Smallrig Camera Tool

[Elisabet Schwartzkopf]

Completingthe set of gear to bring for a specific landscape photography trip depends on a lot of factors. If you want to make the most out of the location and the effort of going there, you want your gear to help you become more efficient, more focused, and more creative. A common dilemma is when you want to bring anything and everything that might be useful for the shoot, while at the same time, you want to pack light and be comfortable. At the end of the day, the key is to find the right balance between being prepared and being comfortable.

For any landscape photographer, there are accessories most would consider essential. These are of course aside from the camera, lens, tripod, and filters. These simple accessories make certain parts of the shooting workflow easier and/or keep your valuable gear more secure.

An L-bracket is perhaps one of the best accessories to get right when you get a new camera which is why I ordered the SmallRig L-bracket for the Sony A7IV even before the camera arrived. Landscape photographers are perhaps the ones who use tripods the most which is why it is wise to keep a tripod plate on your camera as much as possible. Aside from the fact that L-brackets make it easier to shoot in a vertical orientation, fitted L-brackets specific to your camera model have dedicated holes to make way for your battery, memory card, and side-port doors so that you can keep them on the camera for as long as you want.

For any photographer, a multi-tool can and will come in handy at crucial times. From simply securing the mounting screw on your tripod plate, to tightening the joints of your tripod, or even prying open a stuck battery door, having tools ready will save you a lot of crucial time out in the field. This particular multi-tool has a flat head, a couple of cross-type heads, and various sizes of hex keys. This multi-tool can be handy for needs beyond photography which is why it might be more convenient for it to have a way to be fastened on car keychains for everyday-carry options.

Other, common accessories for landscape photographers are tolls that make shooting long exposures, HDR, and/or time-lapse more efficient. When shooting long exposures, a wireless remote can be very useful in trying to avoid any camera shake caused by pressing the shutter button. While using a 2-, 5-, or 10-second timer delay is an option, it can be a hindrance when precise timing is crucial. This Bluetooth remote is an easy fix for that and is also a handy tool for shooting videos on a tripod. It can also be screwed onto the L-bracket or camera cage or fastened with a Velcro strap.

Another common accessory that one might want to mount on a camera setup is a smartphone. This can be used as a remote through various applications whether or not in combination with a remote trigger. Another option is to use the smartphone as an external monitor through an application that transmits the live view over Wi-Fi. While external monitors are available in the market, they might not be the priority when it comes to reducing the amount of gear you bring to a shoot. To mount this, options include using another super clamp or to use the link port on my Manfrotto 055. Either way, the smartphone, and its cage can be mounted on the port using an articulating arm, which also helps position the phone. Since the arm has 1/4 inch threads, I made use of a thread adapter from a spare screw set that I also got to make it fit a 3/8 inch port.

While most cameras have way better battery performance nowadays, time-lapse photography takes that requirement to a whole new level. Time-lapse sequences often take at least a couple of hours and can go as long as days, shooting 24/7. While an option is to have multiple spare batteries, making use of continuous power and charging eliminates the possibility of missing an exposure when the battery out and/or while you change the battery. Most cameras that came out in the past three years now have USB-C charging, which allows the use of power banks to continuously charge the batteries. To make this more convenient, I used a SmallRig portable power bank holder and a double 1/4 inch ended screw to be able to mount the power bank onto another SmallRig Superclamp on another tripod leg.

In general, it's good that DIY accessories are now easily available on the market to help photographers come up with solutions to problems they encounter in the field or at the very least find ways to make their workflow more efficient and/or convenient. Running into mechanical problems with crucial accessories can ruin the outcome of a shoot, which is why being ready with tools and solutions is very valuable.

Nicco Valenzuela is a photographer from Quezon City, Philippines. Nicco shoots skyscrapers and cityscapes professionally as an architectural photographer and Landscape and travel photographs as a hobby.

This is a very solid piece of metal that hugs the camera and never lets go. There are two points to secure it, one at the bottom and one on the upper right side. This is the base of your rig, you can build and add attachments as you go, things like a monitor, microphone, grip etc.

Grab the screw that comes inside the package and mount your camera within a minute, and then place the tool into its pocket. You will never worry again about connecting a quick release plate and not having a tool or coin.

I use this to either hold a monitor or to attach speed lights to a clamp and attach to posts (mostly for wedding work) I also prefer the smaller arm because it has less tension and is harder for it to loosen by itself.

The SmallRig Articulating Arm Dual Head is my favorite, they have two versions. I may look into the ARRI type connector instead, it seems to be more secure but you have to ensure that your current cage supports the extra two pins that are in the ARRI plug.

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