The NatureScapes Safety Plate for Gitzo Tripods

The most comfortable way to carry your camera and tripod setup from one area to another is to put the whole rig over your shoulder and carry it with the lens hanging out behind you. We all do it. Unfortunately, there have been some photographers reporting the base plate on their Gitzo Systematic tripods working loose. In the worst cases, the photographers’ entire lens and tripod head, complete with base plate have come crashing to the ground when carrying the setup this way! The most common cause for this is that the tension screw that clamps the base plate to the main body of the tripod works its way loose. There simply isn’t enough pressure against the plate to hold it in and it falls out, along with whatever is attached to it.

The NatureScapes Safety Plate for Gitzo Tripods

The NatureScapes Safety Plate for Gitzo Tripods is available to buy from NatureScapes.

Now the majority of wildlife photographers I come across and read about use Gitzo Systematic tripods as do I, and I have never had a problem with the plate coming loose in the field. When my tripod first arrived, the plate was loose, but I simply tightened the bolt up and never looked back. I also have two friends using the older version of my tripod (I use the GT5541LS) and they have never had any trouble either, so although there ARE photographers out there who have had problems, it certainly shouldn’t be seen as a major design flaw of the systematic range of tripods. If you use a Wimberley MKII or anything with the very popular Arca Swiss clamp, you are also trusting the weight of your gear on a finger tightened clamp – in theory this is potentially just as risky! A simple routine check of all the bolts on the tripod should always be carried out once in a while and doing so will hopefully prevent any disasters – after all, you wouldn’t drive your car for a year without checking the oil.

There are those however, that like to know without fail that the base plate cannot fall out, and those of us who forget to check our gear as often as we should. Enter NatureScapes and their exclusive safety plate for Gitzo tripods.

Size, Weight, and Fit

I have to admit, when I first saw photos of the safety plate on the forum I was a little skeptical. Not by the thinking or reasoning behind it, but by the look of it. Quite simply even though I read how little it weighed and that it was made from aerospace industry 6061 anodized aluminum, it just looked bulky and cumbersome in the initial pictures and in my head that made me think it was going to be heavy and unsightly to use. The last thing I wanted was to add weight to my setup – a full Gitzo, Wimberley MKII and 600mm rig is already heavy enough!

Up close with the NatureScapes Safety Plate for Gitzo Tripods

I am very happy to say though, that the plate is extremely discrete in use, very light AND beautifully engineered (and the smaller unit for the 35 series tripods is tiny as well). The unit itself comes with two different sized bolts depending on if you have the newer 3 or 5 series of tripod or the older models (see the NatureScapes store for full compatibility), plus fitting instructions with images to show you how to mount the unit to your tripod. If you have the newer version, it’s as simple as unscrewing the hook on the underside and using the smaller supplied bolt to attach the unit in place – a 30 second fitting!

And speaking of the fit, it is excellent. It doesn’t look too bulky or out of place and as mentioned above, is very discrete. You can see from the images just how well engineered it is and how carefully it has been measured and machined to fit perfectly around the legs and out to the edge of the tripod base. And that is how the safety plate works – it basically extends out across the lip on the underside of the tripod before sitting flush with the outer edge of the base, meaning you could even remove the original tension screw and the plate would still not be able to fall off. Yes it does add a marginal amount of weight but since the GSP55 weighs under 5 ounces while the smaller GSP35 comes in at well under 4 ounces you do not really notice any difference when attached. The black anodized finish adds even more to the look of the plate when in place, and to be honest if you didn’t know any better you would almost think this was part of the original Gitzo design.

Showing Gitzo GT5541LS tripod underside before mounting the safety plate.

GSP55 Safety Plate installed. The fit is excellent! Not too bulky or appearing “out of place.” If you didn’t know any better, you would almost think the plate was part of the original Gitzo design!

Piece of Mind

Now there may be some of you out there thinking anything that adds extra weight is a no-no or “Why should I have to pay even more money out on something that was so expensive it should be right first time?” Well they are very valid points—at first—and ones that I had myself. However I then got to really thinking about it and for me, the piece of mind this unit gives is more than worth the trade-off of very little extra weight and outlay (when compared to the cost of a full Gitzo/Wimberley/telephoto setup). Will Gitzo address the concerns of its users? Should they even do so? Well that’s not for me to answer, clearly they do not see the current design as flawed and in fact, the hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers out there would agree. And like I said at the start, neither my friends nor I have ever experienced a problem with our tripods.

However, knowing there is a cheap but beautifully engineered extra precaution I can take to protect my gear makes sense. And that is how I see this unit, not as a fix as such – because in my eyes at least, nothing is truly broken – but as great little extra step in helping me safely use my equipment when out in the field.

Side detail of the NatureScapes Safety Plate

Direct view of the safety plate

The plate design is so seamless that it blends in perfectly.

Available for purchase in the NatureScapes store