I love Tilta products. I’ve been using quite a few of them over the years and they performed perfectly. The build quality is top-notch, the solutions they use work very well and are durable. There is just one disadvantage I have been mentioning here quite a few times already though. The quick release system they use is not compatible with anything else. This means that switching setups between the base-plate and Ronin or slider are not very convenient (if possible at all). I described how I “hacked” the system for my Ronin-M setup but now I need another camera (Sony A7R II) to be compatible with the baseplate and finally decided to fix the quick-release problem.
This is how the original base-plate from Tilta looks like:
In the first step I had to get rid of the original quick release plate and mount the new Manfrotto PL-501 compatible one. To be able to do that I purchased a few elements:
- 1/4″ 19mm screw – to go through the plate and cage into the BMPCC itself,
- 1/4″ regular plate mounting screw – to screw into the SpeedBooster and secure the plate,
- Foam pads for chair legs – used as a filler for the space needed between the cage and the plate to align it properly with the SpeedBooster mount.
I used total 4 foam pads – 2 on each side to give enough fill between the plate and the cage. Then I mounted both screws through the plate and attached the first one to the BMPCC through the main hole in the cage and the second one to the SpeedBooster mount.
This way of mounting it secures the plate and prevents any rotation of the plate. It also secures the SpeedBooster and prevents any movement between the camera and the SpeedBooster. The result looks like this:
Now, the original Tilta baseplate had to be replaced with something else. I used a cheap Neewer baseplate which can be found on amazon – for a lightweight cameras it is good enough and works well on tripod as well as on a shoulder. I mounted a standard Manfrotto quick-release adapter on top of it and another Manfrotto plate at the bottom to be able to mount it on the tripod or slider.
The whole setup works very well and is universal – any camera with the Manfrotto plate can be mounted there immediately. And this was the requirement number one. Flexibility and time needed to switch setups. It’s also solid and holds camera tightly.
