As you can remove the Nato locker, it can be use it as a simple. I love when one product can be used in many different ways.

Notice. I have receive this product for free from Smallrig in order to support this project. I was actually ready to buy it anyways, so it did not impact the good feeling I had before and after using it. Smallrig team did not review or ask any changes on this post.
And there are many more to come!